The WNMU Museum Collections are primarily focused on the precontact American Southwest and campus/building and local history. Our notable collections include:

NAN Ranch Collection— the largest and most complete collection of Mimbres materials in existence from a single precontact Mimbres site. Excavated by Dr. Harry Shafer out of Texas A&M over 11 field seasons. The collection includes extensive field notes and maps.

Elk Ridge Collection— Mimbres artifacts collected and excavated from the Elk Ridge site. The northernmost Mimbres pueblo in the Mimbres Valley.

Eisele Collection of prehistoric Southwestern pottery and artifacts— collection of over 600 vessels, sandals, baskets, and other precontact items collected by Richard C. Eisele in the 1920s and 1930s.

Clint & Dee Johnson Collection— Mimbres artifact collection from the Arenas Valley.

Back Collection— Maria and Julian Martinez San Ildefonso Pueblo and Santa Clara Pueblo pottery.

Ike Smalley Collection— Casas Grandes pottery.

O.C. Hinman Collection— historic Silver City/Grant County photographs.

Campus Collections— university history, including graduation and Great Race items.

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman Memorabilia Collection— items and awards that chronicle the Senator’s time in office.

Access to collections for scholarly research is available. Contact Museum Director Danni Romero for more information, danielle.romero@wnmu.edu.

We are often asked if the Museum accepts new collections. While the Museum would be overjoyed to accept all collections, we face the curation crisis as do most museums. We are happy to look over your items and provide information, but we cannot guarantee we can provide storage space or that the item(s) will be on display. Any Indigenous items are also evaluated under NAGPRA and may need to be repatriated.

 

 

Please Note: Museum staff CANNOT provide appraisals.

What we will consider:

• Certain Mimbres/Wider Mogollon artifacts
  • Whole or mostly whole vessels
  • Jewelry
  • Effigies
  • Unique items (at the discretion of the director)
  • Academic Collections
• Campus Memorabilia
  • Historic campus documents and photographs should go to the Miller Library

What we cannot currently accept:

• Groundstone artifacts
  • Manos and metates
• Ceramic sherds
  • However, we can help you find an organization that will
• General historical items
• Geological Collections
• Furniture