The Albuquerque Art Business Association (AABA) has been focused on highlighting talented artists in the region since the organization took root in 1982.
Amy M. Ditto, vice president of AABA, said the objective of the organization has always been to showcase the diverse artists, along with the community, that call Albuquerque home.
“We have been doing that for a whole lot of years now,” she said. “I don’t know if there were other organizations that were doing this, but obviously there must have been a perceived need for an organization that could provide a banner in which everyone could promote their work. Galleries, artists and venues all working together to promote a variety of art events.”
AABA works towards professional networking and community education and outreach, and works with artists, art businesses and non-profit organizations.
Ditto said she started working with the organization circa 2012 and quickly realized the value of its artistic endeavors.
“I was in a collaborative gallery with another bunch of artists so that was my first contact with the organization,” she said. “My work ended up being different enough that it didn’t make sense in that context anymore so I actually split off and opened Ghostwolf Gallery in 2016 and immediately became a member of the (Albuquerque) Art Business Association because it’s my firm belief that we are much stronger together than we are trying to promote ourselves separately.
The organization is able to provide more leverage in terms of reaching the public, something Ditto firmly believes in.
“Being able to promote with the other artists and with the other galleries, having those networking connections are wonderful things for our gallery,” she said. “It’s been a good deal for us.”
The association sponsors events like the First Friday Artscrawl and Meet the Artist monthly, which Ditto said are events in which the community can interact with local artists.
During the past year, the organization has focused on rebranding itself for easier public consumption.
“We have really remade ourselves in the last year,” she said. “We looked at what we could do with regard to helping our members and helping local artists. So we really restructured and we have a new website and amped up our social media presence to get the word out that we are here and we hope they will join us.”
With almost 40 years of art experience and exposure under their belts, it is safe to say that AABA will keep the artistic scene in Albuquerque colorful and going strong for the foreseeable future.