Saturday, July 23, 2022, 11:00AM at downtown Silver City's Silco Theater, 311 Bullard Street - free to the public: it's The Meaning of Things, this month's installment of the Community Conversation program cosponsored by the Silver City Museum and the Western Institute for Lifelong Learning. Featured speaker Dani Romero, Director of the WNMU Museum, will describe the history of Mimbreño pottery and its cultural connotations to Southwest New Mexico. Afterwards audience members are invited to join a Community Conversation on how objects can be expressions of cultural identity. Attendees are encouraged to bring objects from home that have personal relevance to them and to share their stories in “The Meaning of Things.”

Monday, June 20, 2022, 6:30PM - free and open to the public: Ben Pelletier of Northern Arizona University closes out the 2022 lecture series offered by Archaeology Southwest and the University of Arizona Preservation Archaeology Field School with Migration, Exchange, and the Movement of Redware Technology. Ben's talk will be located at 8179 Highway 180 West in Cliff NM 80288. Look for the cream building with the orange portable toilets on the north side of Highway 180 just east of Shields Canyon Road and the highway yard. (This is 2.2 miles west of the 180-211 junction in Cliff.) Let's all attend to hear the latest field school research based on discoveries right in our own back yard!

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SBecause the first Sunday of July always collides with the July 4 holiday, the GCAS traditionally offers our "July" field trip at the end of June. So, let's all set aside time on Saturday, June 25, 2022, 10:00AM-12:00PM noon, to take our field trip to the 2022 Archaeology Fair hosted by Archaeology Southwest and the University of Arizona's Preservation Archaeology Field School at Gila River Farm in Cliff, New Mexico. The public is welcome and it's free of charge, so nothing could be better than joining GCAS members in learning about the project team's current discoveries through their informational exhibits, hands-on activities, and a brief site tour over easy terrain. General directions are: From the junction of Highways 180 and 211 in Cliff, drive 1 mile north, keep left (north) on Highway 293 and drive to Mile Marker 4. Just past MM 4, turn right into a driveway with a small sign that says, "Gila River Farm." Please use the parking area next to the large building down the driveway. Check their event flyer for more info: Download archaeology-fair-2022.pdf (455.6K). Learn more about the field school here, and here.

Safety measures will be in place so please be prepared to wear a mask and keep a safe distance. If you still have questions contact Archaeology Southwest. We'll see you at the Fair!

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On June 8, 2022, the Silver City Watershed Keepers organized a field trip to the Mimbres Culture Heritage Site for local youth as part of their Nature Discovery Summer Camp program. GCAS members led a tour of the Mattocks site and offered the group hands-on experiences in archaeological techniques. The students visited the nearby Nature Conservancy’s Mimbres River Preserve where they learned about native fish and macroinvertebrates from USFS ranger Emily Pollam. Silver Consolidated Schools provided lunches and the Silver City Co-Op supplied fresh apples for all.

Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 6:30PM - free and open to the public: Ashleigh Thompson of Archaeology Southwest discusses how to Save History: the Importance of Protecting Archaeological Sites from Looting and Vandalism as the next presentation of the 2022 lecture series sponsored by Archaeology Southwest and the University of Arizona Preservation Archaeology Field School. Lecture location is 8179 Highway 180 West in Cliff NM 80288. Look for the cream building with the orange portable toilets on the north side of Highway 180 just east of Shields Canyon Road and the highway yard. (This is 2.2 miles west of the 180-211 junction in Cliff.) This talk is an essential component of the 2022 field school currently underway in Cliff, and we of the GCAS encourage everyone to attend to learn more about what's going on in our own neighborhood.

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Please join our GCAS monthly meeting on Wednesday, June 15, 2022, when our Featured Speaker, Amanda Semanko, visits our group at the Roundup Lodge.

The evening starts at 6PM with your own plates/utensils/beverage & a dish for yourself or to share, followed by a brief discussion of general GCAS business at 6:45 PM. Amanda begins her feature presentation at 7:00PM sharp. Amanda may select from a wide range of topics to share with us including her past analysis of a dog burial at Kipp Ruin; her current research establishing a Mimbres strontium baseline; and/or her dissertation project on turkeys and turkey feather artifacts. Whichever direction the presentation takes us, please join us and Amanda for an informative and entertaining evening! In order to offer Amanda and our members a safe and comfortable experience the GCAS follows CDC and New Mexico Department of Health guidelines for indoor gatherings including masking, distancing, and vaccinations. We recommend all attendees follow the same.

Save these dates, people: Friday, October 7 through Sunday, October 9, 2022: The annual Southwest Kiln Conference comes to Silver City, sponsored by the Western New Mexico University Museum under the leadership of museum director Danni Romero. The museum will host a conference room space for lectures, and WNMU will provide outdoor space for firing up of the kilns.

If you have never before attended a Southwest Kiln Conference, this is the one for you. Avocational archaeologists, ceramicists of all skill levels, and students of all ages are welcome to this free event. Southwest Kiln explains,