ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – The Albuquerque Museum will soon be getting a makeover. The City wants to funnel millions of dollars to re-do part of the building and turn it into a new educational center.
The museum has brought people in Albuquerque countless exhibits, from the Jim Henson display to the permanent collections, historical photos and cultural artifacts. For decades, the Albuquerque Museum in Old Town has been teaching its visitors about the city and world.
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Now, they’re hoping $10M in renovations will help them continue their mission to educate the public. On Monday, City Councilors will vote to approve a million-dollar contract to start the design work on an education center at the museum.
“Galleries are amazing and beautiful and that’s where we share objects and learn from them,” said Dr. Shelle Sanchez, the Director of the City Arts and Culture Department. “But, we want to be able to make things and bring people into contact with each other,” Sanchez explained.
They say the new center will allow them to provide more family-oriented activities, helping them to get New Mexicans interested in Arts and Culture at a young age. “The learning space and engagement space is where we really invite people to be part of it,” said Sanchez.
Sanchez told KRQE News 13 that attendance levels are getting back to where they were pre-pandemic, with more than 81,000 people visiting the museum in the last year. She’s confident once this project is complete, it’ll continue drawing people in for decades to come. If the proposal is approved, the design process will take about a year before construction can start.
