A Call for Professional Artists

Join Us!

Ways We Support Participating Artists

Artist Visibility

Participating professional artists can be featured by one of our sponsors, True Taos Digital Magazine. When you participate in #TaosRocks you can request a listing which will include

  • Your Professional Name

  • 3–4 images of You and Your ork (supplied by you)

  • Your Studio or Shop Address, email and Phone number (to help your customers find you!)

  • Your Instagram and/or website links

These pages are designed to be:

  • Shareable

  • Search-friendly

  • Easy for visitors to find while exploring Taos.

To be included, just write to us at TaosRocksArt@gmail.com and request it. Thanks to funding by Taos Mainstreet and Destination Stewardship Taos, there is no charge for this service at this time.

Ongoing Visibility

  • Artist rock drop postings may be reshared on Taos Rocks social channels.

  • From time to time we will reach out to invite you to future #TaosRocks artist events. Participation will always be optional.

  • Artist pages remain live beyond a single event.

  • New visitors discovering Taos Rocks later can still find you.

Local Foot Traffic

People who find rocks often:

  • Look up the artist immediately

  • Visit studios and shops while already nearby

  • Share finds with friends and visiting family

This is especially effective for artists with physical locations in or near the Historic District.

Connection to New Art Fans

Rock-finders tend to be:

  • Curious

  • Art-friendly

  • Visitors actively exploring town

  • Locals paying closer attention to their surroundings

These are people who are already primed to care about art and artists.

What This Is

(and Is Not)

This is:

  • A visibility and connection project

  • A way to meet people who care about art

  • A gentle invitation into your work

This is not:

  • A giveaway expectation

  • A contest

  • A replacement for exhibitions or sales

  • A demand for constant posting or participation

Have Questions or Need Supplies?

Write to us at TaosRocksArt@gmail.com

#TaosRocks is a community-based art initiative rooted in place, participation, and shared experience. The project invites residents, visitors, amateur and professional artists, elders, and families to engage with Taos in a more attentive way—through small, hand-painted works of art hidden throughout the Historic District and discovered by people moving through town on foot.

At its core, Taos Rocks is about connection: between generations, between artists and the public, and between people and the cultural landscape they’re moving through. The project encourages curiosity, walking, lingering, and noticing—while offering artists a meaningful, low-pressure way to contribute to Taos’ creative life and be discovered by new audiences.

For professional artists, collaboration with #TaosRocks can also translate into real-world benefits: increased visibility, social media discovery, foot traffic to studios and shops, and ongoing connections with people who are actively seeking art, story, and place-based experiences.

How Professional Artists Can Contribute

Artists are invited to participate in ways that fit their schedule, practice, and comfort level. There is no required minimum beyond one painted rock.

1. Paint a Rock

  • Paint at least one rock in your own style.

  • Sign or mark the rock in a way that feels appropriate to your work.

  • Write all of the following on the underside of each rock @TaosRocksArt#TaosRocks, The current year and optionally your signature

2. Photograph Your Rock

  • Take 2–3 clear photos of the finished piece.

  • Photos can be simple—studio lighting not required.

  • Detail shots are welcome.

3. Email the Photo(s) to Us @TaosRocksArt@gmail.com

  • Include:

    • Your name (as you want it displayed)

    • Studio or shop address (if public-facing)

    • Instagram / website (optional but encouraged. We designed this community art project to help art lovers find and buy your art! If you don’t have your own gallery, tell us which Taos Gallery you can be found in and give us a link to their website.)

4. Hide the Rock

  • Place the rock on public propertywithin the Taos Historic District.

  • Do not place on private property, inside businesses, or in protected natural areas.

  • Placement must be respectful, visible, and safe easy to retrieve.

5. Share on Social Media (Optional but Encouraged)

  • Post a photo or short video of your painted rock.

  • Let people know:

    • You are participating in the #TaosRocks project

    • The rock is hidden somewhere in Taos’ Historic District (Make sure the post doesn’t give away the exact location of the hidden rock.)

    • It’s part of an ongoing, town-wide art hunt

    • Be sure to add the #TaosRocks and #TaosHistoricDistrict hashtags and then tag us as a partner @TaosRocksArt on instagram — These steps help amplify your reach on instagram

    • To expand the reach of your instagram post even further, in addition to tagging us and hashtagging #TaosRocks and #TaosHistoricDistrict also include a very straightforward hashtagged description of your painted rock (eg #MagpieArt to reference a rock with a magpie on it).

Remember - The fun is in the hunt—keeping locations general helps get people out of their cars and into the Historic District to explore on foot!

Benefits of Participating in #TaosRocks

  • Low time investment with high returns
    One rock can create weeks—or months—of engagement.

  • No sales pressure
    Participation is about visibility and connection, not another sales pitch. This helps build a trusting relationship with your followers.

  • Artist-controlled presence
    You choose what images, links, and information are shared. (We do require that you keep your #TaosRocks painted images generally uplifting / positive and refrain from political party statements.)

  • Organic social growth
    Followers who arrive to your body of artistic work via #TaosRocks tend to be genuinely interested.

  • Community alignment
    The project emphasizes respect for place, people, and working artists.

  • Repeat participation welcome
    As an artist you can participate once, or many times, and always at your own pace.