By Jess Williams
In 2018, Lea Wise-Surguy chose Las Cruces as her laboratory for a new idea that she’d been putting together in Dayton, Ohio. The laboratory now operates as Cruces Creatives (CC) at the 205 E. Lohman Ave., where – in normal times – the place bustles with staff and volunteers chasing dreams and projects in a space created for exactly those pursuits.
“Our mission is to connect people with the tools, training and community to make practically anything,” she said. “This broad mission encompasses related goals for advancing education, the arts, economic development, environmental protection, social wellbeing and scientific research in Doña Ana County and throughout New Mexico.”
To facilitate the mission of Cruces Creatives, Wise-Surguy said the physical space has to be both educational and practical, and it has to…