Space takes center stage

From student artwork and telescope viewing to trivia and a trip inside Spaceport America, the Las Cruces Space Festival is returning with events designed to show just how deeply the region is connected to what lies beyond Earth. 

The celebration began Sept. 19 with the opening of the Space Festival art show at The Hood, setting the stage for the main Las Cruces Space Festival events Sept. 24–26, under the theme “Space Unites Us.” Organizers say this year’s lineup offers different ways for residents to explore science, art and Southern New Mexico’s long relationship with aerospace. 

Rani Bush, executive director of the Las Cruces Space Festival, who also works at Spaceport America, said that connection is at the heart of the annual event. 

“We’re just trying to help the community understand how much space is here in Las Cruces, how much it touches their lives on an everyday basis,” Bush said. 

That idea also shaped this year’s student poster contest. More than 100 submissions were received from students in kindergarten through 12th grade, with participants asked to interpret “Space Unites Us” through their own experiences. 

The winning design came from Organ Mountain High School student Susan Crosier, whose artwork depicts a family looking toward a mural of astronauts. Crosier, now an 11th grader, previously told the Bulletin that she drew inspiration from visits to the New Mexico Museum of Space History in Alamogordo. 

For Liz Vega, who works with Visit Las Cruces and the festival, the image captures what organizers wanted the theme to represent. 

“It’s kind of like seeing yourself,” Vega said. “That’s what we’re hoping — space unites us.” 

The artwork will be part of a larger exhibition opening Saturday at The Hood, a new venue for the festival. Art show curator Karen Conley said the exhibit has grown to include more than 80 works by regional artists and nearly 100 student posters. 

Conley said bringing creative work into a celebration of science is a natural fit because the two disciplines share more common ground than people may realize. 

“Art and science really are related,” Conley said. “They both use kind of a lot of the same principles, finding new processes for your work, showing the creativity and how to solve a problem.” 

Bush said imagination is often the starting point for the technology people eventually build. 

“Anything that we’ve created or engineered first comes with the imagination,” Bush said. “So, we couldn’t be where we are without the art.” 

For younger artists, the exhibition also provides an opportunity to see their work displayed publicly. Vega said some students will experience seeing their artwork in a gallery setting for the first time, something organizers hope encourages them to continue creating. 

The show serves as the festival’s kickoff and will remain open through Oct. 4. Beginning next week, regular gallery hours will be 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 

Beyond the gallery, this year’s schedule stretches across Las Cruces and the surrounding area. 

Activities include space trivia at the Truth or Consequences Brewing Co. taproom, astronomy events at New Mexico State University, programs at the Las Cruces Museum of Nature and Science and an open house at Spaceport America. The festival also coincides with NASA’s International Observe the Moon Night, with local astronomy enthusiasts offering public telescope viewing. 

Bush said coordinating the lineup comes down to organizations across the area finding different ways to participate. 

“It’s just cooperation,” Bush said. “There’s so many people in Las Cruces that are excited about space.” 

That enthusiasm was apparent before the festival began. A simulated Mars mission offered to the public through the Challenger Learning Center reached capacity in about 24 hours, according to organizers. 

“I love that it brings the community together with all these different organizations, all these different people that just have that interest in space,” Bush said. 

Southern New Mexico’s aerospace history gives organizers plenty to build around. 

Vega said Visit Las Cruces views space tourism as an opportunity to introduce travelers to both current aerospace activity and the history embedded throughout the region. She pointed to White Sands Missile Range and sites connected to the Apollo program as examples of destinations that can draw visitors interested in exploration. 

“We see space tourism as such a huge driver of our economy,” Vega said. “It’s not just because of what’s going on now in aerospace, but it’s all the history here.” 

All Las Cruces Space Festival activities are free and open to the public. Organizers said the most up-to-date schedule and event information is available at lcspacefestival.com.