New Mexico Historic Sites announced the arrival of Yasmine Jahangiri as the new museum technician and conservator of the Taylor-Mesilla and Fort Selden historic sites. Yahangiri is responsible for the collections at both sites, including recordkeeping and documentation for all of their items. She will also assist with interpretive programs and developing exhibitions, the agency stated in a news release.
The Taylor-Mesilla site, located in Old Mesilla, was home to J. Paul and Mary Daniels Taylor for six decades and is slated to open a visitors center this fall, followed by a grand opening of the location in the fall of 2025.
“We are excited to have Yasmine with us to give excellent care to all the collections at our site as we prepare to open Taylor-Mesilla Historic Site. She is already working diligently to lay the groundwork for excellent collections care,” regional manager Wendi Laws stated in a news release.
Jahangiri hails from Farmington and is a graduate of New Mexico State University, where she completed bachelor’s degrees in theatre and museum conservation. The release said she worked at NMSU’s University Art Museum helping to digitize the museum’s Mexican Retablo collection, reportedly the largest in the United States.
In the news release, Jahangiri wrote, “J. Paul Taylor was a key supporter of the Museum Conservation program at NMSU, and I am grateful to be able to use my education to help preserve the Taylor collection.”
New Mexico Historic Sites is a division of the state Department of Cultural Affairs, reporting to the Museum of New Mexico Board of Regents. The New Mexico Historic Sites system was established in 1931 by an Act for the Preservation of the Scientific Resources of New Mexico, and consists of Bosque Redondo Memorial at Fort Sumner Historic Site, Coronado, Fort Selden, Fort Stanton, Jemez, Lincoln, Los Luceros and Taylor-Mesilla. More information is available at NMHistoricSites.org.
