The Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) and our Midtown Arts and Design Alliance partners are thrilled to be selected by the City of Santa Fe to enter into an Exclusive Negotiated Agreement (ENA) on August 30, 2023 for use of the Visual Arts Center and Barracks at the Midtown Site in Santa Fe. Execution of the ENA with the City will allow our team to move forward on preliminary feasibility studies toward our vision to build a vibrant and creative cultural hub in the center of Santa Fe, with a mission to improve lives through art, design, education, service, and entrepreneurship.
The Midtown Arts and Design Alliance (MADA), led by SFAI, will redevelop the Visual Arts Center and Barracks facilities to be a cultural, economic, and community connector – bringing together Santa Fe’s north and south sides; connecting creative practice with education and career pathways; and connecting Northern New Mexico with artists and creative practitioners from around the world. Our team brings the following values and expertise to the project:
- Revitalization and Equitable Development: Using a mixed-income model and community-based strategies, we will prioritize deeper resources and leadership development of our local creative ecosystem;
- World Class Community Arts and Design Programming: We are all trusted and invested community organizations and regional institutions who will bring unique and world-class arts, design, and educational programming to revitalize Midtown as a new and critically needed cultural hub;
- Resource Sharing and Collaboration: We share a common vision to optimize and share resources, services, and space, and to collaborate on meaningful projects and programs for the benefit of Santa Fe and the Northern New Mexico community;
- Education, Youth and Child Development, and Workforce/Enterprise Development: We will increase access and opportunity to live and thrive here, through multi-generational educational and community programming and through socially just, work-based learning tracks that meet local labor market needs and allow an emerging workforce to gain access to marketable skills; and
- Regenerative, Holistic, and Healthy Design and Operations: From working with local vendors to investing in renewable energy, we will bring a holistic “beyond sustainable” lens to the way in which the Visual Arts Center and Barracks facilities are re-developed and managed.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a larger arts district at the Midtown Site through excellent design and planning. We are thrilled to partner with the City to create a world class arts and design hub that is accessible, equitable, and which serves adjacent neighborhoods and the entire region.