Springfield, MA
August 19, 2019
The New Mexico Bureau of Geology Mineral Museum was the featured exhibit at the East Coast Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show in Springfield, Massachusetts from August 9th-11th, 2019. This particular show is unique in that only one institution or collector is responsible for filling all 52 display cases with minerals, as opposed to the typical format in which multiple institutions and collectors focusing on one display case each.
Case display themes included minerals from New Mexico, other southwest states, regions of the US, and worldwide localities. New Mexican minerals were displayed in 30 cases organized by mine, mining district, or region; by individual species, or with a unique theme (e.g. NM Gemstones & Lapidary).
Here’s an East Coast Show breakdown:
- ~650 mineral specimens were displayed in 52 cases
- 8 hours of display setup
- 2.5 hours of display teardown
- 6500 show attendees
- 187 vendors (140 retail & 47 wholesale)
Museum director Dr. Virgil Lueth and curator Kelsey McNamara were proud to represent the state of New Mexico and showcase its variety of minerals. During the show, Virgil delivered two presentations on the history of mineral collecting in New Mexico. Educational handouts on the New Mexico Bureau of Geology & Mineral Resources, as well as Earth Matters publications and Mineral Museum brochures were available for show attendees to pick up. Hopefully everyone in attendance learned a little bit about New Mexico minerals and left the show feeling ENCHANTED!
Mineral Museum
Hours of Operation
9am- 5pm Monday - Friday
10am - 3pm Saturday & Sunday
(we are closed most university holidays)
