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Cultural Corridors: Public Art on Scenic Highways commissions monumental landmark artworks which honor and celebrate Historic Route 66, El Camino Real, and the communities they link across New Mexico. Cultural Corridors, built on the collaboration of a wide range of participants, underscores the value of both transportation and art to the economic and cultural life of New Mexico.
Cultural Corridors is coordinated by the Art in Public Places Program of New Mexico Arts, in collaboration with the NM State Highway & Transportation Department and 13 communities along Rt. 66 and El Camino Real. Cultural Corridors commissions site specific artworks which create a sense of place within the framework of community, culture and transportation. Each $100,000 commission comes from 75% Federal Highway Transportation Enhancement funds, 15% state funds and 10% local funds. A community based committee in each village, city or pueblo, is charged with selecting a site, developing a project intent and selecting an artist or artist team for each project. While nine projects have been completed or are under construction, five sites will be advertised in 2000. Artists nationwide are invited to submit proposals for these projects.
"Roadside Attaction" Artist: Tom Coffin
Tucumcari NM |
Tucumcari, New Mexico's eastern gateway along the Mother Road, was the first site to receive a Cultural Corridors artwork. Artist Tom Coffin created Roadside Attraction as an homage to the American adventure. His monolithic pyramid incorporates road motifs as well as monstrous taillights which glow red at night. Roadside Attraction is located on old Rt. 66 on the west end of town.
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| Right in the middle of Downtown Grants you will find Fire and Ice, a flaming steel sculpture by the husband and wife artist team of Howard and Kathleen Meehan. Fire and Ice combines geological points of interest such as La Ventana Arch, the Ices Caves and El Malpais, all familiar to generations of travelers along Rt. 66, with a memento-studded timeline of the history of the area. Fire and Ice is located one block west of the Mining Museum of Santa Fe Ave.
"Fire & Ice"
Artists: Howard & Kathleen Meehan
Grants NM
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"Paso Por Aqui" Gallup NM Artists:
Robert Hymer and Charles Mallery
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Gallup, artists Robert Hymer and Charles Mallery's Paso Por Aqui inscribes New Mexico's turquoise skies within its 30 ft. diameter loop. Transforming from rail to superhighway and bisecting Gallup's architectural styles, Paso Por Aqui takes its name from the inscription left by some of our earliest visitors, Spanish explorers who graffiti'd El Morro, better know as Inscription Rock, some 500 years ago. Paso Por Aqui is located above the Gallup Sculpture Park on Miyamura Blvd.
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For more information...
Contact: Carla Sanders, Cultural Corridors Coordinator
csanders@lvr.state.nm.us
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