Collaboration Lab

July 2025

Key Needs What’s Working Creative Hub Report Marketing Event Recordings Impressions

Colorful wall with the quote 'The future of art is collaborative' overlaid, with people and vibrant lighting in the background.
Logo of the City of Santa Fe Arts & Culture with a shield emblem and text.

The Collaboration Lab was a series of five weekly events held in July 2025 at the Center for Contemporary Arts (CCA) in Santa Fe, co-hosted by CCA Santa Fe and ArtBridge, and sponsored by Santa Fe Arts & Culture. The initiative brought together arts leaders from across Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico to collectively address the crucial need for creative partnerships and innovative solutions within the arts community.

Each Wednesday evening featured panel discussions moderated by ArtBridge Executive Director/ArtStorming Podcast Host, Lili Pierrepont, exploring challenges such as funding cuts, evolving audience engagement, and adapting to new realities. Attendees had opportunities to network with local arts organizations, and each session included brief performances by talented artists. The series culminated in a facilitated brainstorming session on July 30th, dedicated to identifying potential partnerships and outlining actionable next steps. All sessions were recorded for the ArtStorming podcast.

Poster for a collaboration lab with logos of the Center for Contemporary Arts Santa Fe, ArtBridge, ArtStorming, and the City of Santa Fe Arts & Culture.

Key Needs & Strategies

  • Shared Community Calendar

  • Regular Meetings - To keep communication open and active

  • Resource Sharing Hub - Grant Writers, staffing, space, etc

  • Marketing - Cross promotion of events

  • Audience Growth - Growing new non-traditional audiences of stakeholders, emphasizing inclusivity and diversity with a focus on impact

  • Building Trust - Dissolving silos, competition and egos

  • Rethinking Metrics - Venue & audience sizes can be more intimate, how we collect data, quality versus quantity

  • Collaboration - Across sectors, businesses, education & civic partnerships

  • Training & Support - Continuing education, professional training and development, emotional support, internships and mentoring

  • Political Leadership - The role of policy and leadership at the city and state level in supporting and nurturing the creative economy, initiatives like tax incentives & workforce development programs

Mosaic artwork featuring two female faces in profile facing each other, with a bird, plant, and cityscape details in vibrant colors and varied mosaic pieces.

What’s Working

  • Partnering with social service organizations for higher impact (example: Moving Arts Española to address food insecurity, youth diversion, training and community building)

  • Collaborating with other arts organizations to leverage and share resources (example: Midtown Arts & Design Alliance)

  • Business partnerships for a win-win strategy (example: Museum of New Mexico Foundation partnered with 3M to transform a building's renovation wrapping into an interactive public art canvas)

  • Out of the box thinking for solutions (example:  Exodus Ensemble performing at and partnering with unconventional spaces, Axel Contemporary transforming a bakery truck into a mobile gallery, bringing art directly to rural communities)

The report details the pilot of a Creative Industries Hub in Santa Fe from March to June 2025. The report highlights Santa Fe's strong creative economy, which generated 12.9% of the city's 2023 GDP, but notes challenges such as expensive space, fragmented resources, and lack of collaboration among creative professionals.

The Hub's goal was to strengthen the creative economy by fostering collaboration and resource-sharing through community gatherings, provider collaboration, entrepreneurial support, and an action network. Key achievements of the pilot include conducting over 50 conversations, collaborating on 5 events engaging over 500 participants, mapping 267 resources, producing an 8000-word Resource Packet, and establishing a working group of 30+ creatives. The report concludes with recommendations for institutionalizing a permanent Creative Economy Coordination Infrastructure and formalizing the Working Group into a Creative Economy Council to ensure sustained support and collaboration for Santa Fe's creative sector.

