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UNM celebrates Mardi Gras

Maria Fernandez | March 10

On Tuesday, March 4, the University of New Mexico held a Mardi Gras event in the Student Union Building. Mardi Gras celebrations in the United States began in the 18th century when French settlers arrived in Louisiana, marking what is known as “Fat Tuesday,” according to the New Orleans website. Celebrations involve parades, colorful clothing and king cake, according to the website. The SUB event included a live jazz performance by local guitarist Dimian DiSanti and his musical group, mask decorating and traditional Cajun food, including jambalaya and king cake.

Culture

Maxwell Museum unveils new fermentation exhibit

Nate Bernard and Jaden McKelvey-Francis | March 10

On Saturday, March 8, the University of New Mexico’s Maxwell Museum of Anthropology uncorked its newest exhibit. The exhibit, titled “Entangled Cultures: How Humans and Microbes Co-create through Fermentation,” explores how microbes and the process of fermentation have influenced and interacted with humans throughout history. The exhibit, consisting of about 20 items, presents how fermentation — a technique used to extend the shelf life and improve the nutritional value of foods — likely spurred human ancestors' development of larger brains, smaller digestive systems and expansion into new environments. Human interactions with microbes — microorganisms essential for fermentation — are given little attention by anthropology despite their potential major contributions to human evolution, according to Toni Gentilli, archaeologist and Maxwell Museum curator of exhibits.

Culture

Velocity Irish Dance to tour at Popejoy Hall for the first time

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | March 7

On Saturday, March 8 at 7:30 p.m., Velocity Irish Dance will travel from Ireland to perform at Popejoy Hall for the first time, according to a Popejoy press release. “Velocity Irish Dance is renowned for its innovative fusion of tap dance and multimedia design, incorporating projections, spoken word, and immersive soundscapes to create a visually stunning and emotionally resonant experience,” the press release reads. Velocity is led and choreographed by James Devine, Guinness World Record holder for “The Fastest Feet in the World,” and David Geaney, five-time world champion Irish dancer, according to Velocity’s website.

Culture

Students celebrate UNM’s 136th birthday

Maria Fernandez | March 3

On Friday, Feb. 28, University of New Mexico students, faculty members and staff members gathered in the Student Union Building to celebrate the UNM’s 136th anniversary. The event, planned and coordinated by Lobo Spirit of the Associated Students at UNM, began with the annual group photo, featuring 136 UNM students in Lobo Day shirts. Guest speakers included UNM President Garnett Stokes, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs James Holloway, and new Head Football Coach Jason Eck — followed by the singing of “Happy Birthday,” during which ASUNM released confetti on the SUB atrium.

Culture

‘Stories of Ukraine’: UNM faculty members recognize three years since Russian invasion

Addison Fulton | March 3

On Feb. 24, the University of New Mexico hosted a talk and documentary screening that recognized three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Erika Monahan is a UNM assistant professor of history with a focus on Russian history and politics. She has written several books about the Russian empire, including “The Merchants of Siberia: Trade in Early Modern Eurasia.” At the event, called “‘Stories of Ukraine’: Three years of the Ukrainian People at War 2022-2025,” Monahan discussed her experiences with people who fled the war from both Ukraine and Russia, as well as the internal pressures the war has caused for Russia. She also emphasized the United States’ changing role in the crisis.

Culture

Rhythm India makes a stop at Popejoy Hall

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | March 3

On Thursday, Feb. 27, Popejoy Hall hosted a colorful performance of Indian music, featuring sparkly costumes and animated dancers. The performance was directed and choreographed by Joya Kazi, an Indian American actress, dancer and choreographer, according to a Popejoy press release. The performance involved Indian folk dancing, which is rooted in religious rituals that honor “local deities” and “prominent Gods in temples” throughout the country, according to the press release.

