A free community art studio located in downtown Albuquerque.
Everyone is welcome to come create, connect, and learn!




808 Park Ave SW, ABQ, NM * OffCenterArts.org * info@offcenterarts.org
TONIGHT! February ABQ Artwalk - Steampunk Community Exhibit opening & Puppet Theater performance! Friday, February 2, 5-8 p.m. (Puppets at 6:30 p.m.)
Stop by OffCenter tonight to see fantastic artwork inspired by the theme of STEAMPUNK! Our Community Exhibits are open to everyone and include artists of many ages working in a wide range of mediums.
We're open 5-8 p.m. for Artwalk with a Puppet Theater performance at 6:30 p.m. with our fantastic weekly puppet group! Check out the full ABQ Artwalk map here and find work from dozens of local artists all around downtown!
Be part of our next Community Exhibit! Every other month, we host a community exhibit centered on a theme. Next up in April is Portrait Art! Paint your pet, draw a self-portrait, or craft a portrait of someone you are captivated by…
How it works:
  1. Make your art! (Consider the theme: Portrait Art!)
  2. Bring it to OffCenter by Thursday, March 28. 
  3. Tell your friends & family to come see the show on Friday, April 5, from 5 -8 p.m.
  4. Stop by during ABQ Artwalk to see all the fantastic art created by the community!
We welcome all ages and mediums to submit art around the theme of self portrait. One piece of artwork per person. (Please check with staff first pieces larger than 24x18" and 3-D artwork.) If you'd like to have your artwork for sale, artists keep 95% of sale.

Find our full exhibit schedule for the year on our website here or in our 2024 Wall Calendar! We still have some calendars available for sale in the studio - and they come pre-loaded with exhibit themes, ABQ Artwalk dates, and fun OffCenter events throughout the year!
Support OffCenter with our calendar fundraiser today!
Be in the know for all of our events next year with a 2024 OffCenter calendar. These 12” x 12” wall calendars already include important OC exhibit info and event dates. All proceeds benefit OffCenter's free programs.
Or available for donation of any amount in the studio!
We'll have March & April classes up on the website soon...but there's still time to join in these upcoming February classes at OffCenter!
No printmaking experience required for this fun, hands on intro to creative printing! Use flat LEGO tiles and other materials to create patterns and designs on a base plate. These plates are then inked and rolled through a press, leaving behind a pixelated image.
Local print artist Ayemurs teaches this approachable form of relief printmaking, suitable for all ages and skill levels.
Joing Mika for a generative writing workshop. We’ll look at (and create!) very short poems and then use editing prompts to practice playful revision. Writing short (and editing fast) can be a great way to jumpstart your writing practice. Whether you consider yourself a poet or not, this writing workshop is a chance to dive into some poetry! This two-hour workshop is open to writers at every level (recommended age 16+).

In this beginning knitting class you will learn the basics of how to knit and purl. You’ll get started on a knitted dishcloth and will leave with the pattern and instructions for how to finish it.
This queer led class is perfect for the absolute beginning knitter, and for folks who have previously learned how to knit, but have forgotten.
No previous knitting experience required.
IN case you missed it....
We're in the midst of reviewing last year while also jumping in to a fun & busy 2024! Our full 2023 Annual Report will be ready to share in March...but we couldn't wait to share some numbers from what was a really stellar year! Thank you all for the many ways you supported and engaged with OffCenter in 2023. Together we create something really special in our studio, and we could not do it without you!
While we were thrilled to have just over 4500 visitors to the studio in 2022, it was SO MUCH FUN to be able to welcome in over DOUBLE that number in 2023!!! Thank you for showing up for Open Studio, classes, workgroups, ABQ Artwalk receptions, and community dinners!
The OffCenter community is incredibly generous! We are humbled and delighted by your support through your time as volunteers, your art material and supply donations, and of course - your financial support!

2023 saw an increase both in the number of monthly recurring donors and the amount donated (from a monthly total of $115 in January from seven donors, to $873 in monthly recurring donations from 21 donors in December). We mourned the loss of Karen Turner in 2022 and were humbled to receive a significant and generous bequest from Robert and Karen Turner.

We took in triple the amount of material donations in 2023 from 2022! And volunteers and interns logged over 2,000 hours of time helping our operations and events run smoothly! YOU ARE ALL AMAZING!!!
What did we do with all that generosity? We put it to work!

Your support allowed us to increase Open Studio hours - including adding much-requested Saturday open hours. We added staff -- key to sustaining a safer and more welcoming studio space! We added two new weekly workgroups - Fiber Art on Wednesdays and Open Draw on Saturdays.

Open Studio was buzzing, and we reached capacity frequently! (Frankly - we're busting at the seams and having a pretty great time while we're at it!) In addition to the countless amount of art materials used in studio, we were able to share over $10,000 worth of art supplies, material, and equipment with other organizations (including ArtStreet and Working Classroom), educators, and individuals.

We hosted more classes - 89 in 2023 up from 27 in 2022 - which not only created paid opportunities for artist-teachers in our community but allowed us to offer access to a wide variety of art-making methods.

We were also able to thoughtfully invest much of the Turner Bequest in short-term and high-yield Treasury Bonds. And perhaps most impactfully - we invested in our staff and our programs! Staff and volunteer time was used to restart our Artist Consignment gallery, continue updates to our Printmaking Studio, and work on the huge task of cleaning and organizing our storage and work spaces to make more accessible, functional, and welcoming space for you to come and create.

There's so much more to share from what was truly a banner year, but we'll save it for the Annual Report. Stop by the studio to see our work and your generosity in action - and join in the fun!