The New Mexico Historic Preservation Division announced the 54th annual Heritage Preservation Awards, which will take place in Albuquerque on May 29. The event will be held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center at 1:00 p.m.
“As we celebrate Historic Preservation Month in May, our team has worked to identify projects, organizations, and leaders who best exemplify what preservation can look like. We’re excited to honor these individuals and projects during our next awards ceremony on May 29th,” according to State Historic Preservation Officer Michelle Ensey.
Awardees include Fort Stanton Historic Site for major rehabilitation work on four historic buildings; Kit Carson House, Inc., its Board of Directors and staff for their educational efforts and preservation projects at the Kit Carson House and Museum; the City of Albuquerque, New Mexico Media Academy, and CNM Film Production Center for creative design and adaptive reuse of the historic boiler shop at the AT&SF Railway Locomotive Shops Historic District; Dr. Jerry Wallace for his work as a public historian at New Mexico State University; and Dr. Rick Hendricks for his contributions to New Mexico scholarship and history as well as his tenure on the Cultural Properties Review Committee as state historian.
The division manages, oversees, and coordinates historic preservation activities across New Mexico. It educates the public about historic preservation and protects thousands of historic and archaeological sites throughout the state. According to the official website of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, it administers one of the nation’s largest state museum systems with multiple locations statewide including history museums, folk art museums, a space history museum, heritage sites, arts programs, libraries, archaeology resources, administrative services divisions, exhibitions access, grants programs and public education initiatives.
The department employs approximately 500 staff members with support from about 1,000 volunteers contributing roughly 70,000 hours annually. It operates under a Cabinet Secretary appointed by the Governor overseeing fifteen divisions serving residents and visitors across New Mexico through cultural programs extending throughout the state according to the official website.
