Corrales hopes to become an arts and cultural hub with one-of-a-kind mural

CORRALES, N.M. – A new one-of-a-kind mural is going to use clay characters that Corrales children created for the community.

“When it’s unveiled you can’t get any bigger expressions, it’s really exciting. For me, that’s the big thrill,” said Maggie Robinson.

It’s just a piece of a bigger push to get Corrales on the official Art and Cultural District map.

“We’ve always been this art center. When you think of Corrales you always think of art,” said Jennifer Noel, the president of the Corrales Society of Artists.

Noel says they are working on earning that prestigious designation. This art project was part of some of the final steps.

“It brings us different funding, different opportunities, and connections with other people around the state like the New Mexico True brand,” said Noel. 

But if there’s anything this process has taught her, it’s that this community is already New Mexico True.

“Art really is something that just brings people together, and it really nurtures that community,” said Jessi Pinrod a studio manager of Hanselmann Pottery. 

Sam Thompson says this mural will be added to the Storybook Garden at the Corrales Library. It’s a public place for people to come and snack in the garden, and learn what Corrales is all about.

“I think COVID were all in our little cocoons and now that we’ve broken out we’re coming together as organizations, and as people. This is what we’ve come up with,” said Sam Thompson chair of the Storybook Garden project. 

The official unveiling of the mural is July 8 at 10 p.m. at the Corrales Library. The village is on the final step of earning that Arts and Cultural District designation.