Karen Cunningham
Karen Cunningham graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Bennington College. In 1980 she moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is a composer, filmmaker and recently retired piano teacher after thirty-five plus years of teaching.
Karen is the founder and President of the 501(c) 3 non-profit New Mexico Arts Imaginative Collective (NMAIC). She coordinates and facilitates ideas for the organization.
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Her filmmaking requires her to wear many hats including director, videographer, film composer and editor. Throughout the pandemic Karen’s films have provided stories about New Mexico artists. Neon Swings is a documentary/music video that documents an Albuquerque artist who draws his journey on historic Route 66 while in the swing of things with Karen’s music. Railroad Bill Tackles the Hill is a documentary about an Engineer Designer that sustains a garden railroad in the foothills of Albuquerque, New Mexico. A Day in the Life of Carolyn Stapleton is a documentary that shares moments with Carolyn as a creative food chef, her original use with discarded items transformed into art, and finally Carolyn’s passion as a car artist where she transforms her personal vehicle into an art car with her own artistic expression.
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Karen creates promotional videos for NMAIC events. Her films have been shown on NMAIC’s YouTube Channel and Facebook page and on Albuquerque’s Public Access Channel 26.
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In addition to her filmmaking and composing, Karen collaborates with her husband Paul "Bill" Beck on art projects exhibited at recent art shows.