  • Colorful mosaic artwork with two women, one holding a plant, and the text 'JOIN US' at the top.
  • An informational poster about a series of panel discussions, brainstorming sessions, and networking opportunities from 6 to 9 PM on Wednesdays in July at the Center for Contemporary Arts in Santa Fe, located at 1050 Old Pecos Trail.
  • Highlights of an arts event, including panel discussions, networking opportunities, and performances, with descriptions of activities and key speakers.
  • Information about upcoming sessions including facilitated brainstorming on July 30, podcast recordings, and a registration link via EventBrite, with a website link at the bottom.
  • Event announcement poster for a collaboration lab on July 2nd, inviting people to meet their panelists, with a background featuring abstract neon light patterns.
  • A professional headshot of a woman with dark hair, smiling, wearing a black top and a red necklace, with a rosette background and text overlay identifying her as Jamie Blosser, Director/CEO of Midtown Arts and Design Alliance.
  • Photograph of Lisa Keating, executive director of the Santa Fe Gallery Association, with gray hair, wearing a denim jacket, and sitting outdoors with a blurred natural background.
  • Portrait of Pamela Kelly, Vice President of Licensing & Brand Management at Museum of New Mexico Foundation, smiling, with short brown hair, wearing earrings and a pink sleeveless top, against a dark textured background.
  • Professional portrait of Robyne Robinson smiling, with text indicating she is the principal of FiveXFive Public Art Consultants.
  • Photo of Judy Tuwaletstiwa smiling, wearing glasses, a white shirt over a black top, with a beige tiled wall in the background. Text overlay indicates she is a visual artist, writer, teacher, and performer.
  • A flyer with the heading 'We Need Your Voice' over a background image of a vase with a sculpted eye, lips, and some cacti. The flyer invites people to reserve their place in an important conversation and includes a call-to-action button that reads 'Ticket Link in Bio'.
  • Event poster for July 9th featuring the text 'Meet your panelists' and an orange banner at the top with 'Collaboration Lab' written on it.
  • Portrait of a middle-aged man with curly gray hair and beard, wearing a white shirt and tan suspenders, standing in front of a weathered white wooden wall.
  • Black and white portrait of Brianna Figueroa smiling, with glasses and shoulder-length hair, wearing a high-neck sweater, against a textured wall background, with her name and titles displayed below.
  • Portrait of Laura Finlay Smith standing with arms crossed in front of abstract wall art at an art gallery.
  • A man working with electronic equipment outdoors on a blanket, with a laptop and various tools around him.
  • An artistic background with a plaster wall, abstract shapes, and a quote about caring for the arts, with a ticket link in the bio.
  • Announcement poster with a textured wall background, bold text saying 'July 16th Meet Your Panelists,' colorful vertical stripes, and an orange header with white text 'Collaboration Lab.'
  • Portrait of Dylan Tenorio, co-executive director of Little Globe, Inc., smiling and wearing glasses and a maroon shirt, with a green background.
  • Business professional posing in a modern office with wooden interior, wearing a blazer and glasses, smiling with hands in pockets, with text overlay displaying name and title.
  • A portrait of Jennifer Graves, a woman with reddish hair wearing a beige wide-brimmed hat with a decorative band, an orange shirt, and a rust-colored vest, smiling in front of a blurred natural background.
  • A man wearing glasses and a black shirt stands outdoors in front of a landscape, holding a paintbrush and palette. He is painting a colorful landscape scene on a large canvas.
  • Close-up of Elizabeth Jacobson with curly gray hair outdoors, sunlight on her face, smiling subtly, with a blue sky in the background, overlaid with text identifying her as a performer.
  • Event poster for Santa Fe Arts, featuring a large eye image in the background with bold white text overlay that says "Santa Fe Arts, We See You." Details below indicate the event is on Wednesday, July 16th, from 6 to 9 PM at CCA, with a note about free registration link in bio. The design includes abstract shapes and a colorful background.
  • A colorful graphic announcing an event on July 23rd to meet panelists, with a background featuring geometric patterns and vibrant colors.
  • A woman with long brown hair and blue eyes looks at the camera against a gray background. Her image is overlaid with a pink banner containing her name, April Cleveland, and her titles, Artistic Director, The Exodus Ensemble.
  • A young man smiling outdoors wearing a dark jacket and a bolo tie with an art design.
  • Black and white portrait of Megan Mulry, an executive director, smiling with glasses and hoop earrings.
  • Portrait of Toccarra Thomas, Executive Director of Santa Fe Art Institute, wearing a white shirt and earrings, standing in front of a patterned background.
  • Group of diverse people posing outdoors for a photo, with some sitting, standing, or crouching on and around a large mud-colored wall, under a clear blue sky.
  • Invitation poster with colorful abstract background promoting a community event about creativity, with a call to action to click and register for free on a blue triangle.
  • Event poster for a final mastermind session on July 30th, part of a collaboration lab, with colorful abstract background, showcasing bold white and green text.
  • Colorful poster with the text 'Join the making of what's next' in bold, white and black outlined letters, set against a pastel green background with lavender and lime green borders.
  • Book cover with the title 'From Conversation to Action' written in bold white and black letters on a reddish background, with blue and orange bars on the left and right edges.
  • Motivational quote in bold text: "Your presence shapes the outcome" on a pastel yellow background, with pink and green vertical stripes on the sides.
  • Text on a pink background reads, 'The future is now' in bold white letters with black outline.
  • Black and white photo of a person with photo double exposure effect, standing in front of a curtain, with the word 'YOU' written below.
  • A colorful social media event poster with bold black and white text promoting a final session event. The poster states the event is on Wednesday, July 30th, from 6-9 PM at CCA, with a link in bio to register for free. The background features textured and layered pastel colors including orange, blue, pink, and green.

