There’s a blank canvas in Placitas (figuratively speaking), and the community is encouraged to help decide how that eight-acre space will be colored in.
The Placitas Artists Series will host a charrette — a meeting of stakeholders in an agricultural or design planning process — at 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Las Placitas Presbyterian Church, 7 Paseo De San Antonio Road. According to a press release announcing the meeting, organizers will gather design ideas from community members and others, with professional designers creating drawings or renderings based on the input received there.
The site is at Las Huertas Plaza in central Placitas. The Artists Series has already been awarded $240,000 for the project, $90,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town program and a $150,000 matching state grant.
The release states that the grant will support architectural and landscape designs for the land along Paseo de San Antonio, which was acquired by a local investor group over recent years, with plans for public use.
The project aims to create an outdoor plaza for public gatherings with artistic design elements throughout, the Artists Series says. Potential uses include public art displays, musical performances, art shows, farmers’ markets and other cultural events.
The Placitas Artists Series was founded in 1984 when the Las Placitas Presbyterian Church completed its new sanctuary and sought to share it with the broader community. A successful concert by the newly formed Helios String Quartet from Mexico led to the formation of a concert series.
The organization incorporated as a nonprofit 501(c) (3) entity after its first season and became independent of the church. It is celebrating its 39th season in 2025-2026.
More information is available from Roger Blatz at rblatz@comcast.net or 505-900-4638.
