Call for Zozobra Memories and Objects for Community Exhibition at New Mexico History Museum
The tradition of Zozobra turns 100 this August and New Mexico History Museum (NMHM) is telling this ten-decade story in the recently reopened Palace of the Governors. The Museum needs community help to bring this history to life.
What: Old Man Gloom’s demise has been one of Santa Fe’s most iconic celebrations since its inception in 1924, offering an annual opportunity for emotional and spiritual cleansing through the torching of worries. The Museum wants to see the community’s favorite Zozobra memories to consider for inclusion in this exhibition. Whether in the form of vintage merch, goofy family movies or sentimental elementary school sculpture, the Museum wants to see it all. Community members can bring their materials directly to NMHM on Lincoln Street to have them examined and photographed on-site. Objects that are chosen for the exhibition will be on loan to NMHM for the duration of the exhibition.
Who: New Mexico History Museum and Kiwanis Club of Santa Fe
Where: New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501
When: Drop-in hours at NMHM:
Saturday, March 30, 2 – 4 p.m.
Monday, April 1, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Can’t make it to the drop-in session? Submit your entry online at https://burnzozobra.com/lend/.
Why: The involvement and participation of the community is the true igniting force behind Zozobra’s repeated defeat, and we can’t think of anything else better to honor this vital, cathartic tradition than to highlight the faces and objects of those who make this performance possible. Questions? E-mail DCA-HistoryCollections@state.nm.us directly.
Image caption: Kids with their own Zozobra during Santa Fe Fiesta, Santa Fe, New Mexico [Leroy F. Ramirez, Carlos Ramirez, and Ralph Love], 1955. Palace of the Governors Photo Archives, 136981.
