Spotlight On: Fuse Makerspace
Winter weather making you feel restless? Do you have woodworking or screen printing ideas but lack the right tools? Consider joining FUSE Makerspace, a membership-based community learning center that provides room, specialized tools, and training to bring to life just about anything you can imagine.
Sponsored by CNM Ingenuity, a private non-profit through Central New Mexico Community College, FUSE is just west of Central and Broadway at 101 Broadway Boulevard NE, Suite 3100. Memberships range from $25 to $663 per year and experienced staff regularly lead safety trainings and specialty workshops. Scholarships and other funding resources are available.
CABQ/UNM Creative Economy Survey
Calling all local artists, artisans, and creatives! We invite you to take part in a survey that helps the CABQ Department of Arts & Culture, in partnership with UNM’s Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER), better understand the current impact of Albuquerque’s creative economy.
Whether you’re a freelancer or you devote your energy to your craft full-time, your confidential participation will help us gain invaluable insights into the ways you contribute to our economy, which will help guide how we can sustain, support, and grow this vibrant community. Please share this survey link with fellow creatives—but be sure to only take the survey once yourself!
5 Things To Do in February
Bright Like a Diamond
The City Brights II project continues from December 2024 with three new installations going live this month. Find the works of artists Dason Culver, David Estes and John-Mark Collins, and Jordan MacHardy on display in the downtown area, and be sure to see the work already up from artists James Black, David Santiago, Chris Casey and Kasra Manavi, Aaron Mancha, Michael Pino and Dusty Deen, and Hong Yan. Free to see and viewable from downtown sidewalks, all of the works are light-based and many are interactive. Learn more about the project and listen to the Take Another Look podcast (episode “Activating Downtown with City Brights II”) for an in-depth conversation between James Black, downtown business owner and artist, and Christine Jelson West, artist and project coordinator.
Feel the Love
Prepare for Valentine’s Day—or just show some affection to local businesses—at the Rail Yards Valentine Market on Saturday, Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 9 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. More than 175 vendors will be selling mouth-watering chocolates, locally grown flowers, handmade cards, unique jewelry, and plenty of other gifts (for others…or for yourself, no judgment) alongside family-friendly activities and more.
Calling All Super Fans
Meet artists as devoted to pop culture as you at the Fandoms Art Exhibition opening reception at 3017 Gallery. Located in the Artisan ABQ art supply store in Nob Hill, 3017 Gallery features monthly shows featuring local talent. From 4:30 to 7:00 PM on Saturday, Feb. 8, the Fandoms show explores and celebrates how artists add their creative interpretation to the characters and stories we know and love. This free exhibition will continue through Tuesday, March 4.
Roll Away
Need an escape? Get ready for out-of-this-world performances at the 5th Annual New Mexico Burlesque Festival on Valentine’s Day weekend! Doors open at 6:30 PM on Friday and Saturday nights at the KiMo Theater—grab a drink, shop, and commemorate the fun with a stop at the photo booth before catching the show at 7:30 PM, which will be hosted by Tito Bonito, “the Cuban Missile Crisis of Burlesque.” The festival headliner this year is Kozmic Joy, a duo made up of Joy Rider, winner of multiple awards from the Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas, and Kozmic Skater, a four-time world champion slalom roller skater and Cirque du Soleil star who incorporates roller skating into her burlesque performances. Tickets start at $24 for the Friday and Saturday shows; the festival concludes with a brunch performance at the Albuquerque Social Club on Sunday, Feb. 16, with a suggested $15 cover.
Turning 50: Brutal in the Best Way
The Albuquerque Main Library turns 50 this month! Celebrate five decades of learning, sharing, support, and community engagement in a safe, fun place for everyone by stopping by on Saturday, Feb. 22, at this branch location at 501 Copper Avenue NW. From 10:00 AM until 4:00 PM, the birthday party will feature a Community Resources Fair, activities, exhibits, a concert, refreshments, and more. The Main Library, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2019, was designed in the Brutalist architecture style by local architect George Pearl. At 11:00 AM, discover more about Pearl and Brutalism by attending the lecture, “Albuquerque’s Iconic Main Library: A Stunning Example of Regional Brutalism Architecture.” It’s a historic yet timely topic, in lockstep with the recently released, ten-time Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe-winning film The Brutalist, starring Adrian Brody. Catch The Brutalist at the Guild Feb. 28 through March 3.
