February 10, 2025 – On February 22, the Humanist Society of New Mexico will host a presentation by Paul Ryer, PhD, of the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe. His talk, “School for Advanced Research: At the Intersection of the Humanities, Arts and Social Science,” will take place at the Albuquerque Museum, 2000 Mountain Rd NW, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The gathering is free and open to the public.

“Academics worldwide, especially anthropologists, recognize SAR’s educational role and impact. But for many New Mexicans, SAR remains a bit of a mystery,” said Dr. Ryer, who directs the institution’s scholar programs. “We want more people inside our great state to understand and participate in our mission as a center for creative thought related to social and economic development and the arts.”

Founded in 1907 as a center for archaeological research in the Americas, SAR today offers advanced seminars and a resident program for scholars in anthropology and related social sciences and hosts public lectures and salon discussions on issues of broad public concern. Dr. Ryer will highlight these activities and the participatory approach SAR uses to manage its renowned Southwest Native American art collection.
Dr. Ryer received his PhD in cultural anthropology from the University of Chicago in 2006. He has more than two decades of experience in academia, teaching at the University of Chicago, Williams College, Mount Holyoke College and the University of California, Riverside. His anthropological expertise includes the Caribbean, migration and diaspora, historical anthropology, semiotics, cultural citizenship and religion. He is the author of “Beyond Cuban Waters,” an ethnography about the cultural life of contemporary Cuba.

The Humanist Society of New Mexico is a welcoming, supportive and active community for New Mexico humanists and freethinkers. The group meets three times monthly and is a chapter of the American Humanist Association, a national organization with more than 12,000 members. The 2025 Humanist Speaker Series features 11 free public lectures by noted authors, environmentalists, psychologists, poets and others. On May 24, the group will host a presentation by Fish Stark, the new executive director of the American Humanist Association.