Mayor Tim Keller, City of Albuquerque | City of Albuquerque
Mayor Tim Keller, City of Albuquerque | City of Albuquerque
A new exhibition at Gallery One in City Hall is showcasing Albuquerque's empty signs through designs that reflect community care, culture, and history. The exhibit, titled "New Iconic Signs," will open with an artist reception on Thursday, December 19, from 5 to 7 p.m., featuring vibrant risograph prints by 15 local artists.
Supported by the City of Albuquerque’s Public Art Program, Friends of the Orphan Signs (FOS) collaborated with Risolana, a community risograph studio, to organize the New Iconic Signs Design Charrette project. A charrette is a collaborative planning process where diverse community representatives brainstorm new possibilities for transformative community change.
“Friends of the Orphan Signs and Risolana believe Albuquerque has the capacity to experience a new ‘sign renaissance’ with the creation of iconic signs of the 21st century,” said FOS Project Director Lindsey Fromm. “In partnership with the Public Art Program, we held a series of design charrette workshops to generate innovative methods for engaging with Albuquerque’s empty signs, bringing artists and the community together to brainstorm a set of guiding principles for creating New Iconic Signs: road sign designs that can define our time.”
Mayor Tim Keller stated, “Albuquerque creatives bring a special perspective to problem-solving and storytelling. This exhibition tells our city’s story in a new way, through reimagined signs that reflect our history and culture.”
The exhibition is divided into four sections that encapsulate prominent ideas and values discussed in the charrettes and reflected in the artworks. The prints in "New Iconic Signs" imagine signs that better reflect culture, roots, and history; tell new stories; resist generic consumer messaging; and elevate messages of community care, self-care, and resistance. Inspired by creative brainstorming during charrette sessions, each risograph on display presents each artist’s unique vision of what new iconic signs can be.
Participating artists include Aiko Jio; Alayne Ballantine; Blythe Mariano; Carlos Contreras; Celine Gordon; Dusty Deen; Gael Luna; Gus Tafoya; Isabel Tafoya; Joseph Stacey; Kori Wood; Maya Key-Towne; Roberta Begaye; Shawn Smith Newcomm; and Zahra Marwan.
"New Iconic Signs" will remain on view until February 14. Both the opening reception and exhibition are free to attend. Gallery One operates Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., located on the first floor of City Hall at 1 Civic Plaza NW.
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