Governor Proclaimed the Academic Year 2025–2026: "New Mexico Year of the Arts in Education" Kickoff Celebration with Lt. Gov. Howie Morales to Take Place at the NM State Fair on September 3, 2025, 6:00-8:00 PM
Albuquerque, NM — To launch the statewide celebration of the New Mexico Year of the Arts in Education, the official kickoff event will be held at the New Mexico State Fair EXPO in Albuquerque during the School Arts Exhibition Preview Night and Awards Ceremony, organized by the New Mexico Public Education Department (NMPED), on Wednesday, September 3, 2025, from 6:00–8:00 PM in the School Arts Building, on Heritage Ave. west of Main St. This free public event will feature an actor's dramatic reading of the proclamation, students' artwork, music, and dance performances from schools around the state, and special recognitions.
The New Mexico Year of the Arts in Education will continue throughout the 2025–2026 school year with statewide showcases, festivals, and professional learning opportunities. A calendar of events will be posted at the New Mexico Advisory Council on Arts Education website https://artsednm.org/year-of-the-arts-in-education/.
Examples 2025-2026 NM Events: For dates and locations see https://artsednm.org/year-of-the-arts-in-education/.
NM Scholastic Art Awards
New Mexico Music Education Association (NMMEA): State Marching Band Contest, All-State Music Festival & In-Service Conference, Jazz All-State , the State Choir Contest, and the State Concert Band Contest
New Mexico Thespian Chapter: New Mexico Thespian Festival
Eastern New Mexico University: ENMU Drama Festival
New Mexico High School Musical Theatre Awards: Enchantment Awards
Examples of Teacher Professional Development Opportunities for the 2025-2026 School Year:
New Mexico Art Education Association: The 54th annual statewide Professional Development Conference for Art Educators K-12 in public, charter, and private schools, and for Higher Education, Pre-Service, and Museum Educators is taking place in Santa Fe, October 16-19, 2025. The event will feature keynote addresses, guest speakers, lectures, and hands-on studio workshops focused on best practices and instructional strategies for visual art, media art, and design programs. The Call for Proposals and Professional Awards Nominations are currently open. www.newmexicoarteducators.org/
The New Mexico Public Education Department and the Santa Fe Opera are launching a free, nine-session virtual professional development series focused on integrating the arts into English Language Arts and Social Studies. Sessions will feature hands-on strategies in music, visual arts, writing, and more. Educators from all grade levels and content areas are welcome. More information will be available on the NMPED Social Studies webpage.
Voices from New Mexico's Arts Education Community
"Arts education is not a luxury, it's a necessity," said Michele Platis, Co-Founder/Co-Director, Rio Grande Academy of Fine Arts Charter School "It nurtures creativity, fosters critical thinking, and empowers students to express themselves in powerful, authentic ways. By increasing awareness of the vital contributions the arts make to student learning, we not only enrich education as an end in itself but also open doors to diverse career pathways. An arts education equips students with the skills, confidence, and vision they need to shape their future and ours." "The arts, specifically theatre, threw me in the middle of a type of family that I hadn't known," says Julian Kazusa, the actor who will read our proclamation and a recent UNM drama graduate. "At the time mine was being ripped apart by divorce. At a young age, theatre gave me a sense of safety to break my walls down and be creative and childlike again. On the academic side, my grades were slipping and the pull of drugs and ditching were always there, but the arts allowed me to nurture a certain drive to keep coming back and a way to not only focus, but also release energy that needed to be let out. I praise my old director for allowing me the chance to find and build my own path that led me to where I am today, a part of the theatre and film world where I get to work with some of the greatest minds and talent I have ever known."
