The National Hispanic Cultural Center was in Las Cruces Friday, Dec. 1, to celebrate the first member of its Cultural Ambassador Program – the Doña Ana Arts Council.
The purpose of the program is to “identify, empower and elevate youth and art in New Mexico,” said NHCC executive director Zack Quintero, a Las Cruces native who added that another benefit of the program is to help spread the NHCC’s mission throughout the state and not just at its headquarters in Albuquerque.
“None of this would have been possible without the tenacity and ruthless empathy of (Arts Council) director (Araceli) Solis,” Quintero said.
A first step in the partnership will be the arrival of several paintings that will come to the Arts Council on loan from the NHCC.
State Sen. Carrie Hamblen was also on hand at the event, and reminded guests “Arts ARE an economic driver for our community. We have a robust artist community down here.”
