The Future of the Peñasco Valley Heritage Plaza
— New Opportunities for Our Community —
Education
Teaching about our traditions
The remodeled St. Anthony school will be a flexible use space. It has five large rooms that had been classrooms--these spaces can be separated or opened depending on need and purpose. We are still developing ideas for use, but we can see it being a place to teach traditional skills, such as the program in Chimayo or something where classes are guided by vision of our youth similar to center in Nambe, the Warehouse 505 in Albuquerque or Moving Arts in Española. PVHPS sees classes offered to help with regional economic development, which would include skills. We hope to create a commercial kitchen in a modern structure adjacent to the school, where courses on marketing and following guidelines for food sales will be offered. Please email us if you have ideas that you think would be enjoyed and beneficial to the community of the Peñasco valley.
Culture
Community Connection
After restoration of the school building, PVHPS will create a museum there to curate historical artifacts that tell the history of the Peñasco valley. It will honor the strength and resilience of the community. It will present the history of St. Anthony’s school through a display of historical records from the archives of the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, MI. We hope to exhibit high quality photographs of the area by noted photographers such as John Collier, Jr. (Mr. Collier was commissioned in the1940s by the Farm Security Administration, a New Deal agency, to take pictures of areas such as the Peñasco valley). The museum will include a history and the current role of the acequias (irrigation systems), and will honor local veterans, artists, writers, and musicians, (e.g., Cipriano Vigil, a nationally recognized local treasure). It will also house a collection of books written by local authors and local artwork and photos will be used for permanent and rotating exhibits. Additionally, it will serve as an archival center for the history of Peñasco valley families and their stories. We plan regular cultural events such as demonstrations of traditional skills and crafts, in the vein of Celebración de Culturas, an annual event that had show-cased local traditions. In the tradition of the Catholic history of the school, there will be a space for prayer and meditation.
Economic Development
Local Empowerment
We have a 10-year plan to ensure self-sustaining facilities and operations. During the restoration phase, PVHPS will host the Peñasco Valley Farmers Market and offer the outdoor space for use in public events: Peñasco Area Yard Sales, High Road to Taos Art Tour, and others. In restoration of the building local contractors will be the primary restorers, and will employ local construction talent. People from the community will be hired to operate the facility, some permanently and others on an as-needed basis. Given its location in the center of Penasco and along the “High Road to Taos Scenic Byway”, the restored building will provide local artisans, writers, musicians, and others a prime location to display and sell their products to the local community and to visiting tourists. The High Road to Taos Art Tour is an annual event that is highly advertised and extremely popular with tourists to northern New Mexico. After restoration is complete and the building is operational, we will seek funding to build the "Hot Lunch," a building representing the historic cafeteria that existed when the school was active. The new "Hot Lunch" building will be a restaurant and will also provide subsidized meals to the needy of the community. The new structure will also operate a marketplace that sells local artwork, gifts and crafts. Sales will sustain the facility and provide economic opportunities for entrepreneurship. Use of the restored school as envisioned above will create opportunities to mentor students on aspects of business, including customer service, marketing and accounting. With time, St. Anthony will be a center for economic development in the community and a center of educational opportunity. Eventually, it will be a resource for information on local service providers (such as caterers, plumbers, and carpenters) and serve as a work cooperative, where sharing skills is encouraged and supported. We will work with community organizations needing space to provide social services for low-income residents.
just a few ways the peñasco valley heritage plaza will be used...
