New Mexico Arts News for September

September 2025 Newsletter

Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts announced. Seven New Mexico artists and contributors

Seven influential art trailblazers have been chosen by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham for the 2025 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts. "Each of these artists tells a part of New Mexico's story—our Indigenous heritage, our Western traditions, our multicultural identity," Lujan Grisham said. "Together, they create a tapestry that reflects the full beauty and complexity of who we are as New Mexicans."

The governor, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs, New Mexico Arts, and the New Mexico Arts Commission are proud to recognize these awardees who represent the very best in artistic achievement.

Peter “Amahl” Amaral, Musician, Albuquerque, Kevin Box, Sculptor, Cerrillos, Alden Timothy Cox, Painter, Bloomfield, Keshet Dance Company & Center for the Arts, Major Contributor to the Arts, Albuquerque, Cannupa Hanska Luger (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota), Interdisciplinary Artist, Glorieta, Nacha Mendez a.k.a. Margarita Cordero (Chihene Nde Nation), Musician, Santa Fe, and Connie Voisine, Poet, Las Cruces

You are cordially invited to the 2025 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in the Arts ceremony. We hope you will join us for the ceremony on Thursday, October 16, 2025, at 5:00 pm at the St. Francis Auditorium at the New Mexico Museum of Art, followed by a short reception in the museum’s courtyard with light appetizers and sparkling cider. The events are free and open to the public so please bring your family and friends.

Since 1974, this special event has celebrated the rich legacy and lasting impact of the individuals and organizations who have made extraordinary contributions to the arts in our state. Learn more HERE

The New Mexico Advisory Council for Arts Education (NMACAE) is thrilled to announce that Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has officially proclaimed the 2025–2026 school year as the New Mexico Year of the Arts in Education!

Arts education encompasses a wide spectrum of disciplines, traditional and contemporary, within fields such as visual arts and design, media arts, music, theatre, dance, literary arts, and culinary arts, among others. These fields offer rich opportunities for cross-curricular integration and interdisciplinary learning.

This historic proclamation celebrates arts education's essential role in nurturing student learning, expression, artistic skills, performance skills, cultural understanding, economic opportunities, engagement, identity, creativity, and well-being. It is also a call to action for schools, museums, and arts organizations statewide to come together, network, highlight, and advance the impact of the arts in the lives of our students and communities.

Learn more here

Grants News

New Mexico Arts – Arts & Health Initiative

New Mexico Arts is facilitating collaborative approaches to developing arts-based practices that contribute to community health and individual well-being.

The Arts & Health Initiative identifies three strategic priorities: connect, convene and contribute.

Arts & Health Collaborative Planning Grant

New Mexico Arts recognizes that thoughtful planning is essential for the successful integration of arts-based practices to improve community and individual well-being. The Arts & Health Collaborative Planning Grant will empower organizations to engage in a local planning process by offering funding and technical assistance. This process should result in a written strategy document for use in future funding proposals and project implementation.

New Mexico Arts intends to fund approximately 8 organizations that impact a broad constituency within their communities. Eligible organizations that reach populations historically underserved by the arts due to ethnicity, economics, geography, or disability are encouraged to apply.

Eligibility

Nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c) (3), U.S. organizations; units of state or local government; or federally recognized tribal communities or tribes may apply.

Eligible applicants must:

Have received a New Mexico Arts award in FY2025. Have previously submitted complete Final Invoices and Reports by the required receipt deadline(s) for all New Mexico Arts grant(s) Learn more HERE

Call for Proposals for Arts & The Military Mini Grants

New Mexico Arts announces the 2026 Arts & The Military Mini Grants program. This $2,500 funding opportunity assists art organizations and veteran/service member-focused organizations to create or expand arts programming for military connected participants via a streamlined granting process.

Application process:

New applicants/new projects should apply for Advance Review by 9/22/2025.

Final application deadline 11/7/2025

Award notification date is 12/2/2025

Grantee Activities to be completed January 2026 – June 2026.

Find the 2026 Arts & the Military Application and Guidelines HERE

A brief online presentation and an extended Q&A has been recorded and available for later viewing.

