Arts Outreach

The Lensic partners with artistic and social organizations to bring the arts into the greater community of New Mexico.

Past projects included the Youth Arts Festival and the Common Ground Project in Cuba, NM.

Future Voices of New Mexico

In its fourth year, Future Voices of New Mexico provides New Mexico’s high school students the opportunity to become filmmakers, directors, photographers, camera men and women and actors.

In the 2009-2010 school year, over 40 three-minute films and 300 photographs were submitted by 13 schools. Seventeen schools participated in the project.

Led by The Lensic and in collaboration with the participating high schools, National Geographic All Roads and Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, students work inside and outside of the classroom to develop short films or photographs.

Local filmmakers and photographers visit classrooms to share their knowledge with students. These industry professionals offer advice and instruction on careers in film, how to get a start in the industry, lighting, sound, editing, equipment, archiving material and uploading material to the Internet.

Participating students submit their final film or photo to a panel of professional photographers and filmmakers who judge the entries.

Each April, an awards ceremony is held at The Lensic, where the category winners’ entries are screened for an audience of over 500 students and professionals in the film and photo industry.

The 2009-2010 film and photo theme was “Personal Heritage and Cultural Storytelling.”

The film categories are: Best Narrative, Best Documentary, Best Comedy, and Best Language.

The photo categories are: Best Composition, Best Use of Theme, and Honorable Mention.

The 2010 Film and Photo Winners⇒

The Common Ground Project

The Common Ground Project, directed and facilitated by the nonprofit Little Globe and through support from The Lensic, spent six months in the community of Cuba, NM. During this time, professional artists and mediators worked with local families and artists to create a collaborative, multi-media project that addressed the daily lives, identities, and histories of community members.

The performance was created by a cross-community ensemble ranging in age from 7 to 80 from the village of Cuba, and the nearby Eastern Agency Navajo (Diné) communities of Ojo Encino and Torreon.

The performance celebrated the idea of diverse communities working, talking and creating together toward a healthy and prosperous future.