Southwest Regional Museum of Art and Art Center will begin its Outreach Program Spring Semester 2026 for children in the Animas School District.

"Outreach has been a goal of Southwest Regional Museum of Art and Art Center since we first began planning." said Victoria Chick, SWRMA Board Chairman. "But we thought it would happen after we opened a Museum building with art exhibitions and in-house programs. As it has turned out, educational outreach will be happening while we raise capital funds for an art museum building in Silver City."

Southwest Regional Museum of Art was contacted earlier this year by Rachel Stofocik, Special Events Coordinator for the Animas School District, asking if they could bring school groups to Silver City to visit the Art Museum. "I had to tell her the Museum did not yet have a building to visit but that we could still help them with educational programs by bringing Southwest Reginal Museum of Art and Art Center to them with fine art from the Museum's permanent collection, along with art-making experiences," said Chick.

Claude Smith III, a founding member of the SWRMA Board of Directors, will lead the Museum's Outreach Program in Animas with a teaching and demonstrating series using clay for art-making and integrating related topics of geology, history, and sociology. Smith is a noted ceramic artist, educator, and Professor Emeritus of WNMU Expressive Arts Department.

Animas elementary school students participating in the Outreach Program will be second and third graders. Observers for two of the sessions will be fourth and fifth graders who will benefit by being prepared for a scheduled trip to Santa Fe Art museums this Spring.

Southwest Regional Museum of Art and Art Center is an educational resource for communities in Grant, Hidalgo, Catron, and Luna counties. Art used as a learning tool in any subject increases learning and aids retention of what has been learned. Statistics show that 65% of all people learn better visually.

For more information on SWRMA and Art Center visit www.southwest-art-museum.org .