To paraphrase John F. Kennedy’s famous line, let me pose the thought, “Ask not what your museums can do for you, but what YOU can do for your museums.”
There is a dedicated crew of volunteers who spend a portion of their free time helping make our four city museums better. Those museums, Railroad, Art, Natural History and Branigan Cultural Center, are staffed by a small team of hard-working city employees. For example, the most visited museum in the system, the Museum of Natural History, operates with a director, education curator, naturalist, and an administrative assistant. While there is also a lean team of museum administration staff which supports all the museums, every museum could use some helping hands.
That’s where the volunteers come in. They do everything from serving as docents who help visitors appreciate the exhibits to those who assist staff in preparing and preserving collections. If you’ve visited during an exhibit opening, chances are you’ve been greeted by volunteers serving punch or seen the results of their efforts in the exhibit tags on the walls. Special events such as Railroad Days could never take place without the help of devoted volunteers. There are numerous opportunities for volunteers and with the four diverse museums, pretty much something for every interest.
In addition, the Foundation for Las Cruces Museums is a not-for-profit organization that supports all the museums with advocacy and funds. We conduct several fundraisers each year, such as the Rat-on-a-Stick food booth at the upcoming Renaissance ArtsFaire, in order to support the museums with expenses that are beyond their budgets. Diverse examples are new flooring for the Swartz Room at the Branigan Cultural Center, purchase awards of ceramics for the Museum of Art, and funds to pay for kids to get pictures with Santa at the Railroad Museum during this year’s WinterFest.
Maybe you have some time you are willing to invest in supporting our museums for the betterment of our community. This is a wonderful time to volunteer! The museums will be running a series of volunteer training sessions through the month of October and the Foundation for Las Cruces Museums is soon starting a new term for officers. The slate of officers and appointed positions is being created in preparation for the annual meeting November 3.
Volunteer training will be held every Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 4 p.m. beginning Tuesday, October 11, and wrapping up Thursday, October 27. Volunteers do not have to attend all six of the two-hour sessions. Topics include learning at the museum through conversation, visitors, and docent skills development. If you are interested in serving as a volunteer and would like to attend the training, contact Andy Albertson at the Branigan Cultural Center at (575) 541-2219 or e-mail aalbertson@las-cruces.org.
If you are interested in being a board member or serving on a committee with FLCM, e-mail friendsoflcm@gmail.com. We’d be happy to talk to you about the opportunities.
To learn more about what is happening at the museums and for a link to the FLCM webpage, go to www.las-cruces.org/museums.
