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A conversation with Cabinet Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego
When AFTACON comes to Albuquerque this June, it arrives in a state that has built policy around a foundational belief: arts and culture is infrastructure.
Cabinet Secretary Debra Garcia y Griego leads the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and serves on the AFTA Board of Directors. She shared in a recent conversation:
“We recognize that culture is essential infrastructure. Just as we maintain roads and bridges to ensure physical movement, we must cultivate the arts to ensure the movement of ideas, the preservation of history, and the psychological health of the people.”
New Mexico backs that belief with systems:
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A fifteen percent state mandate for culturally responsive education standards.
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A Creative Industries Division that supports creative entrepreneurs as local employers.
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An Arts and Cultural District program that revitalizes historic community centers through cultural assets.
And through it all, a commitment to centering the communities closest to the culture. This approach, she notes, “keeps culture both vibrant and resilient in a landscape that has always demanded endurance.”
“The people closest to the culture must be the ones who direct its future.”
As federal arts funding faces serious threat, New Mexico offers something the field needs: proof that sustained investment works.
New Mexico has one of the strongest state-level commitments to arts and culture funding in the country. What has made that sustained commitment possible? (How does the state approach arts & culture as part of its broader economic and community development strategy?)
In New Mexico, arts and culture are not viewed as peripheral luxuries. They are the bedrock of our identity. Our cultural foundation is rooted in the ancient practices of Indigenous communities who have flourished in this land for thousands of years. In a landscape and climate that can be challenging for survival, culture has long functioned as a primary form of resiliency. Our traditions provide shared knowledge and social architecture that allow communities to thrive despite the challenges of our arid locale.
This sustained commitment is possible because we recognize that culture is essential infrastructure. Just as we maintain roads and bridges to ensure physical movement, we must cultivate the arts to ensure the movement of ideas, the preservation of history, and the psychological health of the people. We continue investing in culture because we see its impact every day in the strength of our people and the stability of our communities.
We often talk about the arts as an economic driver. How is New Mexico seeing that play out across the state, particularly in workforce development, tourism, and local economies?
New Mexico embraces the arts as a powerful economic driver that delivers clear benefits across local economies. Because of this, we prioritize strategic investments in these areas. The Public Education Department has codified this through a fifteen percent state-specific mandate for culturally responsive standards, ensuring that students learn to view their heritage as a fundamental workforce skill.
We see additional economic impact through the Creative Industries Division of the Economic Development Department, which provides the essential business infrastructure for our creative entrepreneurs to thrive as local employers. This work is complemented by the Arts and Cultural District program, a partnership between our New Mexico Arts division and the Economic Development Department. This initiative empowers communities to revitalize their historic centers through cultural assets.
The New Mexico Tourism Department emphasizes authenticity through the New Mexico True brand. By highlighting locally made products through the New Mexico True Certified program, they help ensure revenue remains within the communities that create the culture. These strategic investments demonstrate that our cultural heritage is one of the most effective drivers of future economic prosperity.
New Mexico’s cultural identity is deeply rooted in Indigenous, Hispanic, and diverse community traditions. How does the state support culture in a way that is both place-based and community-led—and what can other states learn from that model?
Our department prioritizes place-based and community-led approaches that respect local knowledge and leadership. We believe that the people closest to the culture must be the ones who direct its future. This commitment to deep collaboration is evident in our work to return the Mountain Pride stagecoach to its home in Hillsboro, honoring that community’s deep connection to its history. Our proactive fire mitigation efforts at Fort Stanton further demonstrate a shared stewardship with local partners to protect our historic assets.
We are also dedicated to proactive compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. This work is not merely a legal obligation—it is an essential act of ethical stewardship and trust. By returning ancestral remains and sacred objects, we acknowledge the sovereignty of Indigenous communities.
What other states can learn from New Mexico is that cultural sustainability requires consistently centering local voices in every decision. This approach keeps culture both vibrant and resilient in a landscape that has always demanded endurance.
As AFTACON comes to Albuquerque this June, what do you hope arts leaders from across the country will experience and take away from New Mexico’s approach?
When Americans for the Arts brings AFTACON to Albuquerque this June, we hope attendees experience both the profound depth of our history and the vibrancy of our modern cultural life. We want our colleagues to witness how culture functions as a primary source of resiliency in a place where communities have long adapted to challenging conditions. Equally important, we hope visitors recognize that culture is essential infrastructure. It is as vital to the health of our communities as any road or bridge.
Attendees will see how New Mexico has moved beyond theory to produce tangible results through specific state mandates and inter-agency partnerships. They will witness how we treat our cultural heritage not as something static but as a living workforce skill that strengthens the state’s economy. Most importantly, I hope they experience our commitment to ethical stewardship and the trust we share with the communities we serve. By centering local voices and acknowledging the sovereignty of Indigenous people, we ensure that our cultural ecosystem remains vibrant.
Ultimately, we want our guests to leave New Mexico with a clear understanding that culture is the most powerful tool available for building economies and societies worthy of the histories that shaped them.