Now that the auto industry and the banks have gotten a big old slice of the bailout pie it's time for starving artists to get a few veggies in their bowls of rice.

That's right. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson announced today that nearly $300,000 from the National Endowment for the Arts has been awarded to New Mexico Arts, a division of the state's Department of Cultural Affairs.

The money has some pretty stringent rules attached to itso the 58 arts related employees that I can think of who probably need the cash the most, and play probably the most important role in keeping the arts dollars rolling into the state, are ineligible.

The groups that can apply for the money have to be a nonprofit group that has "received a regular arts grant from New Mexico Arts in the last three years...or be a current applicant for FY10 and be in good standing" according to a press release from the governor's office.

New Mexico Arts has been approved to use $50,000 of the total $297,000 allocation to fill a public art contractor position and for the administrative costs of divvying up the grant applications for the remainder of the allotment.