Artisans invited to free marketing meetings

Copyright © 2009
Gallup Independent
By Independent staff

GALLUP — Local artists and artisans are invited to attend free meetings in Gallup, Ramah and Grants to learn about a state sponsored arts and crafts marketing program.

New Mexico Creates is a program of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation, which operates gift shops in the state’s museums and which also has a highly effective marketing program to sell New Mexico arts and crafts via the Internet. The Web site offers authentic and high quality art and crafts by the state’s artists directly for sale to customers worldwide.

New Mexico Creates and the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments are inviting local artists and artisans to the following community meetings:

• Gallup, Friday, Jan. 9: McKinley County Courthouse Rotunda from 8 a.m. to noon

• Ramah, Friday, Jan. 9: Old School Gallery from 1 to 5 p.m. The gallery is located 1.5 miles east of El Morro National Monument.

• Grants, Thursday, Jan. 15: Double Six Gallery, 1001 W. Santa Fe Ave., from 1 to 5 p.m.

Area artists are invited to attend any one of the three scheduled meetings and bring their arts and crafts for New Mexico Creates staff to evaluate for inclusion in the program. Direct purchases of art products may be made on-site. Artists are also invited to bring photographs of their work and/or art portfolios.

Selected artists may be profiled individually on the Web site and also featured in the state’s museum stores.

Additionally, the New Mexico Creates program offers marketing support, business training and expertise, and other opportunities for artists to enhance their sales and livelihoods.

“We know that there’s great talent in rural New Mexico, especially in the Gallup area, that the Museum of New Mexico hasn’t reached yet. We would like to meet many new artists and show them the New Mexico Creates program,” said John Stafford, director of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation’s retail program.

“The New Mexico Creates program is an excellent economic development project for the region,” agreed Patty Lundstrom, executive director of the Northwest New Mexico Council of Governments. “We have many fantastic artists that work at home, and this is a great way to give them more exposure in the market.”

There is no fee to attend the meetings.

Information: www.newmexicocreates.org