For more information, contact Arts & The Military Program Coordinator, Kevin Lenkner, 505-412-5791 or email kevin.lenkner@dca.nm.gov.

Keshet Dance Company & Center for the Arts is celebrating 30 years of impact in dance, mentorship, and social justice in Albuquerque and beyond, honoring their legacy while reinforcing their commitment to community, creativity, and justice. Keshet Dance Company was founded in Albuquerque, NM in 1996 by Shira Greenberg, with a commitment to breaking barriers in the dance field while honoring the beauty and rigor of contemporary dance.

Over the past 30 years, Keshet has grown to a powerhouse in the Albuquerque arts community, evolving from a volunteer-run organization in the 90s to now over 30 staff members in 2025–including full-time employment for Company members, a rarity in the dance industry! With a firm belief that dance is for every body, Keshet grew a Mixed Ability/Adaptive Dance program for dancers of all abilities, and responded to a need for meaningful programming within New Mexico's juvenile prisons, developing Keshet's now nationally recognized M3 Program.

Learn More

Art in Public Places Opportunities

New Mexico Arts’ Art in Public Places is pleased to announce the launch of their biennial open call for art New Mexico Only Purchase Initiative

Prospectus #283

The goal of the initiative is to diversify the state's public art collection by purchasing artwork from artists in all stages of their careers. The project is open to artists who reside in, and galleries that are located in New Mexico. Galleries may submit qualifications on behalf of any artist represented by the gallery, regardless of the artist's current residence.

AIPP MISSION

The Art in Public Places Program enriches New Mexico's public spaces through an innovative and diverse public art collection. Since its inception in 1986, the program has placed more than 2,500 works of art in all of New Mexico's 33 counties. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of the arts in New Mexico, the Southwest, and nation while building a dynamic public art collection for the State of New Mexico.

Through a fair and open public process, local and regional selection committees work with New Mexico Arts to select artwork for their communities. The Art in Public Places Program also commissions large-scale projects that are designed for integration directly into the architecture of a building, or purchases existing original artworks to be placed in public buildings.

PROJECT TIMELINE

July 18, 2025 – Open Call open for applications

September 21, 2025 – Submission deadline

October 2025 – Notification of finalists

October 2025 – December 2027 – Notification of purchases (if applicable, not guaranteed)

Ongoing basis -- Notification of purchases to artists and artwork installation

THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE IS 11:59 PM (MST), SEPTEMBER 22, 2025

Please see the application on Call For Entry platform for more details and to submit your artwork.

Announcing the 2026 New Mexico Arts Artist Residency

at Sandia Mountain Natural History Center

Project Intent:

Each residency will take place over a six-week period in which the artist resides and works in Cedar Crest, New Mexico. Artists will have access to and are encouraged to interact with the land, culture, visitor center and the surrounding area.

The culmination of the residency centers the artist’s research and development of new work that showcases ideas and work created during their six-week stay at Sandia Mountain Natural History Center.

Public engagement opportunities include, but are not limited to an artist talk or exhibition, workshop, temporary site-specific installations, performances, etc. Artwork and community engagement should be safe and appropriate for both children and adults, ADA compliant, and should not permanently alter the environment when removed.

Submission Deadline:

Friday, October 10, 2025

Artists Notified: Late October 2025

Residency Time Frames:

March 6, 2026 – April 17, 2026 (Residency I Period) Artwork and Community Engagement Activity

April 24, 2026 – June 5, 2026 (Residency II Period) Artwork and Community Engagement Activity

Residency Stipend:

An all-inclusive stipend of $14,000, including but not limited to: gross receipts tax and all applicable state and federal taxes for the services performed, insurance, materials, shipping/mailing charges, airfare/travel, car rental, gas, contract labor and services, etc. will be awarded in the form of two payments per residency period: the first ($7,000) upon receipt of signed contract (and approved PO), the second upon completion of public engagement activity ($7,000) at the conclusion of the residency.

