Celebrating 40 Years of The City of Albuquerque’s Creative Bravos Awards
Initiated in 1985 by the Albuquerque Arts Alliance, the annual Creative Bravos Awards celebrate a spectrum of artistic achievements in Albuquerque—recognizing remarkable individuals, organizations, special events, programs, and more that enrich and beautify our city. Not only are we thrilled to celebrate four decades of such incredible talent, we are delighted to announce the winners of the 2025 Creative Bravos Awards:
Madison Van Der Lingen
Julia Munroe Mandeville
Casey Mraz
Adolphe Pierre-Louis
Eamon Quigley
Sherri Brueggemann
Naomi Natale
New Mexico Art League
Keith Sánchez
Please join us on Saturday, March 22 from 1:30 to 3:30 PM at the Albuquerque Museum for our 2025 Creative Bravos Awards Ceremony. Free and open to everyone! Visit the CABQ website for a list of all previous winners, organized by year.
Spotlight: Yucca Art Gallery
Artist cooperative Yucca Art Gallery, located near the Rattlesnake Museum in Old Town, has been around since 1964. Venture into this tucked-away space and find all sorts of treasures, from fiber art pieces by Molly Mooney, sculptures made from gourds by Steve McKibben, turquoise inlay bowls by Gene Lincoln, watercolors by Barb Fajardo, pastel drawings by Bobbie Isaacson, and much more. The gallery currently represents 33 local artists, along with two local guest artists: painter James Walther, who also served as the executive director of the National Museum of Nuclear Science & History in Albuquerque from 1996 to 2023, and fused glass artist Denise Elvrum. Artists interested in joining Yucca Art Gallery can check the website for guidelines and an application. Open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM every day, the gallery also participates in First Friday ARTcrawls.
5 Things To Do in March
Pastries and Pliés
Children aged 2 to 12 can try a dance class for free at Keshet Dance Company & Center for the Arts on Saturday morning, March 8, during the company’s annual Little Dancer Big Dancer Mentorship Breakfast. Older kids from Keshet’s Pre-Professional Program will be there too, to help teach and answer questions, while caregivers can enjoy breakfast with a donation. Classes begin at 9:45 AM.
Help Winter Fly Away
Get ready for spring by creating mixed media art inspired by local birds! This family-friendly event happens Saturday, March 8 as well, from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM at the Poulin Marketplace and Café. The event is organized by Wonderland Workshops, which is directed by Albuquerque elementary school teacher Amanda Highley Gallegos and has offered art classes and camps for all ages since 2005. The $35 fee covers supplies. Learn more and register now.
Hang Out with Colin Farrell
Keep the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations going with Lúnasa at the KiMo Theater on Tuesday, March 18 at 7:30 PM. Described as the “new gods of Irish music” and “the Irish music dream team,” this acoustic band has played at multiple international festivals and has worked with many legendary musicians, such as Mary-Chapin Carpenter and Natalie Merchant. And yes, award-winning virtuosic fiddler and composer Colin Farrell will be there. Tickets start at $28.
Be Odd
The “largest international traveling oddities event” returns to Albuquerque on Saturday, March 29, and Sunday, March 30, featuring unique antiques, funeral collectibles, art, jewelry and clothing inspired by all things spooky and macabre, and plenty more to buy or simply to admire. Starting at 10:00 AM each day at the Albuquerque Convention Center, the 2025 Oddities and Curiosities Expo also features stage performances, taxidermy workshops, and entomology classes (event organizers point out that all items at the expo are legally, ethically, and sustainably sourced). You can also shop online anytime for official merch plus goods from previous years. General admission tickets are $10; children 12 and under are free.
Berry Good
Ukrainian female performance group Yagody (“Berries”) will present a lively, moving showcase of musical traditions from around their country on Monday, March 31 at 7:30 PM at Fusion︱708. Founded in Lviv in 2016 by actress and singer Zoryana Dybovska, the group blends traditional and more contemporary songs they collected while researching music in Ukraine. This all-ages show is also connected to the exhibit “Amidst Cries from the Rubble: Art of Loss and Resilience from Ukraine,” which will be at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe through April 27. Concert tickets start at $33.
