Contemporary Art for Everyone
516 ARTS is a non-collecting contemporary art museum in Downtown Albuquerque that celebrates thought-provoking art in the here and now. Our mission is to connect contemporary artists and diverse audiences. 516 ARTS presents relevant exhibitions and public pro- grams, which feature a mix of local, national, and international artists and inspire curiosity and creative experimentation.
Founded in 2006, 516 ARTS engages with timely themes such as climate change, immigration, social and environmental justice. Our public programs include collaborations with museums and organizations around the region and beyond, guest speakers, public forums, the 516 WORDS literary series, workshops, performances, public art projects, and special events. Education programs include exhibition tours for schools and community groups with curriculum support materials for teachers, youth activities, internships, and hands-on workshops with guest artists. Ongoing initiatives include a focus on Indigenous and Latinx artists, and Desierto Mountain Time, a crossborder, regional collaboration. In 2016, 516 ARTS was selected as a partner in the Regional Regranting Program of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. 516 ARTS launched the Fulcrum Fund, an annual, competitive grant program providing funding directly to artists for artist-organized activities in our region for the past eight years, during that time has awarded a total of $735,000 to 324 New Mexico artists, collectives, and artspaces.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
516 ARTS is committed to providing a dynamic, creative and inspiring space where individuals can gather to discuss, explore and learn about contemporary art and relevant issues and topics of our day. We actively seek inclusivity in our exhibitions and public programming, as well as in our board, staff, public space, and work environment. We strive to create experiences that are welcoming, relevant and accessible to people of diverse backgrounds. We seek to be active participants in celebrating the diversity in our community, while exploring topics such as socio-economic class, education, the environment and immigration. We continually evaluate our programming, exhibitions and staffing in relation to our goals of enhanced audience engagement and the reflection of diverse perspectives. We do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, age, gender identity, religious affiliation or national origin and believe that our unique differences, ideas, preferences and perspectives contribute to a rich, vibrant and meaningful fabric that unites us all.
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GOVERNING BOARD:
OFFICERS
• Tim Price, Chair
Community Relations & Foundation Giving Analyst, PNM Foundation
• Suzanne Sbarge, President
Founder/Executive Director, 516 ARTS
• Rebecca Black, Vice President
International Development Professional, US Government
• Julianna Silva, Treasurer
Business Alchemist, Silva Strategies
• Helen Juliet Atkins, Secretary
Interdisciplinary Artist
MEMBERS
• Gabe Castro
Presbyterian Health Care
• Jon vanGaasbeek
Architect
• Kathleen Metzger
Vice President, Southwest Neurosurgical Associates
• Arturo Sandoval
CEO, Center of Southwest Culture / Voces, Inc.
• Pamela Weese Powell
CEO and Co-Founder of the Dakota Tree Project
Michael Berman, Artist, Environmental Activist
Andrew Connors, Director, Albuquerque Museum
Devendra Contractor, Architect, DNCA
Jim Enote (Zuni Pueblo), Executive Director, Colorado Plateau Foundation
Roger Fragua (Jemez Pueblo), President, Cota Holdings, LLC
Melinda Frame, Filmmaker, FRAME+WORK, LLC
Tom Guralnick, Executive Director, Outpost Performance Space
Andrea Hanley (Navajo), Curator, Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian
Deborah Jojola (Isleta Pueblo), Artist
Jane Kennedy, Fundraising Consultant
Arif Khan, Director, UNM Art Museum
Josie Lopez, PhD, Curator of Art, Albuquerque Museum
Karl Orozco, Visual Arts Educator, Albuquerque Academy
Marla Painter, Community Organizer
Adolphe Pierre-Louis, Photojournalist, Albuquerque Journal / Actor / Musician
Henry Rael, Program Officer, McCune Charitable Foundation
Mary Anne Redding, Curator, Turchin Center for Visual Arts, NC
Rick Rennie, Historic District Improvement Company
Mark Rohde, FAIA, RMKM Architecture PC
Augustine Romero, Artist, City of Albuquerque, South Broadway Cultural Center
Sommer Smith, MediaDesk, Co-founder & Creative Director
Claire Stasiewicz, MBA, Anderson School of Management, UNM
Rob Strell, Strell Design
Tonya Turner Carroll, Co-owner Turner Carroll Gallery
GOVERNING BOARD BIOS:
Tim Price
Community Relations & Foundation Giving Analyst, PNM Foundation
Tim Price is Community Relations & Foundation Giving Analyst at the PNM Foundation. He grew up in Artesia, NM, and graduated from UNM in 1985. He lived between New York City and Los Angeles before coming home to Albuquerque 15 years ago. As a production designer in the film industry, he worked with several interesting celebrities and directors. He was also a functional artist with permanent pieces at the Gallery of Functional Art in Santa Monica. His love for art continued as he helped curate and hang Project Angel Art at the Pacific Design Center in 1990 and participated in Divine Design for several years. Tim was active with AIDS Project Los Angeles and Project Angel Food. In Albuquerque, he taught lighting at the Art Center Design College and has worked for PNM and PNM Resource Foundation for 15 years.
