I am thinking of moving to NM and am wondering if anyone has any leads to small to mid-sized towns, possibly in the SW region that are liberal and art oriented?
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New Mexico
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Re: Artist communities
Tue, February 13, 2007 - 1:24 PMWell of course there's Taos, but everybody knows about that.
Not NM, but I really like Crestone Colorado and nearby Saguache had a lot of potential and might be heading that way but not sure If I'd call Saguache liberal. Bisbee, AZ and Jerome, AZ might be something to check out, though ALL of these might be smaller than you want.
I've lived in Flagstaff for the last ten years and although it can be a tough place to make it economically it IS a college town, has a lively arts and music scene and has a strong liberal component.
People have told me that some artists are moving to places like Winslow, AZ and Holbrook, AZ because these towns have been on an economic decline and you can get large commercial space for cheap. That's the thing, if you wait until someplace is KNOWN as an artists community then it's usually too late to get in unless you come in with deep pockets (Taos, Sedona, Monterey) but if you come in early and take a chance you may not find the progressive/bohemian lifestyle that many people seek in an artists community.
Bisbee was a company town for the copper mine and when it closed (late seventies?) you could buy a house there for next to nothing, but now it's trendy and cool so you will pay handsomely for the same thing. -
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Re: Artist communities
Tue, February 13, 2007 - 4:30 PMyou don't have to travel very far out of Taos to find afforable places and still be in the area, Santa Fe...nope, it's becoming a series of gated communities and all that implies but it does have a thriving artist population....All Be Quirky can be a rough town, but the main campus of the University is there and easy access north/south/east and west.
basicly, with a half tank of gas you can be nearly anywhere in New Mexico, drive a little and be in an entirely different surrounding. -
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Re: Artist communities
Wed, February 14, 2007 - 6:20 AMI am not sure why you think Albuquerque is rough. Well, if you have pets it is now and mayor Marty is some kind of weird robot, but he can't be mayor forever. The whole state is rough if you are dependent on a job to support yourself (unless you can get on at Sandia Labs, Los Alamos or Intel). All of my friends are able to sell their art out side the state, rarely get anyone to buy it locally. (except for Karen, who does murals for restaraunts and paints furniture trucks and some of Rolands trucks)
If you are planning on moving to NM to be an artist keep in mind that you must have connections out side of the state to sell your stuff unless you don't need money to eat. I guess that can be rough.
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Re: Artist communities
Tue, February 13, 2007 - 3:59 PMAnywhere in north western new mexico you will find a lot of artists. Aztec is just now starting to look like an artists colony. Santa Fe was the original but it is very expensive and high fallootin' now. Albuquerque is really more of a medium sized or small city and there are a lot of artists that live there. Aztec is a small town, but quite pleasant and close to Colorado and Arizona.
