The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum staff will speak with you about a possible donation of artifacts, books/magazines, farm equipment manuals, or old photographs and archival materials. Please scroll down to the appropriate section below.
Donate an Artifact
For donations to either permanent or education collections, we would like to have a digital image or photo of the item(s) as well as historical information. We only collect artifacts that support or enhance our mission:
The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum connects the present generation to the history of farming and ranching in New Mexico, inspiring a deeper appreciation and understanding of the State’s rich heritage.
The Museum is currently seeking objects in the following categories for its permanent collections:
- Native American artifacts from the pre-contact period of circa B.C. 1000 to 1559 A.D. The Museum has collected period pieces including whole ceramic vessels, projectile points, hoes, axes, digging sticks, and baskets. These artifacts represent agriculture and rural life at the beginning of the Museum’s “story” and enhance our interpretive goals.
- Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period artifacts dating from 1559 to 1850. The Museum would like to acquire agricultural and domestic artifacts representing this culture and time period.
- New Mexico agricultural and rural life artifacts representing the multiculturalism of the state from the period of 1823 to 1960. Though we have numerous artifacts from this time period, we are searching for unusual items that complement our collections.
- Textiles and Western wear dating prior to 1930. Textiles, like colchas, tell the story of this region’s unique history.
- Fine and folk art. This includes paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures that depict agricultural and Southwestern scenes, religious iconography, or historical themes related to New Mexico’s multicultural heritage.
To inquire about making a donation to collections, please contact:
Curator Supervisor/Program Manager, Nathan Japel
(575)522-4100 ext. 135 • nathan.japel@dca.nm.gov
Donate Books or Magazines
We would be pleased to accept any books or magazines you might consider donating to us, with the understanding that if the material duplicates our current holdings or falls outside our collecting objectives, we would appreciate your permission to trade or sell items in order to purchase items that enhance the Museum’s Resource Room collections. The Museum Resource Room focuses on the acquisition of materials related to New Mexico or Southwestern farming, ranching, and rural life, including the fields of history, anthropology, archaeology, and art. In addition, we have general holdings on agriculture, material culture, and museum science all of which support our research endeavors. To donate to the Museum Resource Room, please contact Curator Supervisor/Program Manager, Nathan Japel.
Donating Farm Equipment Manuals
One special collecting area is the acquisition of all farm equipment manuals, repair guides, and catalogs. These hard-to-find materials are a critical resource for Museum curators to identify farm implements or to provide drawings for Museum exhibits. We will take such manuals in almost any condition. In the rare event that we get a duplicate manual, we will trade it off with other agricultural museums and archives in the U.S. For more information, please contact Curator Supervisor/Program Manager, Nathan Japel.
Donating Old Photographs, Personal Papers, and Business Records
The Museum is interested in acquiring historic manuscript collections and/or old photographs that relate to farming, ranching, and rural life in New Mexico. We are very interested in preserving these materials. Please contact Curator Supervisor/Program Manager, Nathan Japel to learn more.
The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum staff is eager to speak with you about a possible donation of artifacts, books/magazines, farm equipment manuals, or old photographs and archival materials. Please scroll down to the appropriate section below.
Donate an Artifact
For donations to either permanent or education collections, we would like to have a digital image or photo of the item(s) as well as historical information. We only collect artifacts that support or enhance our mission:
The New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum connects the present generation to the history of farming and ranching in New Mexico, inspiring a deeper appreciation and understanding of the State’s rich heritage.
The Museum is currently seeking objects in the following categories for its permanent collections:
- Native American artifacts from the pre-contact period of circa B.C. 1000 to 1559 A.D. These might include whole ceramic vessels, projectile points, hoes, axes, digging sticks, and baskets. These artifacts represent agriculture and rural life at the beginning of the Museum’s “story” and enhance our interpretive goals.
- Spanish Colonial and Mexican Period artifacts dating from 1559 to 1850. The Museum would like to acquire agricultural and domestic artifacts representing this culture and time period.
- New Mexico agricultural and rural life artifacts representing the multiculturalism of the state from the period of 1823 to 1960. Though we have numerous artifacts from this time period, we are searching for unique items that complement our collections.
- Fine and folk art. This includes paintings, drawings, prints, and sculptures that depict agricultural and Southwestern scenes, religious iconography, or historical themes related to New Mexico’s multicultural heritage.
To inquire about making a donation to collections, please contact:
Curator of Collections, Holly Radke
(575) 522-4100 ext. 120 holly.radke@state.nm.us
Donate Books or Magazines
We would be pleased to accept any books or magazines you might consider donating to us, with the understanding that if the material duplicates our current holdings or falls outside our collecting objectives, we would appreciate your permission to trade or sell items in order to purchase items that enhance the Museum’s library collections. The Museum Library focuses on the acquisition of materials related to New Mexico or Southwestern farming, ranching, and rural life, including the fields of history, anthropology, archaeology, and art. In addition, we have general holdings on agriculture, material culture, and museum science all of which support our research endeavors. To donate to the Museum Library, please contact Curator of History Leah Tookey, (575) 522-4100.
Donating Farm Equipment Manuals
One special collecting area is the acquisition of all farm equipment manuals, repair guides, and catalogs. These hard-to-find materials are a critical resource for Museum curators to identify farm implements or to provide drawings for Museum exhibits. We will take such manuals in almost any condition. In the rare event that we get a duplicate manual, we will trade it off with other agricultural museums and archives in the U.S. For more information, please contact Curator of History Leah Tookey, (575) 522-4100.
Donating Old Photographs, Personal Papers, and Business Records
The Museum is interested in acquiring historic manuscript collections and/or old photographs that relate to farming, ranching, and rural life in New Mexico. We are very interested in preserving these materials. Please contact Curator of History Leah Tookey to learn more.
