SANTA FE, August 31, 2023 – The City of Santa Fe Governing Body has approved entering into an agreement to establish an arts hub and arts-oriented district to attract creative development to the Midtown Site. The Exclusive Negotiated Agreement (ENA) is with Midtown Arts and Design Alliance LLC.

The ENA is the second step after the issuing of the RFP, which is aimed to strengthen and support local artists and arts and cultural organizations within the existing 52,000 square foot Midtown Visual Arts Center. The Art Center currently includes a complex of instructional, office, and gallery spaces in the Marion Center for Photographic Arts, the Thaw Art History Center, Tishman Hall, and the Tipton Lecture Hall that are organized around connecting patios and porticos.

The proposal calls for a co-location of 15 of Santa Fe’s local, most respected and trusted creative non-profits to create a synergistic platform which optimizes creative resources, shared space, and educational opportunities for the citizens of Santa Fe. 

The Midtown Arts and Design Alliance will produce over 60 full-time jobs and 40 apprenticeship/internship jobs with $6M in wages, and $2M in artist, consultant, and vending contracts. The new hub will annually serve over 30,000 local community members, including direct support to 15,000 children and youth, low-income households, local artists, and creative practitioners, and bring over one hundred international artists to Santa Fe each year.  

"Bringing Midtown to life starts with art and culture, and especially Santa Fe’s own, home-grown artists. This proposal represents a great coalition of Santa Fe groups, all focused on making Midtown a new center for creativity and artistic expression. It’s another step forward in moving from planning to doing at Midtown," said Mayor Alan Webber.  

The hub will encompass a total of 52,390 square feet for both the Visual Arts Center and the last remaining historic military barracks on the property. Leasable commercial space includes 32,361 square feet that will be tiered for mixed-income and affordability to the local non-profit creative workforce. 

The Midtown Arts and Design Alliance's collaborative property management and development team are uniquely qualified to implement the project, with senior leadership experienced in the development and implementation of large-scale projects both in the United States and internationally. SFAI will lead the team, which includes the National Development Council, MASS Design Group, Sarcon Construction, and Homewise. Proposed tenant partners represent local organizations involved in community arts and design, workforce and employment development and education, youth and child development.