New Mexico’s Creative Industries Week Shines Spotlight on Creative Brilliance – June 3 through 9

New Mexico’s Creative Industries Division unveils a statewide event full of live festivals, online panels, workshops, and more

State Agency Press Release – From The New Mexico Economic Development Department

SANTA FE, N.M. – Creative Industries Week is set to electrify New Mexico from June 3 to 9, showcasing the state’s rich tapestry of creativity and innovation. This unprecedented celebration, organized by the New Mexico Economic Development Department’s newly established Creative Industries Division (CID) and Santa Fe-based Creative Startups, promises a week filled with live events and festivals spanning communities statewide, creative showcases and workshops, and online panels featuring 50+ speakers representing community leaders, higher education experts, entrepreneurs, economic developers, creatives, and technologists.

“Growing jobs and boosting investment in creative industries is a key goal for Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham and state lawmakers as we diversify New Mexico’s economy,” Acting EDD Cabinet Secretary Mark Roper said. “As EDD comes together with our partners for Creative Industries Week, we want to celebrate our successes and connect creative entrepreneurs and businesses as the state identifies the framework for the Creative Industries Division and launches new economic development initiatives.”

Curated with the help of Creative Industries Division strategic plan development collaborators Vital Spaces and the Poeh Cultural Center, the Creative Industries Week’s online component offers attendees the opportunity to delve into a wide array of topics designed to cultivate economic prospects for creative communities, organizations, and individuals. Panels will cover subjects such as artist-in-residence programs for economic development, the role of higher ed in creative industries development, culturally embedded entrepreneurship, and more.

“Creative Industries Week is an experiment in expanding the story of the creative industries in New Mexico,” Mike Young, lead researcher and writer for Creative Startup, explained.

“We’re hoping these online panels can stir up provocative conversations between artists and thought leaders across New Mexico—and bring them together with exciting, innovative, and prominent creative thinkers nationwide. And we hope this first iteration of Creative Industries Week delivers a compelling blueprint for future events to help the Creative Industries Division lead the conversation about creative industries and entrepreneurs as economic drivers in New Mexico.”

The full agenda and registration form for online events can be found at bit.ly/SSCIDWeek. Registration is required.

In addition to the online offerings, Creative Industries Week will spotlight live festivals, makers markets, networking events, workshops, and celebrations in eleven communities across New Mexico. The live events kick off on Thursday, June 6, in Albuquerque with the Space Fiesta, a galactic celebration of earthly innovators in space, tech, and art, followed by Bueno Fest, the pilot episode of a new immersive music and creative performance technology festival. Thursday’s kick-off events also include the Farmington Downtown Makers Market, featuring local vendors offering everything including fresh produce, vintage and antique items, handcrafted leather goods, and more.

“These events we’re spotlighting show the range of exciting creative economy gatherings happening creative state in the nation, and we invite people to discover that truth in person.”

Beyond spotlighting New Mexico’s creative entrepreneurs, the Creative Industries Week live events honor the state’s tenacity as a whole. This enduring spirit is evident in Mora County, whose residents have faced significant challenges from climate disasters. The Mora Market on Mainstreet, a recipient of the inaugural CID grant awards, stands as a testament to the power of community and creativity in driving recovery.

The enduring power of resilience and renewal – the Mora community comes together

“It’s been two years since the Hermits Peak-Calf Canyon fires ravaged the Mora community and the surrounding landscape,” said Ilka Villareal, Director of the Mora Mainstreet Arts & Cultural Compound and organizer of the Mora Market. “In celebration of the enduring power of resilience and renewal, the community comes together for an afternoon of arts, crafts, and music for eight Saturdays from May through the end of June.”

EDD’s Creative Industries grants are also sponsoring other local events, like the Doña Ana County Creativity Fest, which is set to commemorate public art and the civic role of the artist on Saturday, June 8.

“The county contracted artist and arts leader Irene Oliver Lewis as the artistic director and coordinator of our creative industries project. She has organized Creativity Fest 2024 complete with food trucks, entertainment, art booths, face painting, and interactive arts activities. In addition, we will have informational areas from the county’s 12 community centers and public programs,” said Denissee Carter, Doña Ana County Economic Development Administrator in the Community Development Department and the Project Director for the county’s creative industries state proposal.

Oliver-Lewis added that more than 15 community artists and arts organizations are part of the county’s creative industries state proposal, and county staff will be in attendance to meet the public and lead the art activities.

Other Creative Industries Week live events across the state will similarly emphasize New Mexico’s creative ingenuity. On Friday, June 7, the Poeh Cultural Center is hosting Path to Prosperity II: Indigenous Entrepreneurs 2024, a celebration of the Native business owners and artists who have gone through the Poeh Cultural Center entrepreneurship training programs.

Saturday’s events include Create & Activate Eastern New Mexico in downtown Clovis, the Harding County Artisan Market, the El Raton Media Works Pop-Up at Kearny, and the Gallup Arts Crawl.

Spanning Saturday and Sunday, the Vital Spaces Santa Fe Pop-Up will showcase the talent of the city’s artisans, and the Española Lowrider Association is presenting The Life of Building a Lowrider with the Bond House in Española, a free event Sunday, June 9, spotlighting the art and technique of creating a lowrider.

The full live event agenda with details about locations, times, and registration requirements can be found at bit.ly/SSCIDWeekLive.

The New Mexico Creative Industries Week was created as a part of the EDD and Creative Startups’ ongoing statewide study of New Mexico’s creative economy, an undertaking that will culminate in a comprehensive plan for the future of the Creative Industries Division.

“As we embark on the division’s inaugural Creative Industries Week, we envision it as a recipe for future statewide events that foster a culture where creativity thrives, economies flourish, and communities unite,” Alice Loy, Creative Startups Co-Founder and CEO, said. “CID is setting the stage for transformative economic growth and creative collaboration across New Mexico with creative entrepreneurs standing firmly in the spotlight.”

Learn more about the Creative Industries Division at bit.ly/SSNMCID and the Creative Industries Week at bit.ly/SSCIDWeek.

About the New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD)
The New Mexico Economic Development Department’s (EDD) mission is to improve the lives of New Mexico families by increasing economic opportunities and providing a place for businesses to thrive. EDD’s programs contribute directly to this mission by training our workforce, providing infrastructure that supports business growth, and helping every community create a thriving economy. Learn more at edd.newmexico.gov/.

About Creative Startups
Creative Startups, based in Santa Fe, New Mexico, has a proven track record developing economic strategies and programs leading to measurable economic growth in the creative industries. At the forefront of the creative economy for 15 years, Creative Startups develops strategic plans for regional governments, supplies in-depth economic analyses of assets and market opportunities, supports cultural and tribal institutions, and develops and delivers innovative programs for creative entrepreneurs and artists. Through their work across New Mexico, the USA, and the world, Creative Startups has developed a comprehensive understanding of the technologies and trends driving the remarkable expansion of
creative industries.