native american and indigenous artists purchase initiative

The Art in Public Places program enriches New Mexico’s public spaces through an innovative and diverse public art collection.

Since its inception in 1986, the program has placed more than 3,000 works of art in all of New Mexico’s 33 counties amounting to over $21 million dollars in funds paid directly to artists. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of the arts in New Mexico, the Southwest, and the nation while building a dynamic public art collection for the State of New Mexico.

Through a fair and open public process, local, regional, and state-wide committees work with New Mexico Arts to select artwork for their communities.

The objective of the 2024 US Native and Indigenous Artists Purchase Initiative is to diversify the state's public art collection by purchasing artwork from Native or Indigenous artists in all stages of their careers.