A scene from this year’s Kite Festival. Photo by John McHale/ladailypost.com
By KIRSTEN LASKEY
Los Alamos Daily Post
kirsten@ladailypost.com
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Since 1997 Enterprise Bank & Trust (and its predecessor) has helped ensure that the Los Alamos Arts Council’s (LAAC) kite festival takes flight.
Through the bank’s sponsorship, young children have constructed and decorated kites to fly at Overlook Park, kite-flying pros show off their arial skills, “first aid” is administered to any kite that gets mangled or damaged and the whole event is commemorated with a t-shirt.
LAAC Executive Director Brandi Engeman said the bank’s sponsorship is invaluable to the event.
“I think especially when I took over, I didn’t realize how impactful the kite festival was and how expensive it is.”
She noted that last year, the Kite Festival expenses totaled $39,000.
Not only does Enterprise Bank & Trust donate funds to the kite festival but its staff volunteer, Engeman said.
“That’s really important … it’s not just finances, they show up, they volunteer, they put sweat equity into it.”
Enterprise Bank & Trust Los Alamos Region President Liddie Martinez spoke on why the bank supports this event.
“The Kite Festival is a longstanding and treasured event,” Martinez said. “We are honored to have partnered with the Los Alamos Arts Council to support and sponsor this beloved community affair since its inception.”
The kite festival is just the tip of the iceberg of everything LAAC does, Engeman added. She said she was happy to have improved its contractual relationships, which allowed the organization to perform staff development and have a team with a diverse background.
It also allows the arts organization to host its core programming that includes the Kite Festival and the Pumpkin Glow as well as new programming such as open studio time, an artist-in-residence program throughout August and a partnership with the Manhattan National Historical Park to screen the documentary, “Richland” Aug. 8 and 9.
With the new school year started, LAAC is offering after school art classes 2:45-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Participants can sign up for a whole semester or do month-to-month. The hope is to also offer punch cards.
Now that the Fuller Lodge Art Center is joined with LAAC, Engeman said it hosted its first digital art exhibit.
“We finally are in this comfortable place where we can keep our legacy programming, but we are able to move with the times,” she said.
It wasn’t easy, especially during the height of COVID, Engeman said.
“We weathered a lot … a lot of arts councils … did not survive COVID.”
Part of what got LAAC through the tough times was its staff, she said. “I really believe in our staff.” The team includes Andy Wright, Lissie Ham, Leia Barela-Roach and Gerlad Byrnes.
Another asset was marketing. Engeman said LAAC received a grant from the Los Alamos Community Foundation to redevelop its website and address any existing gaps. Facebook is also utilized to communicate with the public.
Looking to the future, Engeman said she would like to perform succession planning and expand on the upstairs space in Fuller Lodge Art Center.
Another big issue she said is “what can we do to connect people more with art?”
“We really believe in making art accessible regardless of income level,” she added. “Whatever a person’s needs are … we are happy to meet that need.”
For more information about the LAAC, visit https://www.losalamosartscouncil.org.
