Art  Business  Culture  

The focus of the Public Art Program is to bring art into the environment--both public art in the built environment and cultural services, performances and arts education activities in the community. The Program also develops the cultural environment through the cultural planning process.

Public Art Program staff serves the recently established Art Business Culture Leadership Team who has been tasked with developing a new cultural planning process since mid-2008. The leadership team was established as a result of the publication of the "Economic Importance of the Arts and Cultural Industries in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County" commission by the City of Albuquerque, Bernalillo County and the College of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico, with a grant from the McCune Charitable Foundation.

In the fall of 2008, the ABC Leadership Team invited over 70 members of the community to a two-day Search Conference to find answers to the question, “How do we stimulate a vibrant arts and cultural sector that enhances economic development in the region?” The Art Business Culture Leadership Team has finalized the Search Conference Report Action Plan and is now available here: ABC Action Plan. 

Individuals who are interested in getting involved in any of the tasks may contact Sherri Brueggemann at publicart@cabq.gov.

Previous Cultural Plan

The previous Cultural Plan, adopted in 1995 and updated in 2001, is available as a PDF for printing: Cultural Plan. The three primary goals of that plan were:

1. Arts in Education
2. Community Involvement
3. Sustainable Funding for the Arts

The intent of the Cultural Plan is to support, encourage, expand and celebrate cultural expression in our diverse city. Ultimately, the long-term goal of the plan is to increase the benefits of arts and culture for individual growth, community identity, and local economic strength.