Udall, Heinrich Announce $380,000 for New Mexico Arts Programs from the National Endowment for the Arts

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced a total of $380,000 in grants from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) for arts programs throughout New Mexico. The grants will fund 15 music, dance, theater, and visual arts projects across the state to support local economies.

“I am proud that New Mexico is home to one of the most vibrant and diverse arts communities in the nation, which improves our quality of life and plays a critical role in our state’s economy,” said Udall, ranking member on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee that oversees funding for arts and humanities programs. “These grants, funded through the National Endowment for the Arts, will strengthen our creative economy, and support the artistic and cultural endeavors that are integral parts of our diverse communities and cultures.  Any loss of funding for the NEA would mean lost economic growth and lost opportunities, especially for low-income communities, to experience the arts. That’s why as a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, I have fought hard to increase funding for the arts and opposed the President’s attempts to abolish the NEA.”

“Our artists play an essential role in shaping New Mexico’s culture—from those whose work reflects centuries of tradition to those breaking new creative ground. New Mexico’s vibrant arts community also fuels our thriving tourism and creative economy. I am proud to support this National Endowment of the Arts funding to ensure our communities will continue to benefit from our state’s rich arts and culture,” said Heinrich. 

Projects receiving grants are:

Albuquerque

$10,000 – AMP Concerts, to support ¡Globalquerque!, a celebration of world music and culture.

$20,000 – Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque, to support mariachi music instruction for students from low-income communities.

$15,000 – National Institute of Flamenco (aka NIF), to support the annual Festival Flamenco Internacional de Alburquerque.

$15,000 – Opera Southwest , to support a new production of Maria de Buenos Aires by Composer Astor Piazzolla and libretto by Horacio Ferrer in collaboration with the National Hispanic Cultural Center.

$25,000 – Outpost Productions, Inc. (aka Outpost), To support the New Mexico Jazz Festival.

$30,000 – University of New Mexico Main Campus (aka School of Architecture & Planning, Landscape Architecture), to support the creation of a temporary art installation to tell the story of the Navajo (Dine?) Red Water Pond Road lands and mining legacy, organized by University of New Mexico's School of Architecture & Planning, Landscape Architecture.

Santa Fe

$20,000 – Center, to support Review Santa Fe, a photographic festival, conference, and multi-site exhibition series.

$25,000 – Center for Contemporary Arts of Santa Fe, Inc. (aka CCA), to support NKAME, a solo exhibition and associated educational programs dedicated to the work of Cuban visual artist Belkis Ayo?n (1967-99).

$10,000 – Indigenous Solutions, Inc., to support the Indigenous Solutions Healing Festival.

$20,000 – National Dance Institute New Mexico (aka NDI New Mexico, NDI-NM), to support a pre-professional dance program. 

$20,000 – Parallel Studios Inc. (aka Currents New Media), to support free and low-cost community engagement programs during the 2019 Currents New Media Festival, featuring works from artists, creative technologists, programmers, and multimedia performers dedicated to fostering appreciation for contemporary media.

$40,000 – Santa Fe Art Institute (aka SFAI), to support the Truth & Reconciliation Thematic Residency Program. 

$35,000 – Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival Ltd., to support the 47th Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. 

$15,000 – Santa Fe Desert Chorale, to support a choral music performance project. 

$80,000 – Santa Fe Opera, to support the presentation of the world premiere of The Thirteenth Child by Composer Poul Ruders and Librettists Becky and David Starobin.