New Mexico United is the only club in the world to include a reference to art in it's mission statement. The aspiration to incorporate New Mexico's artistic community into the club from day one was the pull that convinced me to join the start-up in those early days before the name or logo had even been created. Art & Sport would be the pillar that defined my role, it was the motivation behind so many of the projects I took on, it justified a large Creative Team who were routinely empowered to push their own creative boundaries as well as the brand, and I believe it's responsible for much of what makes United so special.

17 original works of art tied to each of the 17 home games created by 17 New Mexican artists, available in limited edition runs of 100 collectible prints each. Matchday posters exist all over the footballing world, but rarely are the artists compensated or celebrated the way they deserve. The poster series was a reason to put United's microphone in the hands of each artist, dedicating the valuable marketing real-estate of each home gameday to spotlight local artists in a major way, unveiling each poster on social often paired with an in depth artist interview video and hosting the artist in store for a meet and greet with the fans vying to collect each poster. The featured artists represented the spectrum of backgrounds and styles that define New Mexico's hugely diverse creative landscape. I did contribute a piece myself only after a previously committed artist dropped out 24 hours before the print deadline.

The largest physical manifestations of United's commitment to Art & Sport are two massive murals in downtown Albuquerque created by Jodie Herrera and Noe Barnett.

The first was the initial iteration of Noe's United mural, created in late 2019 at the conclusion of the Inaugural Season as a celebration of a record-setting year and the special connection between the supporters and players. It was a collaborative effort, with photographs selected by the United year 1 photo staff coated with adhesive by players and supporters and members of the organization and added to the wall as a base layer, over top of which Noe painted representation's of the first goal in club history scored by Albuquerque native Devon Sandoval and The Curse flag, a nod to the club's largest official Supporters Group. Unfortunately right around the time the pandemic was postponing the 2020 season indefinitely, the harsh New Mexican winter was chipping away at the base layer of photographs. Together, Noe and I designed a revised mural composed of fan photographs and the club's unifying message of Somos Unidos, which, in the height of the pandemic, was a truly optimistic collection of imagery in a time where we wondered if we'd ever come together again the way we had in 2019. This second iteration, a still permanent feature on the corner of 2nd & Coal, was also completed with contributions from players and community members, each taking turns filling in the United Yellow that spells our Somos Unidos.

The second United Mural was a far more robust effort. In the heart of downtown's Central Ave, old Route 66, 505 Central Food Hall was just opening its doors in early 2021 when Jodie and I were resuming a conversation we'd started in the days before the pandemic. Jodie, a Taos native now exhibiting her artworks internationally and creating large scale murals around the country, had been at the top of my wishlist for artists to work with and as we emerged from the pandemic it became clear we'd finally be able to bring to life a mural we'd been discussing for years. Jodie's style is defined by a refined sense of collage interweaving stylized elements of the natural world, traditional native American patterns evocative of her heritage, and female figures usually of native American background in empowering poses. On a custom fabricated metal paneling installed on the walls of 505 Central, Jodie married her signature elements with the United brand in a mural she titled "Her Strength". The woman at the heart of the mural is dressed in the United basketball jersey, a black & yellow headband, and flexes her United Tattoo in the classic Rosie-the-Riveter pose, embanked on either side by prickly pear flowers and that ever-present message of Somos Unidos.

The ongoing collaboration with local artists most often took the form of bespoke & limited edition merch drops through the years, the artists receiving a commission fee, percentages of profits, and the balance of profits usually being donated to a cause relevant to their community or background or the Somos Unidos Foundation and the continued support of a free-to-play Academy. The collaborations I helped bring to life saw artists contributing in multitude of mediums including printmakers, glassblowers, potters, jewelers, illustrators, needleworkers, upcyclers, painters, digital artists, and even collaborations with makers of pet supplies and the fine art gallery Site Santa Fe. The resulting artworks were sold in runs of varied quantity often defined by the medium, many items being 1 of 1 exclusively available at the United team store or pop-up events held in collaboration with the artist.

When artistry is top of mind going into every project, there's always a question of how can creativity be brought into the mix. When the Acacdemy hosted the first Somos Unidos Cup, a youth tournament that hosted MLS and Liga MX Academies in New Mexico for the first time ever, high school art students (classmates of the United Academy players) led efforts to create original sculptures for the tournament trophies. When end of season player awards come around, those aren't the usual plaques you might expect, they are original paintings for the 6 award-winning players created by local artist Sokwa which, when united, form a collective mural anchored by the United shield. When Head Coach Troy Lesesne won the USL Championship 2020 Coach of the Year award, it was all the opportunity we needed to ask Albuquerque's inaugural Poet Laureate Hakim Bellamy to author and perform an original epic poem recounting the coach's career to date. And most importantly, that desire to bridge the worlds of art & sport is routinely embraced by the fanbase and is on display in the constant creation of tifo (large scale portable paintings made in reference to players, team, opposition, etc., usually done on drop cloth or other large fabric bases) for every home match.