Press

Downwind, Upstream: The Unacknowledged Harms of Nuclear Colonialism, Upaya Zen Center, Roshi Joan Halifax, 08.08.23

Atomic Age, Santa Fe Reporter, Alex De Vore, 08.02.23

From Triage to Trio, The New Mexican Pasatiempo, Mark Tiarks, 07.14.23

Chatter, Exodus Ensemble Join Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe Reporter, Alex De Vore, 05.25.23

Center for Contemporary Arts Sets Reopening Date of May 11 , Santa Fe Reporter, Alex De Vore, 05.03.23

CCA Plans Partial Reopening in May, Santa Fe Reporter, Julia Goldberg, 04.19.23

CCA to Reopen Cinema after Donation, Community Support, Santa Fe New Mexican, Nathan Lederman, 04.18.23

Review: Self-Determined, First American Art Magazine, Michelle J. Lanteri, PhD, Winter 2023

The Top 50 Art Exhibitions of 2022, Hyperallergic, 12.28.2022

Native and Indigenous Artists Take the Lead in Santa Fe, Hyperallergic, Neebinnauzhik Southall, 11.14.2022

Cover Story:

Reclamation & Preservation, Pasatiempo,
Hollis Walker, 10.28.2022

“In various ways, all challenge the notion that art made by native peoples should fit some particular definition. Several works defy stereotypes about what constitutes ‘native art.'” –Hollis Walker

CCA exhibit explores environmental themes and mythologies, using both tradition and technology, Albuquerque Journal, Kathaleen Roberts, 10.28.2022

Thoughts on Language, Southwest Contemporary, Caitlin Lorraine Johnson, 11.09.2022

More Select Press

ARTnews Presents ‘The Deciders,’ as Selected by Guest Editor Hank Willis Thomas, ARTnews, 12.08.2021

Prescient performance: ‘Call Me a Pussy’: a body shot of sharp opinions and movement, Pasatiempo, Brian Sandford, 7.15.2022

CCA elects Muck as new board chairman, Mark Tiarks, The Santa Fe New Mexican, 1.20.2022

More than Meets the Eye: Marietta Patricia Leis: Sense Memories, Michael Abatemarco, Pasatiempo, 12.10.2021

2023 Copyright Center for Contemporary Arts – Santa Fe. All rights reserved.

The Board of Directors for the Center for Contemporary Arts of Santa Fe (CCA) has voted to close the organization after serving the Santa Fe and northern New Mexico community on its forty-fourth year of operation. The decision was reached after careful consideration of options presented during its current strategic planning initiative.

“Closing a cherished, community organization like CCA is one of the most difficult decisions a board can make,” said David Muck, CCA Board Chair. “However, we simply couldn’t secure the level of individual donations required to achieve the high quality of programming and exhibitions envisioned by CCA’s professional staff and board of directors,” he continued.

Many nonprofits in the U.S. were hit hard by Covid and CCA is a good example. The CCA Cinema closed during Covid, and attendance was slow to resume, reflecting national downward trends in moviegoing post-Covid as reported in multiple news outlets, such as IndieWire and others. In 2023, the organization forecast the cinema to perform at only 50% of pre-Covid levels, resulting in monthly losses. Though grants and individual donations to the organization were up significantly in 2022 and 2023, they simply weren’t enough to make up the difference in the annual budget and cover both current and planned exhibitions and operations.

“This tough decision did not come lightly,” said Danyelle Means, CCA Executive Director and Head Curator. “For a nonprofit institution that operates independently of state support, the annual donations needed to sustainably continue operating was not enough, especially in the wake of challenges from pandemic closures and reduced attendance,” Means continued.

CCA did have its share of recent successes: CCA Executive Director Danyelle Means had secured a three-year grant of $100,000 per year from the Ford Foundation, with an option to renew for another three-year period. The organization was also the recipient of a $50,000 inaugural grant from Ruth Arts Foundation, as well as other granting organizations. Self-Determined, a 2022 CCA exhibition, was listed as one of the world’s Top 50 Exhibitions of 2022 by Hyperallergic magazine and CCA’s new monthly Closer Looks cinema series was a hit with film enthusiasts.

The CCA board of directors considered closing the organization in December of 2021, but voted to remain open in 2022 in hopes of a recovery post-Covid. However, despite the hard work of CCA staff and the accomplishments like the ones mentioned above, the shuttered period during which the cinema was closed proved too challenging to overcome. CCA Cinema’s final day of public operations is Thursday, April 6, and all upcoming CCA gallery exhibitions and public programs are cancelled.