Maxwell Museum Blog
Expanding the Visibility of Maxwell Museum Research
Based on his previous experrienes at the Harvard Peabody Museum, Maxwell Museum Director Garth Bawden prioritized strengthening the Maxwell's stature as a center of original research. Under his leadership, the Museum encouraged collections-based research by University of New Mexico and off-campus students and faculty, and museum staff, and created the title of affiliated scholar to formalize relations with individual researchers whose work intersected with that of the Museum. The maxwell Center for Anthropological Research (MCAR), was created in 2001 and Dr. ruce Huckell was hired as Curator of Reseach to oversee it. MCAR, which remained active from 2001-2015, aimed to support the work of affiliated scholars from UNM and beyond who were engaged in research on topics related to the museum's collections.
To promote Maxwell Museum research, Bawden formalized the publication series begun by former director Dr. J.J. Brody into The Anthropological Papers of the Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. Ten volumes were produced and distributed by the University of New Mexico Press. With the rise of digital publishing, today the Museum focuses its publication efforts in the production of online archaeological reports.
The Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies
In 2000, the Museum partnered with the Anthropology Department to create the Alfonso Ortiz Center for Intercultural Studies, established in honor of UNM anthropologist Alfonso Ortiz. Supported by a Challenge Grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Ortiz Center is dedicated to the creation of "opportunities for diverse, collaborative, community-inspired cultural programs in the humanities and public anthropology." The Ortiz Center’s physical home is located within the Maxwell Museum and features an exhibition of Ohkay Owingeh pottery curated by artist Clarence Cruz. Most important than its physical footprint, the Ortiz Center serves as a nexus for scholarly collaborations between UNM departments, faculty and students and diverse communities. Since its founding, the Ortiz Center has sponsored collaborative workshops, exhibitions, conferences, symposia, and innovative community partnerships.
Eagle Dancers from Ohkay Owingeh perform at the Ortiz Center opening