Historian Alicia Romero named head curator of Albuquerque Museum
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The Albuquerque Museum announced on Monday that Alicia Romero has been named the museum鈥檚 new head curator following a nationwide search. In addition to her head curator role, Romero will continue to serve as the curator of history, a position she has held at the museum since 2023.
Romero, who was born and raised in Albuquerque, and whose family has deep roots in northern New Mexico, believes her cultural connections to the area will serve her well in the new role.
鈥淚 feel very honored to be in this position (as someone coming from) this community. In some ways, I鈥檓 speaking to the community. In some ways, I鈥檓 speaking for the community,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淚 also feel a very high level of responsibility and obligation to the community to get the stories that we tell right.鈥�
Museum Director Andrew Connors praised Romero鈥檚 curation of such important Albuquerque Museum exhibitions as 鈥淧uertas fronterizas/Border Doors鈥� and 鈥淥pen to All: A Century of Access at Special Collections Library.鈥�
鈥淎licia is a thoughtful scholar and generous collaborator 鈥� a local historian with a global perspective that brings out the humanity in her telling of regional stories,鈥� Connors said.
Walking through the exhibition 鈥淥pen to All,鈥� about the Special Collections Library, Romero spoke about her approach to curation, which not only involves meticulous research but an eye for interesting objects.
鈥淲hat does a library collect? Documents and books. So, I had to really think creatively about what kind of objects (I could include). Since we鈥檙e a museum, I can鈥檛 just show documents,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 like to put a human touch, and to humanize these stories. So, having a collection of cat-eye glasses 鈥� that鈥檚 what these women would have worn.鈥�
Relatable objects, she said, help visitors imagine the day-to-day lives of 鈥渢hese fearless leaders who made our library system what it is today.鈥�
Romero was quick to allay potential concerns from local art lovers that the appointment of a historian to the head curator role might signify a shift in institutional priorities.
鈥淲e鈥檝e always been a museum dedicated to art and history,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淲hat this position has done, and what it will do, is just continue to oversee the curatorial and collections department, and to really look at the exhibition schedule on a more holistic level and make sure we are doing exhibitions that reach different audiences.鈥�
Romero spoke highly of her predecessor, Josie Lopez, who also served as the museum鈥檚 curator of art, calling Lopez鈥檚 exhibitions 鈥渂eautiful and really thought-provoking.鈥�
鈥淪he did an incredible job of turning a national focus on Albuquerque,鈥� Romero added.
A national search for the museum鈥檚 next curator of art is ongoing.
Romero said she hopes the art and history sides of the museum will reinforce and enrich each other.
鈥淚 try to offer a complement, if I can, to what people are seeing in the big art exhibitions,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淪o, even if art takes top billing 鈥� and sometimes history will take top billing, too 鈥� we try to offer a balance, as much as we can.鈥�
Prior to coming to the Albuquerque Museum, Romero served as the head curator at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe. She is an expert on Spanish colonial, Mexican and Chicano/a history, and her doctoral research at the University of California, Santa Cruz, focused on New Mexican history.
Romero has already brought her knowledge to bear on the museum鈥檚 permanent exhibition of Albuquerque鈥檚 history, 鈥淥nly in Albuquerque.鈥� She plans to make additional changes to the exhibition鈥檚 decade-old displays to bring them in line with current scholarship.
鈥淭here鈥檚 stuff that needs modification. It鈥檚 great, but there鈥檚 stuff we need to fix,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or instance, we鈥檙e standing in a little scene about ranching around the South Valley. And this is a charro outfit. This is not something that you would wear on the ranch. This is something that you would wear for show.鈥�
Additionally, Romero plans to make the exhibition 鈥渁 little more representative鈥� of New Mexico鈥檚 cultural diversity.
鈥淲e are far beyond the tri-cultural myth,鈥� she said.
Romero鈥檚 overarching vision across all museum departments, she said, will be to promote critical thinking.
鈥淚鈥檓 a social and cultural historian, so what I try to do is activate people鈥檚 critical thinking skills, whether that鈥檚 in the art exhibitions 鈥� any time I have a chance to work with that department 鈥� or in our education department, or anything,鈥� Romero said. 鈥淚 want people to really look at something and say, 鈥業 didn鈥檛 think of that before.鈥欌��
Historian Alicia Romero named head curator of Albuquerque Museum
