Arts & Entrepreneurship
Big ideas, real impact.
When we set forth to build a coworking space in Albuquerque, we wanted to develop a space where a community of “creatives” could come together. When we think of creatives, it isn’t a narrow definition, but rather any person or group of people who uses original and unusual ideas to produce something. Both artists and start-up entrepreneurs fit into this category.
In today’s world, there are lots of resources for venture-backed businesses, but there are far fewer for emerging artists. In addition to supporting Deciens Capital, a venture fund and the primary tenant of Blue Sky Coworking NM, we aim to leverage the resources designed for start-ups, also to support emerging artists.
Likewise, it was imperative to have dedicated philanthropic funds to support the work of emerging artistic professionals. We aimed to partner with established programs to expand their reach rather than competing with them.
That’s why for our 2026-2027 pilot season we decided to collaborate with the Harwood Art Center to help them expand the reach of their already tremendously impactful SURFACE: Emerging Artists of New Mexico, which is in its 17th cycle.
This partnership is rooted in a shared belief: creative work thrives when artists have access to space, community, and ongoing support. By bringing SURFACE programming into a coworking environment, we’re creating a setting where artists, entrepreneurs, and creative professionals intersect—sparking conversation, collaboration, and new possibilities.
Gallery Hours M-F 9 AM to 5 PM
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Arts and cultural industries in New Mexico enjoy a national reputation that is far beyond the state’s size or economic standing. Narrowly defined, these industries employ 43,031 persons in New Mexico, equal to 1 of every 18 jobs. But sometimes it is hard to break into the industry. We wanted to create more paid opportunities for emerging practitioners to gain experience.
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Almost everyone can use a bit of support as they take on a new endeavor. And even though there are some opportunities for emerging professionals in the NM ecosystem we want to help amplify the impact by partnering with them and offering incremental ways to leverage these resources.
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So many philanthropists just start a new nonprofit or competing initiative instead we’d like to amplify the impact of successful programs.
TEXTURE
Inaugural SURFACE
Artist Alumni Satellite Gallery Exhibition
Open January - June
Blue Sky and Harwood Art Center present the inaugural SURFACE: Artist Alumni Satellite Gallery Exhibition – Texture. Featuring Jordan Caldwell, Leigh Oviatt, and Olivia Berkey, artists whose work is grounded in place and persistence of practice.
Artist Talk - April 3rd
Talk Starts at 5:30 PM
4:30 PM - 6:30 PM
Inaugural Artists
Jordan Caldwell
Jordan is an Albuquerque local who wants to show people that our city is more than green Chile and hot air balloons. Through their cityscape paintings they aim to depict the beauty of the cold/ isolated world we live in. Their primary inspiration is Edward Hopper, who captures the struggles, isolation, and leisure of the common American.
Leigh Oviatt
Through bold color choices and innovative techniques, Leigh Oviatt pushes the boundaries of contemporary fiber art from her Santa Fe studio. Her large-scale textile pieces emerge through intuitive exploration, combining rich textures with vibrant hues inspired by organic shapes and colors found in the natural environment.
Olivia Berkey
Olivia Berkey is a ceramic and performance artist. While a student at a residential craft school in North Carolina, she participated in some informal, community-based instruction on a floor loom. Largely, though, she has casually experimented with knot-making, net-making, and other textile techniques — both on and off of looms.
Join us as our inaugural emerging curator
A new opportunity designed to support the professional growth, visibility, and viability of curatorial talents in our community. The SURFACE: Emerging Curators of New Mexico Fellowship is dedicated to cultivating the growth of local creative talents, supporting their professional viability in the field, and expanding their visibility in the public sphere. The fellowship reflects a new component to Harwood Art Center’s SURFACE Emerging Artists of New Mexico Program, now in its 14th year.
APPLICATIONS ARE DUE MARCH 2, 2026
Let's create something meaningful together We're not here to just show work—we're here to build something together. We are building a series of workshops to help creatives on the entrepreneurial journey if you’d like to help co-create a session reach out.
Support emerging artists based in NM.
Improve ecosystem connectivity for “creatives”.
Learn from our pilot year.
Program Goals
Foster a sense of kinship between artists and entrepreneurs.
Have Blue Sky Coworking NM be a hub for impactful innovation in NM.
Our Partner
Harwood, the outreach program of Escuela del Sol Montessori, is a creative center for community and the arts. They engage the arts as a catalyst for lifelong learning, cultural enrichment and social change, with programming for every age, background and income level. They believe that equitable access to the arts and opportunities for creative expression are integral to inspired, passionate individuals and to healthy, vibrant communities. Participating at a grassroots level, they recognize and engage the arts as a catalyst for lifelong learning, social change and community development.
Their SURFACE: Emerging Artists of New Mexico program, now in its 17th year, is one of the few juried opportunities to focus on our local artists at pivotal point of inflection in their early careers. This program supports the creative and professional growth of emerging artists and to expand their visibility and viability in our community. They now have over 200 alumni artists and each year the program turns away many talented participants due to capacity constraints. We are excited to help them expand the reach of this important endeavor.