Indian Pueblo Cultural Center to expand

It doesn’t always get the same attention as some of the other projects around town, but one of the largest ongoing redevelopment efforts in Albuquerque is happening in and around the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center.

Avid readers already know about the first wave of development, which brought offices, a mix of restaurants and two hotels to the east side of 12th Street, across from the cultural center itself. More businesses are due to open soon, including a U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union branch, a sports bar concept known as 12th Street Tavern and a new restaurant called Itality Plant-Based Foods. IPCC is currently in discussions to bring a grocery store to a currently empty portion of the site, IPCC president and CEO Mike Canfield confirmed last week.

And, once work on the forprofit side of the organization is complete, Canfield said the nonprofit side is gearing up to build a multi-faceted “opportunity center” that will include a makerspace and a culinary incubator.

“We think we have the resources to help individuals that want to learn a new trade, that want to get into business, that want to get a job, get some job skills,” Canfield told the Journal. “We think we’re a perfect place to do that.”

During a presentation hosted Wednesday by the Economic Forum of Albuquerque, Canfield said the organization is planning to begin a fundraising push for the new center in the new year. He later told the Journal that IPCC is seeking to raise $10 million from a mix of sources to fund the project. There is no proposed timeline for the project at this point, though Canfield said he’s hopeful construction can start in 2022.

The makerspace portion of the project will be focused on creative industries, particularly those that play a large role in

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Stephen Hamway

Pueblo culture, Canfield said. The space will be outfitted with a kiln for metalworking, along with equipment to help users make jewelry and pottery.

Just as importantly, however, Canfield said the opportunity center will have access to a smart classroom where students can learn the business side of their craft, with courses on financial literacy and starting a business. Canfield said the space will be open to community members, ranging from hobbyists to people looking to start a business.

“It’s really a whole system to support different levels … of participants who want to use the facility,” he said.

One advantage to IPCC’s model is that artisans will have the ability to sell their goods to customers on the 80-acre campus. Canfield said makers will be able to sell at the cultural center gift shop and other shops on the property. Thanks to an increased focus on e-commerce during the pandemic, IPCC also has a virtual shop where artists can sell goods all over the world.

Along the same lines, the organization plans to partner with local higher education institutions on its planned culinary program. Plans call for a commercial kitchen, along with mobile teaching kitchens where students can go into the gardens and learn about the produce they’ll be using.

We’re very excited to help young entrepreneurs get started,” Canfield said.

At this point, you might be asking: How does this fit into the mission of a cultural center? Canfield said during the Economic Forum that the nonprofit is dedicated to “perpetuating, educating and celebrating Pueblo culture.” By offering these programs centered on Pueblo traditions and taught largely by Pueblo instructors, Canfield said the cultural center will be able to keep these traditions alive and bring them to a wider audience than ever before.

“I think that’s a big step in helping to perpetuate and educate our culture,” Canfield said.

Stephen Hamway covers economic development, health care and tourism for the Journal.