July 2nd, 2025

Panelists

Jamie Blosser, Director/CEO, Midtown Arts and Design Alliance
Lisa Keating, Executive Director, Santa Fe Gallery Association
Pamela Kelly, Vice President of Licensing & Brand Management, Museum of New Mexico Foundation
Robyne Robinson, Principal, fiveXfive Public Art Consultants
Performance by Judy Tuwaletstiwa

July 9th, 2025

Panelists

Matthew Chase-Daniel, Co-Director, Axle Contemporary
Alice Loy, Co-Founder, Creative Startups
Laura Finlay Smith, Former Curator, The Tia Collection
Drew Trujillo, Computer Science Program Developer and Visiting Faculty, Institute of American Indian Arts
Performance by Drew Trujillo

July 16th, 2025

Panelists

Jennifer Graves, Box Office Manager, New Mexico Actors Lab
James W. Johnson, Executive Director, MAKE Santa Fe
Roger Montoya, Co-Founder, Moving Arts Española
Dylan Tenorio, Co-Executive Director, Little Globe
Performance by Elizabeth Jacobson

July 23rd, 2025

Panelists

April Cleveland, Artistic Director, The Exodus Ensemble
Cole Forrest, Artistic Cinema Programmer, CCA Santa Fe
Megan Mulry, Executive Director, Santa Fe International Literary Festival
Toccarra Thomas, Executive Director, Santa Fe Art Institute
Performance by The Exodus Ensemble

  • "What a wonderful evening! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed myself. The panel discussion was very interesting and lively plus the videos were great. I especially appreciated the sense of community that permeated the room. As a newcomer, it was a thrill. Thank you so so much for including me."

    -Mardie H

  • "The event was really good, especially the interlude with Judy [Tuwaletstiwa] . What a bright, beautiful light that woman is. I want to be in her glow all the time. It was interesting to me to notice so starkly how coming from the heart and coming from the head are two entirely different impulses. It is not that the head isn't necessary. But, oh, the heart! Thank you for putting these experiences together."

    -Bonnie S

  • "Thanks so much! I thought it was a wonderful evening. Thank you for setting an open and curious tone and bringing together a great crew!"

    -Jamie B

  • What a great event last night. I appreciate that you bring the conversation of the arts and community together - something I am craving and working hard to plug into in the Santa Fe community."

    -Edica P

  • "Great gathering, so needed and appreciated, really inspiring, informative and insightful. Thank you for spearheading and leading...so necessary. A platform , place and space for creatives is essential and is moving the needle to the bright side of the spectrum."

    -Ellie S

  • "I so admire all you are doing for the art community here in Santa Fe. Your panel discussions certainly encourage collaboration which will pay great dividends for all those involved as well as those who simply appreciate the arts and wish to see them grow and thrive!"