To apply:

Apply Here

Henri Preiss holds a bachelor's degree in stage design studies at the Latvian Academy of Arts and a Master’s in the same specialty from the Central Saint Martins School in London (2001). After completing his studies, Preiss stayed in London, and the city became one of the influences in his work. He has had an active run in exhibitions, having had five solo shows, participated in the Prague Quadriennal (1995) and in a number of group exhibitions in Berlin, Brussels, London and New York. Notable galleries, such as Saatchi and the University of the Arts in London, as well as Zuzeum have acquired Preiss’ works. He is mentioned as one of the ‘’100 Painters of Tomorrow’’ in the list of Kurt Beers, issued by Thames & Hudson. Henri Preiss currently lives and works in New Mexico.

"My art often deals with the dichotomy of stability and change. I use shapes and colors to create balance, but also tension. The strict geometrical forms serve as the scaffold on which I place elements of chaos and surprise. These seemingly opposing concepts blend together on my canvas, speaking to the complexity and multiplicity of life and universe. I find beauty in the paradox of harmony and discord, the mundane and the mystical, the ancient and the contemporary. Every canvas is a dialogue between me and the observer, an invitation to explore the interplay of familiar and unfamiliar, order and chaos, material and spiritual. The engagement of the viewer is a key element of my work, and I encourage them to form their own interpretations and to engage with the piece in a deeply personal way.

My work is an exploration of visual language - a reimagining and deconstruction of recognizable shapes, colors, and patterns, translating them into an original abstract form. My purpose is to create a universal language that can be perceived and felt by any observer, regardless of cultural, temporal or spatial boundaries. This universal language takes form in a coherent and stimulating aesthetic, and my aim is to captivate and engage the viewer, to encourage them to question, to feel, and to ultimately understand the world from a unique perspective. My approach to my work is constantly evolving, influenced by my surroundings, my experiences, and my ongoing study of art, design and nature. Through this process, I continue to strive for a unique visual voice that is both familiar yet fresh, grounded yet ethereal, tangible yet enigmatic. The journey is as rewarding as the destination."

Visit Henri's Website

Artist Calls and Opportunities

The Museum of Indian Arts and Culture, the Museum of International Folk Art, and New Mexico Arts proudly invite the public to their annual Community Day Celebration, Gathering Seeds, Tending Roots on Saturday, September 13, 2025, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Museum Hill.

Gathering Seeds, Tending Roots is a celebration of the 20th anniversary of Santa Fe’s UNESCO designation as the first creative city for folk art and craft in 2005. This free, family-friendly event brings together community members, artists, musicians, and cultural leaders for a full day of vibrant programming reflecting how Santa Fe area artists and tradition bearers are addressing the UNESCO sustainable development goal of cultural and climate resiliency through their expressive practices. The 350 cities in the UNESCO international creative cities network work together towards a common objective: placing creativity and culture at the heart of their development plans working at the local level and actively engaging and cooperating at the international level.

Learn More

The Railyard Park Conservancy’s (RPC) Railyard Art Project (RAP) is now accepting proposals for temporary public art installations and creative projects in Santa Fe’s Railyard Park + Plaza. Thanks to generous funding from Santa Fe’s Arts and Culture Commission, RAP will be hosting two projects between October 2025 and June 2026, with each project receiving a $3,000 honorarium, as well as marketing support and liability insurance.

How to Apply: Artists are invited to complete an online application form on the RPC’s website. General guidelines, as well as detailed maps of the sites available for installation, can be found on the website as well.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 4th, 2025

Learn More & Apply

In partnership with Givebutter, the Mockingbird Incubator Program provides 20 nonprofit organizations with the tools and resources to help them run scalable nonprofits that make a difference.

During the eight weeks of the program, our team will guide you step-by-step through the process of growing an organization, navigating the world of nonprofits, and securing the funds you need to realize your mission.

Givebutter will provide an additional workshop on attracting and engaging with individual donors so you can apply it to real life in our Fundraising Challenge!

Thanks to Givebutter, selected organizations will receive a full scholarship to participate in the program. Participating organizations have the opportunity to apply for up to $4,000 in grant funds after completing the program.