The University of New Mexico Maxwell Museum of Anthropology is giving away free memberships to the first 75 UNM or CNM students who sign up between before Saturday, Sept. 2. To promote this membership drive, the Maxwell hosts its second Student Pizza Party on Thursday, Aug. 31, from 6 to 7 p.m. in its Courtyard. The venue is located west of Duck Pond and behind the UNM Alumni Chapel.

Maxwell Pizza Party

"The upcoming 'cave rave,' as we sometimes call it in reference to the replica of the cave in our permanent exhibit, will be the seventh one we have done since February 2023,” said Julián Antonio Carrillo, curator of Education and Public Programs at the Maxwell. “Typically, these take place at 8 a.m. as a way for students, staff, and faculty to exercise in a fun way and release endorphins before class or work, and they have surprisingly been quite popular.” 

The free event will include gluten-free options and refreshments while supplies last. Registration through its Eventbrite Page is encouraged but not required. 

Immediately following the dinner, the museum will host its popular dance party Dancing in the Cave: Back to School Edition. The event is free and open to all on Thursday, Aug. 31, from 7 to 9 p.m. It is being held in collaboration with the community organization Headphone Dance Party led by KUNM team member Brandon Kennedy.

As such, the museum will have over 100 wireless headphones available for participants to dance the night away in a cultural space transformed by glowing, colorful lights, and wireless headphones, Carrillo noted. Registration through its Eventbrite Page is not required but helpful so that attendees can suggest dance songs for the collective music playlist.

“We typically get around 25 dancers of all ages, including some of our museum staff. We've been invited by the UNM Art Museum to replicate the dance party there. More recently, the UNM Successful Women in Technology Event organizers reached out about possibly hosting one as they recognize the power of music and dance in bringing people together —something humans have been doing in caves and elsewhere — since before inventing agriculture approximately 10,000 years ago,” Carrillo said.

"Museum memberships in general are the bedrock of our public engagement as the relationships that the Maxwell builds influence the events we offer and help make it a dynamic place to learn and socialize,” Carrillo said. “Student members, in particular, have a very important role to play as we want our programming to resonate across campus. If students join, they are guaranteed to have their voices heard and can also benefit from a free student-only field trip to a surrounding cultural site, museum store discounts, and special invitation to our events. Student memberships only cost $10 for the year. We think it’s a great deal!"