News!

This is a very exciting time to be a part of the Western Heritage Museum and Lea County Cowboy Hall of Fame.  Not only have we had a great year with some very fun exhibits but also the exhibits coming up are even better!!!

Right now we have Art of the Fish:  Exotic Wood Carvings by Tom Dean.  This is an amazing show.  I’m not even a fisherman but I can appreciate the time and detail that has gone into his work.  This show is up through November 9.

Then we take our annual break from exhibits so that we can transform the Museum into a winter wonderland.  Our 6^th annual Christmas Traditions from Around the World event is scheduled for Thursday, December 5.  We are planning to have even more trees throughout the museum.  A number of different countries and states will be represented to give you a taste of how they celebrate the Christmas season.  Entertainment includes a mariachi band, carolers, instrumentalists, and maybe even some Christmas stories.  And of course, don’t forget the jolly old elf himself, Santa Claus!!!  We also have a special surprise but I’m not going to tell you what it is.  You’ll just have to come in and find out for yourself.  While the event is only one night, the trees and the surprise will be up until we close for winter break on December 21.

After we get back from winter break, we go right into our next major exhibit.  Get ready for:  Bigger than T-Rex!!!!  That’s right, we’re not going to have a t-rex, we are going to have something BIGGER than a t-rex!  The giganotosaurus is 10% bigger than a t-rex and is from Argentina.  With this exhibit you’re going to see skeletons and robotics, you’re going to have different activities to participate in like a dig pit, and you’re going to learn while having fun!  Like how I threw that last one in there?  Then, after that, we have Legends of the Cochran Collection which are works from the one and only, Andy Warhol.  Never before has this area had an exhibit like this. Following that we get Arte in la Charreria that features the artisanship of Mexican equestrian culture.  Costumes, spurs, jewelry and so much more will be on display.  How can you not be excited about all this?!  For specific dates check out our website.

But there’s even more good news here at the Museum.  We are in the middle of a remodel!  We’ve had an idea in the works for a little while now but it’s finally coming to fruition.  What we are doing is flipping our main galleries.  What was in the South Gallery, or our permanent gallery, will now be in the North Gallery, or our traveling exhibit space.  So here’s what it will be:  South Gallery – traveling exhibits and offices (I’m getting an office and a work space!!!); Chuckwagon room – photo gallery/traveling exhibits; Hallway – Cowboy Hall of Fame/Ranching heritage; North Gallery – permanent exhibit space (eventually).  The South Gallery objects have been moved and the walls torn out.  At the time of writing this, there are walls being put up in the new offices, workspaces, and storage areas.  The North Gallery, at the moment is still home to Art of the Fish, but after Fish is out, it will become a visible storage area.  We will store objects in there, without much interpretation, so that people can still see what the Museum offers.  We are doing this because the company we are working with who will be helping with the redesign of our permanent space says that the process will take about 2 years to complete.  So, until then, the gallery will still be open (for most of the time) and visitors can still see the objects.

Wow, that’s a lot to talk about.  I told you there’s lots of exciting stuff happening here!  For more information about the exhibits or events coming up check out our website or find us on Facebook.