CONTACTS:
Yvette Perez
Indian Pueblo Cultural Center | Indian Pueblos Marketing Inc.
2401 12
th
Street NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104
(505)724-3507
Project Contact:
Dr. Michelle Lanteri, Museum Head Curator, Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC)
[email protected], 505.724.3564
Artwork Images Available For Press Use:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/z4l4jqof9o2nobqlgwem6/h?rlkey=m8aukma1i8ug0vb
ucxz9ktzcu&dl=0
For Immediate Release:
INDIAN PUEBLO CULTURAL CENTER ANNOUNCES
MARCH 9
TH
OPENING OF NEW SOUTH GALLERY EXHIBITION,
PUEBLO BASEBALL: STITCHING OUR COMMUNITY TOGETHER
Albuquerque, NM (February 27, 2024) — The Indian Pueblo Cultural Center (IPCC)
announces the March 9
th
opening of its new South Gallery Exhibition, “Pueblo Baseball:
Stitching Our Community Together.” The Center will host a free public reception on
Friday, April 19
th
, prior to the Pueblo Baseball season’s Mother’s Day weekend opening
games. The reception will take place from 6-8PM, with members’ hour from 5-6PM.
The exhibition, Pueblo Baseball: Stitching Our Community Together, celebrates the
central role that Pueblo Baseball has played and continues to play in many community
members’ lives at the 19 Pueblos. It tells stories of Pueblo Baseball in looking at the
past, present, and future through interviews, photographs, videos, and memorabilia.
Critical skills in athletics, judgment, adaptation, and perception as pitchers, batters,
runners, catchers, and umpires are passed down through the generations. Pueblo
Baseball games carry on a legacy more than 100+ years old with male team members
from 15-55 years old playing together at once.
There are now two divisions, Northern Pueblos League and Southern Pueblos League,
and a healthy competition and desire to succeed stays constant—especially in the end-
of-season games. Aunties, grandparents, and younger siblings join in the fun at the
sidelines, in cars, and at concession stands. Pueblo Baseball teaches community
members a culture of playing and being present no matter what and their importance as
role models for each other. It’s a culture of resilience, camaraderie, learning, and
mentorship that runs deep within the community fabric of the 19 Pueblos.
“Through image, text, memorabilia and video, the exhibition highlights a critical aspect
of Pueblo identities and Pueblo communities’ evolving histories through first-hand
recollections that connect past with present and future through passing on the legacy of
Pueblo Baseball,” says Dr. Michelle Lanteri, IPCC Head Curator. “In creating a space for
Pueblo communities to be in dialogue with each other about this century-old tradition,
the exhibition, at once, serves as an introduction to the ways that Pueblo Baseball
shapes Pueblo identities and reflects Pueblo value systems to all audiences.”
Many Pueblo community members have contributed to the stories in this exhibition.
Historical to 21
st
century contexts that inform the future of Pueblo Baseball will be
presented through short videos of interviews with Pueblo Baseball players. Archival
photographs from personal and institutional collections at small, medium, and large-
scale will also be included to activate multisensory memory and storytelling. A timeline
of important events in Pueblo Baseball history and present-day activities will provide
details of the Pueblo Baseball season to visitors. A Community Scrapbook Board will
facilitate a space where Pueblo community members can contribute their stories and
photographs.
During the run of the exhibition, the IPCC will be offering a Baseball Card making activity
to school groups. The IPCC team will also be coordinating a panel discussion program
with Pueblo Baseball players.
The “Pueblo Baseball: Stitching Our Community Together” exhibit will be open March 9-
October 27, 2024. For information, visit:
https://indianpueblo.org/current_exhibitions/pueblo-baseball-stitching-our-
community-together/
###
About the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center:
Founded in 1976 by the 19 Pueblo tribes of New Mexico, the Indian Pueblo Cultural
Center is a world-class museum and cultural center located in the historic 19 Pueblos
District. The Mission of the IPCC Campus is to serve as a gathering place where Pueblo
culture is celebrated through creative and cultural experiences while providing
economic opportunities to Pueblo and local communities. Visitors can learn fascinating
history, shop for Native jewelry and art, watch a cultural dance, hear Native languages
and experience the flavors of traditional and contemporary Native cuisine. To learn
more, please visit: www.indianpueblo.org and www.facebook.com/IndianPueblo.
