An Artist’s Journey to La Buena Vida
We love finding the right artist for the right project. Very often, though, the artist lives in a different city or state, sometimes far, far away. So, when we find the right artist right here in our city, we are almost giddy with joy because we LOVE showcasing our very…
A Rubber Ducks Holiday Tale
‘Twas the days before Christmas, when many distractions beckoned, Not an hour was wasted, not even a second. The year was almost over and much still needed to be done, But we had been so busy, that it was time to have fun. 2025 began with an…
It’s a Small, Small World
There’s a little-known public art piece called Aguacito that was recently relocated to the demonstration garden located at Utilities on Motel Blvd from the outskirts of town on the West side. I didn’t know much about this piece, so this was a good opportunity to learn. Sure enough, the story…
Letting Go is hArt to Do
When we install public art in a facility, we intend for the artwork to stay in place for many years, maybe even long after we are gone. But what happens to public art that is part of the infrastructure of a facility or place that is about to undergo renovation…
A Public Art Emerge-ency
The Las Cruces Public Art collection is a classic inventory of bronze figures, steel sculptures, wall art of various mediums, and murals. As we grow our collection, we are constantly asking what else is out there, what are artists and other communities doing, what cool things can we bring here?…
A Picture of Community
The goals of the Las Cruces Public Art Program include involving community members in public art creations, such as murals. While also aiming to beautify existing elements in our parks, streets, and other neighborhood structures. Murals have long been a go-to for community projects due to their capacity for lots…
Symbol of Misappropriation
Not long ago, one of our public art selection committees held artist presentations for a commissioned public art piece for one of our parks. This is when artists present their proposals for a project and show us a small-scale model or maquette of the proposed new art piece for our…
CAB Rides
When I first started as the public art coordinator, I remember hearing about cab this, cab that while in training. In my head, I thought “what is this cab? Does public art have a cab?” Not wanting to admit ignorance, I did a search for “public art cab”. Lo and…
4TLOA
It’s February and we’re in love! In love with art that is, because February is For the Love of Art month. The month officially kicked off with the Lunar New Year celebration at the Branigan Cultural Center, where we painted rocks with attendees to build a rock snake in the…
Art That Keeps Giving (Reposted from Dec. 21, 2021)
If you’ve ever doubted the power of public art, take a trip downtown to the Plaza de Las Cruces during the holidays and observe children and adults playing and laughing around the oversized Christmas gifts, snowmen, penguins, sleds, the Polar Express, and taking silly (and serious) selfies in front of…
