Events

There’s always something exciting happening at the Museum of International Folk Art! Join us for our many programs listed below.

Celebrate the Opening of The Morris Miniature Circus
Exhibition Opening Family

Celebrate the Opening of The Morris Miniature Circus

April 3, 2016
1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

After 30 years, the beloved Morris Miniature Circus returns to the Museum of International Folk Art. Built over the course of 40 years by W.J. “Windy” Morris (1904–1978) of Amarillo, Texas, the Morris Miniature Circus is a 3/8”-scale model of a 1920s circus that was acquired by the museum in 1984 and last exhibited in 1986.

The Morris Circus is modeled after a 1930s “railroad circus,” back in the days when a circus would come to town by rail, set up in a day, perform for a local audience, then pack up and move on to the next venue. Morris fondly remembered the excitement that accompanied the arrival of the circus of his youth—with its steam calliope, horse-drawn circus wagons, and parade of performers and animals—and sought to preserve those memories when he began the Morris Circus in the 1930s. The Circus consists of an estimated 100,000 pieces, all made by Morris through a variety of techniques from woodcarving and painting to clay modeling and mold making. The return of the Morris Miniature Circus will be accompanied by a range of activities and public programs. Gift of Mrs. Jo A. Ellett, Museum of International Folk Art (A.1984.433.1V) Come to the Museum of International Folk Art for circus celebration featuring Wise Fool New Mexico, a parade, jugglers, stilt walkers and more!  Hands on projects for ages 3 to 103.  All by Museum Admission, New Mexico residents FREE on Sundays.  Youth 16 and under and Museum of New Mexico Foundation Members always free!

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