Albuquerque Artists Locations (Corrales, Williamsburg: to rent, lofts, neighborhoods)

[flake_white]

I have lived in the NYC area for 25 years and am considering a possible move to Albuquerque. I can't afford New York anymore and I suffer from asthma. I thought that a move to the Southwest might be the answer.

I am used to living/working in old factories and lofts. I don't need cute. I definitely don't want yuppie. I have fixed up several raw spaces to live/work in. I'm looking for something cheap to rent and not to buy.

Typically, around NYC there are areas that the artists live/work in, i.e., Williamsburg Brooklyn, Soho, Tribeca, East Village, etc.

Are there areas of ABQ that typically attract the artist? If so, where? I don't have a car so I'm not too interested in anything out of town or away from public transportation but I'd love to hear all suggestions anyway. Maybe there is a car in my future.

I work for myself full time.

Thanks for any and all feedback.

[ABQConvict]

Hey flake_white,

Albuquerque is pretty small but has a pretty vibrant art scene. I would recommend looking into Downtown (between 1st and 8th centered on Central Ave.), Edo (East of Downtown AKA Huning Highlands), and the UNM/Nob Hill area. Most other areas will be like Betty Crockersville to you, I suspect.

These areas are more avant-garde and cosmopolitan regarding the types of art I see around. This scene gets considerable input and cross reference from the UNM art scene (and a lot of it tends to be 3-D so you see people's yards filled with some interesting stuff).

If you are into "southwest" art you might be interested in the Corrales scene which is a bit older and and more representative of the landscapes-***-Georgia O'Keefe-***-bronze cast of a Native-American-woman-on-a-horse-holding-a-clay-pot-of-water-while-the-moon-shines-and-the-coyote-howls cliche.

<edit> the censored words above are the Latin word "c u m". Yet another blow to Classical education. Wait a sec, can I say "blow"? </edit>

Regarding cars: I live car-free in the UNM area. I have groceries, laundromat, independant coffeeshops, lots of ethnic food, fine-arts performance spaces, theatres, interesting shops, half a dozen tattoo parlors, a couple of head-shops, a couple of good brewpubs, friendly neighbors, and parks within a few blocks of my house.

With the exception of out-of-town destinations (including Coralles) none of the neighborhoods I listed above will require more than a bike. In fact, they form a contiguous strip of what passes for coolness in Albuquerque and they are all linked by Rapid-Ride (bus).

If you live almost anywhere else in Albuquerque you will certainly need a car unless you are a dedicated bicyclist or have a Scooter. There are a coupke of Scooter shops in town so that is an option.
For more info on the local scen check out the online version of the weekly alternative: alibi . august 30 - september 5, 2007

ABQConvict

[flake_white]

This is GREAT information and exactly what I was looking for. Thank you so very much.

[PaddyMac]

check out also

ABQ Arts: http://www.abqarts.com/
(sign up for the email art news supplement at http://www.abqarts.com/e-news.htm (broken link))

also see their Artscrawl page and e-lists
http://www.abqarts.com/artscrawl.htm (broken link)