Culture

Guild Cinema March preview

Elijah Ritch | March 3

Here are just a few of the hidden gems screening at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema in March. From March 7-10, the Guild will screen the new Norwegian film “Armand.” The directorial debut of Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel, the film is about a famous actress who must contend with her young son’s behavior at school. “Armand” won the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024, which is the festival’s award for best feature-film debut. It stars Renate Reinsve, whose breakthrough performance in the 2021 film “The Worst Person in the World” earned her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress. Reinsve’s sensitive and commanding acting style is again garnering her acclaim, with IndieWire deeming it her best performance yet.

Culture

‘Les Misérables’ brings romance and revolution to Popejoy Hall

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | February 24

On Tuesday, Feb. 18, during Popejoy Hall’s opening night of the Broadway musical “Les Misérables,” performers took audience members back to the era of the French revolution through a mix of theatrics, operatic singing and elaborate stage design. The Broadway cast performed for a crowd of nearly 3,000 people. The show was performed every day at Popejoy Hall through Sunday, Feb. 23. Beginning with prison labor and prostitution, “Les Misérables” unfolds into a love story between an orphaned girl and a student who takes part in a bloody rebellion — the rebellion that inspired French author Victor Hugo’s original novel published in 1862, according to TheCollector.

Culture

UNM visiting artist Larry Madrigal gives talk at Albuquerque Museum

Emmett Di Mauro and Elijah Ritch | February 24

On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Albuquerque Museum hosted painter Larry Madrigal to talk about his work as part of the University of New Mexico Frederick Hammersley Visiting Artist program. After the talk, Madrigal hosted a Q&A session with audience members. “The program invites prominent contemporary painters from around the world to come live and work in Albuquerque,” according to the UNM Department of Art website. Madrigal is from Phoenix. His first solo show was in Los Angeles in 2020, he said, and he has since had shows in Paris, New York and Bucharest.

Culture

‘Push and Pull’ highlights abstract artists at UNM Art Museum

Addison Fulton | February 21

On Jan. 31, the University of New Mexico Art Museum opened its exhibit “Push & Pull: The Prints of Helen Frankenthaler and Her Contemporaries.” The exhibit showcases the work of abstract expressionist painter Helen Frankenthaler, whose career began in the mid-1900s. The exhibit was put on with ...

Culture

Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández comes to Popejoy Hall

Leila Chapa and Paloma Chapa | February 17

On Friday, Feb. 14, Popejoy Hall was filled with colorful costumes, lively music and passionate dancers as Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández performed for one night in Albuquerque before returning to Mexico City. The world-renowned dance group traveled to New Mexico and shared its artistry of traditional song and dance, celebrating Mexican culture and heritage. The group performed at the Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe on Feb. 12 before its Valentine’s Day performance at the University of New Mexico. The performance and choreography exhibited traditional Folklorico dances from throughout the country and celebrated pre-colonial Mesoamerican cultures, according to a Popejoy press release.

Culture

New Mexico author presents on ‘The Holy Doves’ at Wheels Museum

Addison Fulton | February 17

On Saturday, Feb. 15, the Wheels Museum hosted a reading and Q&A session with New Mexico author L.E. Austen. The talk centered on Austen’s 2024 book, “The Holy Doves.” “The Holy Doves” is an exploration of gender and politics within modern organized religion. As Austen explained, it reimagines the true creator of humans as Inanna, the female counterpart of Jehovah and the feminine side of God. In the book, Inanna was the one who chose to give humans curiosity and free will. However, when human society went awry, Jehovah wanted to rid the world of humans, but Inanna chose to go behind his back to save the species with a new Messiah.

Culture

Love in the Archives highlights the Center for Southwest Research’s vast collections

Elijah Ritch | February 17

On Thursday, Feb. 13, the Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections hosted the sixth annual Love in the Archives event at the Frank Waters Room in Zimmerman Library. This year, the theme was “Then and Now.” Portia Vescio, the university archivist at the CSWR, co-organizes Love in the Archives. The theme explored the progression of time, she said. One of the collections on display was a group of archival materials related to the life and work of American artist Wilson Hurley. The renowned landscape painter frequently depicted the grand vistas of the Southwest in his work.

