ABQ Times

Madison Garay, a master's student at The University of New Mexico (UNM), will present her research at the 2025 College Art Association Conference in Manhattan. Her study examines Route 66 as both a historical and haunted monument in Albuquerque.

Garay's academic interests include Art History-Art of the Americas, 20th-century design, Native contemporary art, Chican@ art, and the built environments of the Southwest. Her research focuses on transient spaces like interstates and highways and explores regional identities on historic Route 66 through material culture.

The CAA Annual Conference is a significant event for academic arts professionals worldwide. It attracts scholars from fields such as Art History, Architecture, Design, and Cultural Studies to exchange ideas.

Garay submitted her work independently as a solo scholar. Her presentation titled "Visual Hauntologies on Albuquerque’s Route 66: Place-Images after the Mother Road" aims to analyze Route 66's cultural legacy in Albuquerque. She said, "I analyze the famous highway as a haunted monument in our city. In sum, I argue that Route 66 is a monument to the dominant 20th-century ideology, American Exceptionalism." Garay further explained how it influences historic preservation practices and civic identity images in its afterlife.

At the conference, she hopes to meet other interdisciplinary scholars interested in built environments and public art with sociological perspectives. Garay describes herself as more involved in reading and writing than art-making recently but has engaged with MFA students and other art historians.

"The people are down-to-earth, eager to collaborate," she said about UNM's community. She appreciates UNM being an R1 university and Hispanic-Serving Institution along Route 66.

Her research included time spent at UNM's Center for Southwest Research under a Pictorial Archives Fellowship during 2023-24. She explored old newspapers, maps, tourist guides, interviews, Zeon sign sketches among other resources.

After graduating in Spring 2025, Garay plans to continue freelancing for arts magazines while aiming for a curatorial position somewhere in the Southwest before considering pursuing a Ph.D.

Kevin Mulhearn commented on Garay's achievement: "Madison is presenting her work at the College Art Association’s annual conference... It's very rare for students at the master of Arts level to be invited... It's a testament to Madison's talent."

Photo credit: Madison Garay at Glenrio by Dominic Valdez (2024).