Washington, DC – On Tuesday, August 9, Jane Chu, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will join Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) in a roundtable discussion titled, “Growing New Mexico’s Creative Economy,” in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The discussion will focus on ways to support artists and art entrepreneurs to build businesses and create new jobs. At the roundtable, Senator Udall will discuss his legislation introduced earlier this year, the CREATE Act — Comprehensive Resources for Entrepreneurs in the Arts to Transform the Economy.  Following the discussion, Senator Udall and Chairman Chu will join members of the Santa Fe arts community for visits to Wise Fool New Mexico, Meow Wolf/CHIMERA, and the Museum of International Folk Art. On Wednesday, August 10, Chairman Chu will travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico and tour arts organizations that are actively engaging, serving, and promoting the Albuquerque community, including visits to the National Institute of Flamenco, TIASO Artist Cooperative, and Working Classroom. Follow @NEAJaneChu on Twitter for updates and photos on her trip to New Mexico. As part of the National Endowment for the Arts’ 50th anniversary celebration, the NEA created a story bank of multimedia content to showcase the impact of the arts. To date, hundreds of people from across the country, including New Mexico, have submitted stories about how the arts and the National Endowment for the Arts have impacted their lives. The following events are closed to the public, except where noted, but open to media. Media should contact Judith Kargbo at kargboj@arts.gov if they would like to attend any of the site visits or request an interview with Chairman Chu.

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Tuesday, August 9, 2016 9:15AM- 12:00PM            Senator Udall hosts NEA Chairman Chu for Creative Economy Roundtable Location:  Sante Fe Art Institute,1600 St. Michael’s Drive, Santa Fe, NM Participants: Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D- NM) Jamie Blosser, executive director, Santa Fe Art Institute Representatives of Santa Fe Arts Community

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1:45PM- 2:00PM               Wise Fool New Mexico Site Visit Location:                              1131 Siler Rd., Santa Fe, NM  87507 Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D- NM) Carol Schrader, executive director, Wise Fool New Mexico Representatives of New Mexico Arts Community

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2:30PM- 3:15PM               Meow Wolf/CHIMERA Site Visit Location:  1352 Rufina Circle, Santa Fe, NM 87507 Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D- NM) Vince Kadlubek, CEO, Meow Wolf Representatives of New Mexico Arts Community

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3:45PM- 4:30PM              Museum of International Folk Art Location:   706 Camino Lejo, Santa Fe, NM 87505 Participants:                 Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D- NM) Khristaan Villela, Ph.D., Director, Museum of International Folk Art Aurelia Gomez, Deputy Director, Museum of International Folk Art Carrie Hertz, Curator of Textiles and Costume, Museum of International Folk Art Irvin Trujillo, Weaving Artist, NEA 2007 National Heritage Fellow Julia Gomez, Colcha embroidery Artist

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Wednesday, August 10, 2016 11:30AM- 12:30PM          National Institute of Flamenco Site Visit Location:                              The Elizabeth Waters Center for Dance, Carlisle Gym South Arena The University of New Mexico Main Campus Albuquerque, NM 87131 Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts   Loie Fecteau, executive director, New Mexico Arts (NMA) Eva Encinias Sandoval, founder/executive director Ryan Cangiolosi, president, Board of Directors

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12:30PM -12:40PM          Media availability Location:                              The Elizabeth Waters Center for Dance, Carlisle Gym South Arena The University of New Mexico Main Campus Albuquerque, NM 87131

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2:00PM – 3:00PM             TIASO Artist Co-Operative & Artful Life Site Visit Location:                              Valle Encantado Farm, 1611 Five Points Rd SW, Albuquerque, NM Participants:                 Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Loie Fecteau, executive director, New Mexico Arts (NMA) Valerie Martinez, director of Artful Life, TIASO Board President and Founding, Member of TIASO Shelle VanEtten de Sanchez, project co-director for El Puente at Artful Life, TIASO, project manager and founding member of TIASO 3:00PM – 3:15PM             Media Availability Location:                              Valle Encantado Farm, 1611 Five Points Rd SW, Albuquerque, NM

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3:30PM – 4:30PM             Working Classroom Site Visit Location:                              423 Atlantic Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM Participants:                       Jane Chu, chairman, National Endowment for the Arts Loie Fecteau, executive director, New Mexico Arts (NMA) Gabrielle Uballez, executive director of Working Classroom 4:30PM- 4:45PM               Media Availability Location:                              423 Atlantic Ave SW, Albuquerque, NM

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About the National Endowment for the Arts Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts and the agency is celebrating this milestone with events and activities through September 2016. ###

The United State of Arts: New Mexico