The Mission of the CCA is to create, maintain, and promote a vibrant regional gathering place for the exploration and presentation of diverse and challenging contemporary art forms and ideas through interdisciplinary programs: film, visual arts, performance, and educational outreach.

Since 1979, the CCA has been a hub for Northern New Mexico’s diverse arts and cultural communities, drawing nearly 2 million viewers for its 300+ major art exhibitions, dozens of world-class performances, far-reaching educational and public programming and more than 3,000 films from around the globe. Each year, CCA programming inspires more than 40,000 visitors with beauty and vision, stimulating dialogue about issues of common concern, offering a window into the world, and building connections across boundaries of ethnicity, class, gender and age. The Center for Contemporary Arts presents film, visual arts, performance and educational outreach programs that support emerging and established artists and provide audiences with meaningful experiences and new ideas. Having completed nearly $2 million in capital improvements, and with cash-positive budgets for four consecutive years, the CCA has entered its strongest period yet in its storied history.