El Puente/The Bridge utilizes collaborative art to create and strengthen community relationships and transform public places in Albuquerque's Barelas and South Valley neighborhoods, along the Rio Grande.
From September 2015- August 2016 the Artful Life Team will work with Barelas and South Valley residents in smaller groups. These gatherings will build community and begin a dialogue about what residents want for their neighborhoods.
From January-July, 2017, two multidisciplinary artist teams will work collaboratively with over 200 community residents to co-envision and co-create several works of art and/or performance. These neighborhood "ensembles" will work independently and together, promoting strong relationships both within and between neighborhoods.
Sustained community engagement and the resulting works of art will project an inspiring portrait of people and place, transform neighborhood spaces, as well as generate individual and collective capacity that will result in increased civic engagement by participants.
The project is currently in the development and fundraising phase with a scheduled launch in the fall of 2016.
El Puente is funded by New Mexico Arts (A Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs) and the McCune Charitable Foundation.
El Puente is also endorsed by the following project partners: La Red del Río Abajo, a network of community organizations serving South Valley and Barelas: Agri-Cultura Network/La Cosecha CSA, Peanut Butter & Jelly Family Services, Valle Encantado, New Mexico Immigrant Law Center, Partnership for Community Action, Encuentro, Prosperity Works, Enlace Comunitario, and Centro Sávila. Additional project partners: the National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) and Working Classroom.
Project Co-Directors: Michelle Otero, Shelle Sanchez and Valerie Martinez. Michelle and her family reside in the South Valley; Shelle and her family live in Barelas. Valerie is a resident of Albuquerque's Southeast Heights.
Artful Life projects are designed to transform communities through the beauty and power of collaborative art. Together, artists, cultural workers and communities co-create significant works of art. In doing so, they get to know each other in new ways, discover the power of working in teams, and create artwork that expresses who they are, where they live, and what they dream. Arts engagement leads to a range of subsequent community-led development initiatives via capacity-building and leadership development. Founded in 2015 by Valerie Martinez (formerly with Littleglobe) Artful Life is dedicated to the Tewa belief that revitalization is an individual and collective process fueled by creative inspiration, labor, and a thoughtful approach.
11415 Isle Royale Rd. SE