Proposals Sought for Cultural Center’s 2026 Exhibits

Branigan Cultural Center is accepting proposals for exhibits, with themes of cultural and historical significance relating to the Borderlands and the U.S. Southwest, to be presented in 2026.

The Cultural Center is particularly interested in submissions that consider the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Submissions will be accepted April 1 to May 16, 2025.

Submission topics can be wide-ranging and address historic or contemporary issues. The Branigan Cultural Center encourages submissions that relate to themes identified by the American Association for State and Local History for the Declaration of Independence anniversary: Unfinished Revolutions, Power of Place, We the People, American Experiment and Doing History. For detailed information about these themes, visit the American Association for State and Local History website.

Proposals must be submitted via SurveyMonkey. Starting April 1, a link to the SurveyMonkey submission form will be available at the Las Cruces Museums website. Applications must include a brief narrative of the exhibit theme; a statement by the scholar, artist or group; five to 10 jpg or png images of proposed objects or artwork that will be displayed; and linear and/or square footage needs. Exhibitions typically run for eight to 12 weeks. Incomplete or late proposals will not be accepted.

The Branigan Cultural Center invites submissions from formal and informal scholars, cultural heritage organizations, and solo or group artists.

Previous exhibitions have included themes such as historic theaters in the Mesilla Valley, historic photographs from the Ballard Photo Studio, and a multi-media examination of the impact of water on the Borderlands. Artistic exhibitions have included black and white photographs of White Sands National Park, a series of graphic posters that examined U.S. immigration policies and Día de los Muertos.

The deadline for submissions is 5 p.m. Friday, May 16, 2025. For more information, visit the Museums website or call Jennifer McClung, Exhibit Curator, at 575.541.2221, TTY 711.

The Branigan Cultural Center is located at 501 N. Main St. and is open 10 a.m. to 4:40 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday. There is no admission charge. The museum is accessible from Roadrunner Transit Route 1 Stop 1.