Culture

Nuclear museum honors Black contributors to scientific fields

Addison Fulton | February 10

Throughout February, the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is hosting a Black History Month banner exhibit highlighting the contributions Black people have made in scientific fields such as medicine, biology and engineering. The goal of the exhibit is to highlight those who have previously been overlooked due to systemic factors, according to museum curator James Stemm. “What we've tried to do is recognize that people from all backgrounds are contributing to science and contributing to technology and its development, and highlight some of those people who may not have always been recognized at the time or since then,” Stemm said.

Culture

Candelaria Nature Preserve celebrates four years of restoration

Emmett Di Mauro and Elijah Ritch | February 7

On Jan. 31, the Candelaria Nature Preserve in Albuquerque hosted a tour of its ongoing rewilding project. The public tours are given on the last Friday of every month from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and cover the preserve’s efforts to restore the 90 acres of former farmland in the North Valley, according to the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District website. Partnering with the City of Albuquerque Open Space Division, the Ciudad Soil & Water Conservation District provides an annual report on some goals for the Candelaria Nature Preserve, including plans for soil health. The project is in the fourth year of its 20-year span. The 2023 report can be found on its website.

Culture

Guild Cinema February preview

Elijah Ritch | February 3

The following are a few of the films of note that will be shown at Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema in February. From Feb. 4-6 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the Guild will screen “From Ground Zero: Stories from Gaza.” The film gathers work from 22 different Palestinian filmmakers, documenting their experiences living through the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. “From Ground Zero” was Palestine’s submission for the 2025 Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, making the category’s shortlist in December 2024, but failing to receive an Oscar nod when nominations were announced in January.

Culture

Roadrunner Foodbank ‘Souper Bowl’ warms hearts and stomachs

Nate Bernard | February 3

Ladles clashed, steam rose and flavors battled for supremacy at this year’s Souper Bowl, a competition and fundraiser hosted by the Roadrunner Food Bank. With rich broths, bold spices and secret recipes on the line, the competition was fierce — but only one soup reigned supreme. The Old Town Catering Company, a local Albuquerque favorite, dominated the Bowl, winning first place for People’s Choice Soup, first place for Critics’ Choice Soup and third place for People’s Choice Vegetarian Soup. The team’s chef and owner, Mike Tafoya, credited the victory to serving soups that are distinctly New Mexican.

Culture

‘Swiftie-nomics’: First Lobo Living Room of the year

Elizabeth Bolke | February 3

On Thursday, Jan. 30, the University of New Mexico Alumni hosted 2025’s first Lobo Living Room — a series of events that will showcase distinguished UNM alums engaging in discussions, demonstrations and performances related to their fields of expertise. The first event, called “Swiftie-nomics: The art, industry, and influence of Taylor Swift,” was held in George Pearl Hall.

Culture

The Guild gets to the meat of the matter with ‘The Jungle’

Addison Fulton | January 31

On Jan. 23, Albuquerque’s Guild Cinema hosted a showing of Matt Wechsler’s new documentary, “The Jungle,” which dives into the problems with and history of the modern meat industry. The title comes from Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel, which first exposed corruption and contamination in the meat industry. The free screening was put on by the New Mexico chapter of Food & Water Watch, an organization that pushes for policies to help curb climate change.

Culture

BioPark hosts Penguin Awareness Day

Elizabeth Bolke and Jaden McKelvey-Francis | January 27

On a day when most other animals chose to be indoors, the Albuquerque BioPark hosted an annual event for Penguin Awareness Day. The event, which took place on Friday, Jan. 24 was in the Penguin Chill building, which mimics the penguin's typical habitat. This event offered guests a chance to see three types of penguins that live in Penguin Chill. While the BioPark does host a fourth species, the little penguins are not part of the chilled habitat. The little penguin enclosure is part of the new Australian exhibit, but the colder weather didn’t permit them to be outside.