In 2020, the community of Zuni was closed to visitation. Many of the residents rely on tourism for the sale of their artwork. But with outsiders told to drive through the community and make no stops, the artists lost their source of income.

Fortunately, Zuni Pueblo MainStreet received a grant from the First Peoples Fund (FPF) and they requested a portion of it be utilized to directly assist artists. Additional funding from FPF was granted to assist the artists. The funds were utilized to purchase artwork from the artists and establish credit lines at local businesses for artists to purchase raw materials to continue their work. Potters who utilized traditional materials were given a small micro-grant.

From May through July 2020, 68 artists were served utilizing $11,000 in grant funding.

Also in 2020, ZPMS received a $5,000 grant from the New Mexico Resiliency Alliance to support local small businesses with their financial obligations. Applications were distributed and 6 small businesses were awarded micro-grants in addition to some that received funds for credit lines.

The pandemic was a very trying time for this tight-knit community and ZPMS was grateful and excited to have received the funds to support the community.

This year, the ZPMS board of directors, along with our summer intern, has created a project planning committee to discuss and make plans to make improvements to beautify the Highway 53 corridor that runs through the center of the community. We hope to receive funding to make a few improvements that will lead up to the Great Blocks Project. The smaller project will give the community a taste of what is to come with the Great Blocks Project. The improvements will benefit both residents and visitors. We are excited and anticipating the improvements that have been in our minds since the organization of ZPMS.

We have great individuals on our board. We enjoy being together, having fun, and laughing when we are not engaged in serious conversations. We are like a family.

I'm very proud of our Downtown Mural Program, our first project post-pandemic. We began in the Summer of 2021 and have already completed 4 murals with another one anticipated this summer. The program has been made possible through multiple funding sources. It's brought community members together, and invites visitors to stop and explore the Downtown corridor.

A main goal of Artesia MainStreet has always been to protect our investments, several of which are our established works of Public Art throughout the district. In July, Artesia-native artist Hannah Dean (the artist of the first mural “Tribute” within our mural program) will be restoring the original murals within the Heritage Walkway. We'll also have a patina artist clean, restore and re-patina all 9 of our bronze monuments throughout the remainder of 2022.

This year we celebrate Artesia MainStreet's 25th Anniversary! Stay tuned on our social media channels for a chance to snag some original art prints of our bronze Cattle Drive Series this fall.

Learn more:

• Artesia MainStreet Mural Trail