Albuquerque, NM – The National Hispanic Cultural Center is heading into its 25th anniversary celebration this fall with a collection of exciting new events and performances alongside familiar favorites.
“With our 25th anniversary celebration coming up in October, the Center is pulling out all the stops to bring a mix of performances, art exhibitions, film screenings and more for our community to enjoy this fall,” said National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) Executive Director Zack Quintero. “We’re proud to honor our past, celebrate the present, and share a new vision together as we look ahead to the future.”
The Center’s milestone 25th Anniversary celebration kicks off Saturday, October 25. Throughout the afternoon, the Center will celebrate a quarter-century of Hispanic art, community and culture at the Center. Enjoy a full slate of live music, dance performances, guided art tours, and much more! Additional details will be available soon.
Leading up to the big day, the Center has a series of upcoming events and programs lined up for all ages and interests. The fun kicks off in early September as the Center’s newest art exhibition, What We Bring to the Table, opens at the NHCC Visual Arts Museum on Friday, September 5. What We Bring to the Table features artworks created by the Center’s staff, celebrating the Center’s 25th anniversary by saluting the artists who spend their days and nights keeping the Center going. Moreover, the Center has announced a full slate of programming throughout the fall and winter in conjunction with its other temporary exhibition, Voces del Pueblo: Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano in New Mexico.
Later in September, enjoy a pair of free film screenings – Bless Me, Ultima on September 6 and Las Tres Sisters on September 11 – in the Bank of America Theatre to kick off the Center’s Fall Film Series. Meanwhile, the Center’s History and Literary Arts team will host a two-day author event on the 11th and 13th celebrating A. Gabriel Melendez’s new book, Citizens by Treaty/Ciudadanos por tratado, which gathers works produced by Spanish-speaking people of Mexican descent who became United States citizens by virtue of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Finally, join us for a Mexican Independance Day celebration in collaboration with the Consulate of Mexico on Monday, September 15! Enjoy a traditional Grito, dance performances, vendors, and more as we celebrate the anniversary of Mexico’s declaration of independence.
In October, Center’s Performing Arts schedule features collaborations with new and familiar community partners ranging from unique operas to engaging film series. Starting October 8, the Center is proud to collaborate with the Vortex Theatre on a pair of crazy, funny, and sometimes raunchy plays: Cebollas and Chimichangas & Zoloft. Then, in collaboration with Opera Southwest, NHCC is proud to play host to the original opera Dolores, based on the life and work of legendary labor activist Dolores Huerta. Set in 1968 during the Delano grape strike, Dolores is an opera that floats between the real and the imagined, memory and nightmare.
Throughout the fall, the Center’s Education team is hosting a slate of activities for a variety of ages and interests. The Center’s ¡Vamos! Free Family Fun workshops, held on the first Saturday of each month, range from tortilla artmaking in September to dance workshops in October. NHCC’s beloved adult artmaking program Happy Arte Hour will feature guests like Roberta Marquez, one of the artists featured in Voces del Pueblo, and Shannon Bay, Deputy Director at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science. And of course, the Center’s annual Día de Familia: Día de los Muertos lets families create their own ofrendas, enjoy sugar skulls and much more as we celebrate the iconic holiday.
Additional details and a full list of fall events are available at nhccnm.org/events.
More about the National Hispanic Cultural Center The National Hispanic Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and advancement of Hispanic culture, arts, and humanities. The NHCC presents mission-related events throughout the year, some produced by its history, literary, performing, and visual arts programs, and others by partnering with external organizations. Events take place at its 20-plus-acre campus, which includes a plaza, an art museum, a historically designated building, a library, and a genealogy center. The NHCC is a division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and is further supported by the National Hispanic Cultural Center Foundation.