Chimayó Museum receives gift from high up.
Chimayó is known as a place of providence.
The tiny village east of Española is home of the Santuario de Chimayó-the "Lourdes of America"-to which nearly 300,000 worsippers flock every year. But while the Chimayó chapel's purported healing powers have been historically lauded, it was the grace of the Guv-not the grace of God-that temporarily salved the wounds of another venerated Chimayó institution.
The Chimayó Museum opened its doors in 1995 to offer residents and visitors a detailed history of the village beyond the ostensible miracles enacted by the crucifix of Our Lord Esquipulas. Its mission has been to teach people about the rich traditions of Chimayó
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while preserving its cultural heritage and providing educational programs for area children.
It's a noble cause. Unfortunately, noble causes don't fund themselves. And the Chimayó Museum has struggled mightily to stay financially afloat. The museum has been in danger of shutting down completely under the weight of its financial woes for months. That is, until Gov. Bill Richardson threw the organization a life preserver in the form of $20,000 in emergency support.
Bill's bail-out was extraordinarily spontaneous enough to catch many people off guard, not the least of whom were the board members of the Chimayó Museum. Marianne Lorraine Vigil, the museum's director, says she heard nary a word from the Governor's office about the $20,000 prior to the official burst of generosity.
"I was surprised when I heard about it," Vigil says. "I don't know if the Governor even knew we existed before this. It was very unexpected but a very welcome move. It came at a perfect time. The situation at the museum was getting very serious."
Not an entirely foreign concept when it comes to the funding of public institutions like museums, which typically scrum for each cent that drops in their coffers. It was a seemingly bold allocation considering the perpetually cash-strapped government that Gov. Richardson oversees. Although Stuart Ashman, head of the State's Department of Cultural Affairs, says it isn't atypical for the State to funnel funds into organizations in need like the Chimayó Museum.
"If the money is available, we do everything we can to get it the organizations," Ashman says. "Our department resources are significant. But we don't necessarily have $20,000 to throw around."
Ashman says the money was relocated to his department using leftover federal funds. Thank you, Feds. But why was the Chimayó Museum singled out for state-sponsored charity?
"My sense would be that this organization showed a demonstrated need," Ashman says. "And I think [the Governor] felt that this was the best way to rescue an organization dedicated to preserving Hispanic heritage, which is something he is very concerned about."
With the swoop of a pen, Richardson's $20,000 check will plug a gap in the shuddering dam keeping the Chimayó Museum from becoming awash in financial ruin. But it's only a temporary fix. Vigil says that-even with the sudden injection of funds-her museum will continue struggling to tread choppy economic waters in the future.
"We are very grateful and this will help us get through the year but we're still going to have to think of other ways to raise funds," Vigil says. "We're still without a bathroom. The heating is broken. We need a new computer. We have a lot of things we want to do, but we have very little money to do it. We still have a long way to go. Hopefully this is just the beginning."
