Annual Meeting Staff

Annual Meeting Technical Coordinator, and Chair of the 2024 Annual Meeting Local Organizing Committee

Julián Antonio Carrillo

Curator of Public Programs, Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, University of New Mexico

Julián received his PhD in Anthropology with a concentration in cultural anthropology, folklore, and ethnomusicology from Indiana University Bloomington in 2021. Before then, he worked for and volunteered with multiple non-profit organizations and institutions including the Alliance for California Traditional arts, the Center for Traditional Music & Dance, and the Smithsonian Institution. One of his most rewarding life experiences was living in Oaxaca, Mexico, and researching and collaborating with artists and culture workers in urban and rural settings. He maintains strong connections with the Oaxacan community down there and in the U.S. Since 2021, he has served as Curator of Public Programs at the University of New Mexico’s (UNM) Maxwell Museum of Anthropology, an institution he was drawn to because of its renewed vision post-pandemic of “restoring voices, reconciling injustices, and realizing community.” 

In his temporary roles at AFS, Julián serves as an on-the-ground liaison for the Society working to make the 2024 Annual Meeting an insightful, memorable, and successful experience for all attendees. He invites members to visit his museum’s new exhibit, “Oaxaca Ingobernable: Aesthetics, Politics, and Art from Below” co-curated by UNM PhD Candidates Gustavo Garcia and Natalia M. Toscano. These students played a pivotal role in helping Julián and other members of the Local Organizing Committee develop the annual meeting theme, “Crossing the Global Storm.” Join Julián on a tour programmed for November 6 and/or after the “Mobilizing Heritage in Museums to Promote Inclusion and Engagement” panel and reception on November 9. See the AFS program for details.

Annual Meeting Technical Assistant

Ashley Martinez

PhD Candidate, Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, University of New Mexico

Ashley Marie Martinez is a PhD student in the Department of Chicana/o/x Studies at the University of New Mexico, where she also earned her Master of Arts in American Studies and dual Bachelor’s degrees in Religious Studies (with a concentration in Rituals and Belief Systems) and International Relations.

Currently, Ashley serves as the Annual Meeting Technical Assistant for the American Folklore Society’s 136th Annual Meeting. In this role, she plays a part in coordinating the event’s technical and logistical aspects. Working closely with the Annual Meeting Technical Coordinator, Julián Antonio Carrillo Estrada, she manages key responsibilities such as travel coordination, A/V setup, room scheduling, and budget oversight, all aimed at ensuring the smooth execution of the conference in Albuquerque, NM.

Ashley’s research focuses on Chicana/o/x cultural heritage, emphasizing community-based art, ritual practices, and the intersections of race, gender, and class in New Mexico history. She has contributed to notable projects, including the Arte por Vida workshop series and the exhibition Chicanx Uprisings: 6 Artists of the Levantamiento Chicano en Nuevo México, 1968-1978.

Her professional experience extends to the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, where she has held multiple roles, including Program Coordinator for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. In this capacity, she has led cultural programs, facilitated international exchanges, and contributed to the development of heritage initiatives. Ashley has also authored several articles, including pieces for the Smithsonian’s Folklife Magazine and Faces: People, Places, and Cultures.

In addition to her research and professional work, Ashley teaches Chicana/o/x Studies at the University of New Mexico, covering topics such as race, class, gender, and cultural expressions. She is deeply engaged in community service, actively supporting organizations like the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, the DNA Doe Project, and the UNM Children’s Hospital.

Ashley’s academic and professional accomplishments, coupled with her commitment to community involvement, highlight her dedication to preserving and promoting Chicana/o/x heritage and culture.

Annual Meeting Consultant

Martha C. Sims

Martha is the author, with Martine Stephens, of Living Folklore and taught writing and introductory folklore at Ohio State from the late 1990s to 2020. In 2020, she earned her PhD in English: her dissertation was focused on illness awareness tattoos. In addition to continuing her study of these topics, she is interested in material culture, whether small (tattoos, collections and mementos–and collections of mementos), medium (yard art displays) or large (murals as well as monuments–and what has replaced those monuments–in her new home of Richmond, Virginia.). Her interest in material culture within local communities has also motivated her to become involved with a local group working on clean-up and restoration of historic cemeteries, still in use, of Richmond’s black community.