|
|
About New Mexico CultureNet
The mission of New Mexico CultureNet is to promote the understanding and appreciation of the diverse cultures of New Mexico by connecting people, ideas and resources.
PROGRAMS
Poets-In-The-Schools
New Mexico CultureNet has partnered with Santa Fe Public Schools
since 2004 to produce the Poets-in-the-Schools (PITS) program at Santa
Fe High,
Capital High, SER Academy as well as at Ortiz and De Vargas Middle
Schools. We screen, hire and evaluate poets who work directly with students
and
teachers. We also provide funding for one-on-one mentoring of gifted
students as well as for programs targeting English Language Learners.
PITS Program Components…
- Poets Working in the
classroom: Poets work directly in classes with students
and teachers. The poets visit each English
class three times a semester.
- In-Service Training for Teachers: CultureNet conducts
in-service poetry and bilingual education workshops for teachers.
- Collaborative
Planning: English teachers and the CultureNet team participate in planning
retreats at the end of the school
year. However, planning and communication are continuous throughout
the school year.
- Poetry Club: PITS provides weekly after-school mentoring for interested
student writers.
- Public Readings and Slams: Increasingly,
students who work with PITS participate in public readings and slams
in local coffee
houses, youth centers and, even, pizza parlors. 2007
marks the inauguration of a partnership
with a local Starbuck’s, which is sponsoring a monthly
teen poetry reading.
Funding for PITS…
Santa Fe Public Schools provides an essential
40% of the budget for PITS. The remaining
funding comes from Santa Fe Children & Youth,
Santa Fe Arts Commission, Witter Bynner Foundation
for Poetry, the Sheila Fortune Foundation,
other foundations such as
Buckaroo Ball as well as individual
donations.
Poetry Jam
Begun in 2002, Poetry Jam is a two-day festival held each spring
that brings New Mexico high school students, teachers and
poets together for workshops, readings, panels, and public performances.
Poetry Jam ’07
is being held, March 29-30, at the College of Santa Fe. Primary
funding for Poetry Jam comes from Santa Fe Arts Commission 1% Lodgers
Tax.
WebSlam
Since 1998, each fall New Mexico CultureNet conducts an online
poetry contest that is open to New Mexico teens. The contest goes for three
weeks and involves about a dozen high schools from all over New Mexico.
Shine On You Crazy Diamond
This book, published in April of 2004 by Sunstone Press, contains 61 poems
by outstanding New Mexico teens and those established poets who work with
New Mexico CultureNet to mentor them in our educational programs. The
introductory poem, “Introduction to Poetry,” is by Billy Collins,
former Poet Laureate of the United States.
Return to top
CultureNet Website; Santa Fe Arts & Culture Portal
New Mexico CultureNet maintains two massive websites, its own “mother” website
(www.nmculturenet.org) and the Santa Fe Arts & Culture Portal (www.santafeartsandculture.org).
The CultureNet website features an online cultural events calendar
in addition to heritage, educational, literary, and artist features. The
site contains a good selection of poetry by New Mexico poets.
Beginning in mid-2005, CultureNet developed the Santa
Fe Arts & Culture
Portal for the City of Santa Fe. The Portal contains a Santa
Fe cultural events calendar, CultureMap, electronic ticketing, classifieds,
online
magazine, trip/visitor information, online marketplace, arts
directory, useful community information, and a Google-driven search engine.
We are
in the process of developing the Santa Fe Press Room, where registered
publications can download high-resolution photos and press releases.
Additional CultureNet Information Services
In addition to its websites, New Mexico CultureNet maintains an active
listserv with 950 subscribers. CultureNet sends out a monthly electronic
newsletter to more than 9,000 subscribers; it contains job announcements,
grant opportunities, workshop information, competitions, and other hard
information useful to members of New Mexico’s arts and culture community.
And each week, in cooperation with the Santa Fe Convention & Visitors
Bureau, CultureNet sends out an email version of its calendar to several
hundred individuals, including hotel concierges.
Return to top
Thanks to funding from the Chamiza Foundation, New Mexico CultureNet
has been able to produce short films on three outstanding Native American
Artists.
They are Lonnie Vigil (Pueblo of Nambé): Pottery Maker; Beverly Singer
(Tewa/Diné); Filmmaker and Author; and Roxanne Swentzell (Pueblo
of Santa Clara): Sculptor. The three films are on one DVD along with discussion
guides and bibliographies for each artist. In 2006, CultureNet produced
a film on MacArthur “Genius” Award winner, sculptor Tom Joyce,
for the Santa Fe Rotary Foundation for the Arts.
Return to top
ETC
New Mexico CultureNet was founded in 1997. Incorporated in New Mexico in 1999 and having received its federal tax-exempt 501 (c)(3) designation in 2000, CultureNet employs a full-time executive director, a webmaster, and a number of contractual employees.
Return to top
|
|
