Creative Industries Funds Awarded to 18 Projects Statewide

Category: Non-Local News Releases Non-Local News Releases
Published: 02 October 2023 02 October 2023

Contractor Selected for Creative Industries Division Study 

SANTA FE, N.M. – The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) announced that 18 projects in 15 communities and 3 pueblos across New Mexico are recipients of the inaugural Creative Industries Grant Awards. 

The grants flow from House Bill 8, passed during the 2023 Legislature, that establishes the Creative Industries Division as part of the Economic Development Department. The newly announced grants will catalyze local communities and tribes to stimulate advancement or economic development through creative industries. A total of $1.8 million is being awarded. 

“The Creative Industries Grants support projects that demonstrate the potential to make a significant impact on New Mexico’s creative industries economy. Following a competitive process, the initiatives were chosen for their creativity and clear commitment to advancing creative industry-based economic development by supporting businesses in creative industries throughout New Mexico,” EDD Deputy Secretary Jon Clark said. “These awards will provide crucial support for a wide range of initiatives, from cultural preservation and arts education to community engagement and economic development.” 

The 2023 recipients of the Creative Industries Grant Awards are: 

City of Gallup 
Gallup-McKinley County Fine Arts & Makerspace Expansion (FAME) Project aims to renovate and expand two key assets that assist in advancing their integral creative industries economy and provide strategic support for expansion and for creating new startups in this space. 

Doña Ana County 
The program will train staff that interact with county businesses and support economic development to integrate the creative industry into workflows and policy, create "micro" destinations with self-guided tours that integrate visual/public art and highlight culture and historic preservation, and create public art installations and wayfinding from Santa Teresa to Rincon. 

Mora County 
Creation of the Mora Downtown Market along Main in May and June 2024, open to a wide range of artisans with training and local creative business support and opportunities during the project. 

Village of Cloudcroft 
The Village of Cloudcroft will pursue a “Paint The Town” project through partnerships with local small businesses to inspire economic development through creative industry and strengthen the connection with local artists in an effort to revitalize the creative economy in Southeastern New Mexico.  

City of Belen 
The City of Belen plans a comprehensive initiative to energize, coordinate, and enhance the efforts of their local creative small businesses and entrepreneurs to expand the community and economic impact of the visual, performing, and heritage arts. 

Diné College, Navajo Nation, Shiprock New Mexico 
The Diné College will establish a fellowship program, “Diné Artists/Authors Capacity Building Institute (DAACBI),” that will support the development of allying emerging and established creative entrepreneurs in New Mexico with technical and professional services and expertise. 

New Mexico Tech Performing Arts Series 
The New Mexico Tech Performing Arts Series within the N.M. Institute of Mining and Technology will build on existing arts education programs by providing event production training, expanding visibility, participation, and sustainability in arts, culture, and entertainment activities in central NM, and enhancing media presence and brand of Socorro County’s creative strengths. 

Poeh Cultural Center, Pueblo of Pojoaque 
The Poeh Cultural Center at Pueblo of Pojoaque will lead an "Answers Are Indigenous Project" to engage more artists and entrepreneurs to sell and/or consign their work with local year-round and seasonal sales venues, while providing entrepreneurial training to build or enhance the business skills and resources those artists and entrepreneurs already possess. 

Village of Magdalena 
Village of Magdalena will host four community art events, offer partnership advertising, multiple exhibitions, and gallery programming of workshops and performances, lighting for Magdalena Stage Theater, and creative skill-building seminars. 

Public Education Department Community Engagement Bureau 
Through the Public Education Department’s Community Engagement Bureau, a project to travel to three distinct counties in New Mexico will be completed to educate youth across the state about opportunities in the creative industries, including content creation and creative arts. 

Rio Arriba County 
Rio Arriba County will establish an arts program at the Rio Arriba County and the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area, offering comprehensive training, mentorship, and resources to individuals seeking careers in culturally appropriate arts. 

City of Las Cruces 
The City of Las Cruces Economic Development Department will partner with local businesses and the city’s Quality of Life Department to enhance business through educational seminars and workshops, one-on-one coaching, or availing themselves of the special entrepreneurial lending collections and services provided by the Las Cruces Public Libraries.  

Taos County 
Taos County will work in partnership with the Taos Arts Council, Taos County Chamber of Commerce, and Taos Center for the Arts to conduct a synergistic, two-part project that develops local creative entrepreneurs through business development training workshops and provides educational and work-integrated learning opportunities for young people -high school aged and recent graduates. 

Pueblo of Santa Ana 
Pueblo of Santa Ana’s Department of Education will utilize its Higher Education Scholarship process to provide career interest workshops and training to high school students through, CNM, IAIA, Silver Bullet Productions, and other organizations that specialize in the creative industry field. 

Town of Silver City 
The Town of Silver City’s Museum will bring together multiple community partners to build the attraction of Silver City as an authentic tourist destination, serving underserved and rural audiences, and building local capacity. 

The University of New Mexico Art Museum 
The UNM Art Museum will support their ongoing Museum Assistant program by supporting professional development opportunities, implementing needed equipment, and educating their community and stakeholders on the museum and gallery professions. 

City of Santa Fe 
The City of Santa Fe Office of Economic Development will create create a community navigator hub to develop and organize the creative industries ecosystem and address existing challenges and gaps.  

City of Albuquerque Department of Cultural Affairs 
The City of Albuquerque Department of Arts and Culture will support and increase three existing programs that further the creative industries division objectives: the Resiliency Residency Program, the City Makers Program, and the Poet Laureate Program. 

The Creative Industries Grants are the first action of EDD’s newly created Creative Industries Division, created in statute and established earlier this year with a one-time $2 million appropriation from the Legislature. To guide the creation of the new division, EDD issued a Request for Proposals for the development of a statewide plan for the Creative Industries Division that includes viable program models, implementation partners, projected budgets, and an analysis of creative industry opportunities within the state. EDD has selected Santa Fe-based Creative Startups as the contractor for the Creative Industries Division Study. With experience in developing regional creative economy plans and a deep understanding of New Mexico’s creative industries, Creative Startups will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the Creative Industries Division. 

Shani Harvie, Coordinator for the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Office of EDD is currently leading the division startup, which includes the selected contractor and awarded projects. The JEDI Office and Economic Development Division of the Department will work closely with each grant recipient and Creative Startups to ensure the successful implementation of local initiatives and the development of a comprehensive statewide plan that will inform the future growth of the division. 

"We are excited to see these projects come to life and make a lasting impact on our creative community," Harvie said. “These grant awards and the selection of Creative Startups reflect the vibrant and diverse creative talents we have across New Mexico." 

For more information about the Creative Industries Division, the Creative Industries Grants, or the division study, please contact Harvie at Shani.Harvie@edd.nm.gov  or visit    edd.newmexico.gov/business-development/creative-industries.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.