A trio of entrepreneurs envision Albuquerque as a hub for the state's artists, and they're working together to make their idea a reality.
With a feasibility study underway, SparkNM is seeking to create an incubator space for artists trying to make a living via their craft. The space would look to bring together artists from different mediums in one space.
In doing so, SparkNM co-founder Amalia Giebitz hopes to elevate New Mexico's creative economy. Giebitz said the startup was established in January 2020. She co-founded the organization with Kat Gullahorn and Stephen Morris.
Morris is president at Albuquerque computer software company Stellar Science and Gullahorn is a ceramicist. For her part, Giebitz said she has a performance arts background in theater and played cello for about 20 years.
"One thing that [hasn't] really emerged in any of the other spaces like this in New Mexico is that collective space. The place where people can come together," Giebitz told Albuquerque Business First in a March 7 interview. "Our idea is that creative confidence needs to be sparked, either in the artists who need to develop marketing acumen or financial acumen. Or, in the business that needs more creative innovation."
The SparkNM space would have a coffee shop and meeting space with products from artists in the incubator. A "creative workspace" with studio space, rehearsal space and a recording studio would also be included. And, perhaps most importantly, a "creative incubator" with business training and consulting along with digital training and services.
SparkNM also wants to offer a networking platform for artists. The platform would allow artists to create profiles and connect them with people who could pay them for their work, according to Giebitz.
"That flow, and that intersection between all of those places, creates coherence. And it creates coherence for the community to engage with artists, for artists to engage with [the] community and then for the artists to engage with each other," Giebitz said.
The feasibility study is being used to analyze project costs and funding opportunities. SparkNM hopes for its facilities to open in the fourth quarter of 2023, Giebitz said. The Albuquerque startup is also putting together an advisory board.
The development is expected to cost millions of dollars. And while the effort is currently in its infancy, potential locations are already being scouted, according to Giebitz. They include the former SUVA (Southwest University of Visual Arts) space and the First Baptist Church Building, which is part of the Innovate ABQ development Downtown.
