Our Mission
The Placitas Artists Series is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering public appreciation of the performing and visual arts in Central New Mexico. Our mission is to present high-quality musical performances and art exhibits in a stimulating setting; to promote regional talent through community involvement in the arts; and to help our youth develop artistic interests by offering outreach programs to local schools.
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Summer Serendipity
By Janelle Conaway
Twenty-five years ago, an Albuquerque couple invited some perfect strangers to dinner, and out of that soft summer evening—circuitously and serendipitously—the Placitas Artists Series came into being. Let me explain.
In July 1986, two creative, adventurous people named Pam Davis and Will Stripp decided to throw a dinner party for people they had never met—mostly writers, speakers, or artists they thought might make interesting company. My then-husband, Adam Gonzalez, and I had recently moved to New Mexico from Mexico City, and were fortunate to be among the guests. So were Lucy Noyes and Dick Hopkins of Placitas. We hit it off.
As it happened...I was looking for story ideas to pitch to the Albuquerque Journal (where I would end up working as a feature writer for several years).
As it happened...Lucy was eager to give me a tour of Placitas, which she assured me was a font of fascinating stories. A required stop was Las Placitas Presbyterian Church. ("Placitas Church Serves as Hub: Varied Activities Foster Spirit of Community" was the headline of the story that eventually appeared in the Journal.)
As it happened...Adam was looking for performance venues for his newly formed string quartet. It didn't take long to realize we had a match.
The story about how the quartet's first concert in Placitas was inadvertently scheduled for Super Bowl Sunday is now the stuff of legend. Despite that rocky start—I can still see the near-empty pews—the Placitas Artists Series was launched a few months later. It is not only still here but still thriving, 25 years and counting.
The moral of the story: Throw dinner parties for strangers.
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Janelle Conaway is now a freelance writer and translator based in Placitas.
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