Suzanne Sbarge, President
Founder/Executive Director of 516 ARTS
Suzanne Sbarge is the Founder and Executive Director of 516 ARTS which she launched in 2006 in partnership with the McCune Charitable Foundation. In her approach to arts administration, she focuses on contemporary art and interdisciplinary projects in an educational context, with an emphasis on collaboration among artists and organizations. She previously directed Magnifico Arts, Inc. (in the same building as 516 ARTS) and the Harwood Art Center. She has led numerous collaborative arts projects which have garnered national and international attention, including Species in Peril Along the Rio Grande, HABITAT: Exploring Climate Change Through the Arts, Digital Latin America, ISEA2012 Albuquerque: Machine Wilderness, STREET ARTS: A Celebration of Hip Hop Culture & Free Expression, and LAND/ART. She holds a BA in Art History and Studio Arts from Barnard College in New York and an MA in Art Education from the University of New Mexico. As a visual artist herself, she has brought her own particular creativity and passion for the arts to her leadership work in New Mexico for over two and half decades. She was born and raised in Connecticut and has lived in Albuquerque since 1989.
Rebecca Black
International Development Professional, US Government
Rebecca Black completed her BA in Political Science at the University of Michigan and her Masters in City Planning in Economic Development at MIT. She served as the Economic Development Planner and then the Executive Director of Allston-Brighton Community Development Corporation in Boston where the Mayor proclaimed Rebecca Black Day honoring her contribution to Boston’s neighborhoods. Since 1992, Rebecca has worked for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) performing different senior roles in many cities including: Washington, DC; Warsaw, Poland; Pertoria, Africa; Delhi, India; Kabul, Afghanistan; Bamako, Mali; and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Julianna Silva
Business Alchemist, Silva Strategies
Julianna is the Founder and CEO of Silva Strategies, an Albuquerque firm that offers finance operations and business strategy to overlooked
business owners so that they can transform their systems and workflowsinto thriving businesses.
Prior to launching her firm, Julianna excelled at non-profit management, most recently as COO of Family Friendly New Mexico, a local non-profit supporting employers to implement family friendly workplace practices. She was VP of Special Programs & Marketing at WESST, a statewide non-profit with a mission to provide consulting, training, and lending primarily to women and people of color.
In 2014, she received a recognition award from The New Mexico Technology Council as a “Women in Tech” leader. She was recognized in 2015 by the Small Business Administration as the New Mexico “Women in Business Champion of the Year.”
Helen Juliet Atkins
Interdisciplinary Artist
Helen Juliet Atkins is an interdisciplinary artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico. She received a BA in Studio Arts from the University of New Mexico in 2016. Her studio practice, public works, and community engaged projects often focus on the intersection of art and social justice. Atkins is a 2018 recipient of the inaugural Women in Creativity “Shine” Award, which honors creative women and their community impact. She is a co-founder of Plates Against Patriarchy, a visual arts and storytelling project that challenges patriarchal systems of power. Atkins currently serves on the Albuquerque Museum Board of Trustees. While working on collaborative projects, she is also building a body of work that explores notions of experience and identity. This work has been shown in galleries nationally and internationally.
MEMBERS:
Jon van Gaasbeek
Jon was born and raised in Albuquerque. He attended Highland High School and UNM where he received an associate degree in engineering and a BA in architecture.
After college he moved to Los Angeles where he worked at various architectural firms and became a licensed California architect. Eventually he took over the architecture office he was working for. He specialized in renovating high-rise buildings and tenant improvement projects. His clients included CBRE, UBS, Keller Williams, the Director’s Guild, the Producer’s Guild, the Writer’s Guild, 15 Minutes Entertainment, AARP and LA Fitness.
As his parents aged, he found himself coming back to Albuquerque more and more often and realized he wanted to move back. He merged his firm with another practice and moved back in 2017.
Pamela Weese Powell
CEO & Co-Founder of the Dakota Tree Project
Pamela Weese Powell is currently the CEO and Co-Founder of the Dakota Tree Project (DTP), a nonprofit organization in Albuquerque, NM that focuses on high-heat, low-income neighborhoods to combat systematic disparities in the urban tree canopy. Pamela has a BFA and BA from UNM and an MFA from Hunter College. In 2016, she was recognized as a Woman of Influence by ABQ Biz Journal. Her board experience is vast including Immediate Past Chair of the ABQ Museum Board of Trustees, Past Chair and Board Member of Paws & Stripes, and acts as the Everytown for Gun Safety Lead for the ABQ City Gun Violence Prevention Team.