WHY DO WE NEED CREATIVE ECONOOMY : Southern New Mexico has a lot of artists, but many of them struggle to survive. We have more artists per capita in New Mexico than any other state.
Faculty, students, and business people are reaching out to the arts and culture community to find ways to make Creative Arts economy in this region profitable.
Currently in New Mexcio, Silver City and Las Vegas, are State designated arts, culture and entertainment districts. Las Cruces needed 3 signatures to have such a designation, and one of the parties refused to sign in September of 2008, and Las Cruces was not chosen in 2007.
We at Talking Stick Institute are very hopeful that the three parties from Las Cruces will join Governor Richardson's initiative in 2009, and sign the application, be selected, and this will build the Creative Economy here. Nationally, "Upwards of 10,000 arts organizations could disappear in 2009, according to Americans for the Arts. " - Arts In Crisis - Kennedy Center Initiative - Apr 10 2009 - SANTA FE NM- Governor Bill Richardson announced that New Mexico Arts, the state arts agency and a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, has been awarded $297,000 in federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts to preserve arts jobs in New Mexico under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Loie Fecteau said nonprofit arts organizations may apply to New Mexico Arts for an Arts Jobs Grant for either up to $20,000 in salary support for an endangered arts job or up to $7,500 to pay for artists’ fees or contractors, as specified in the NEA rules and criteria. “Priority will be given to arts organizations that serve our undeserved populations, especially in rural New Mexico,” Fecteau said. “We expect to be able to give out between 15 and 20 of these Arts Jobs Grants.” Read more BACKGROUND on CREATIVE ECONOMY and its JOB POTENTIAL