The University of New Mexico (UNM) is participating in Route 66 Remixed, a public art initiative forming part of Albuquerque’s Route 66 Centennial Celebration. The project aims to reinterpret the city’s 18-mile section of the historic highway with murals, sculptures, and augmented reality experiences.
Route 66 Remixed is organized by the City of Albuquerque’s Department of Arts & Culture and involves collaboration with Visit Albuquerque, the New Mexico Tourism Department, community organizations, property owners, Meow Wolf, Refract Studio, and local artists. The initiative features 18 art attractions along Central Avenue that can be experienced individually or through a web interface. Hakim Bellamy serves as the narrator for the road trip experience.
U.S. Route 66 stretches from Chicago to Santa Monica and will mark its centennial in 2026. Celebrations are planned along its route across eight states, including a national kickoff event in Springfield, Missouri on April 30, 2026.
Mayor Tim Keller stated: “Route66 is part of who we are as a city. Through Route 66 Remixed, we’re both preserving history and spotlighting it by combining art, storytelling, and community pride in one experience. Route 66 Remixed is an exciting way to honor our past while looking to the future. This Centennial project transforms our stretch of the Mother Road into an immersive, accessible celebration of art, culture, and community.”
A highlight of the launch was “Mother: Moment,” a mural at UNM’s ARTS Lab created by Noé Barnett and Travis Black. UNM partnered with the city on this piece. President Garnett Stokes commented on UNM’s connection to Route 66:
“Route 66 has often been called America’s Main Street. Here in Albuquerque, that is quite literally the case—though here, we call it ‘Central.’ And it truly is a central part of our community, the trunk from which our modern city branched and grew—and a hundred years later, continues to grow and evolve,” said Stokes. “And it’s not just part of Albuquerque’s DNA; it’s part of ours as well at The University of New Mexico. As the road was under construction in 1926, UNM was already here.
“At that time, we enrolled about a thousand students, many of whom were taking classes in a lone brick building on a mesa. That building was—and still is—Hodgin Hall. When Route 66 finally made its way down Central in 1937, it literally became our front doorstep. We weren’t just close to what John Steinbeck called ‘The Mother Road’—we were a part of it.”
Barnett described working on “Mother: Moment” as collaborative: “It was a very long process. The city reached out to us (myself and Travis) and asked if we would be willing to work on the project,” said Barnett. “They explained what the project was, discussed the scope, brought up the centennial and then just paired up myself and Travis together. We never met so there was a familiarization process… They gave us a timeline and told us that we wanted to have this done by the end of September.”
Barnett added: “Anytime you get the opportunity to create in any capacity but especially on such a public scale in such a commemorative way it’s always a blessing… So I just try to approach it with that mindset and not take anything for granted.”
Other installations include murals at sites like Historic El Rey Theater by Jesse Littlebird and Thomas Christopher Haag.
Funding for these efforts comes from sources including the New Mexico Tourism Department as well as federal agencies such as the National Park Service and the National Endowment for the Arts. Key partnerships involve organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The centennial events will span two seasons across Albuquerque using art projects supported by local businesses alongside creative partners like Jak + Flux and Ripe Inc., who contributed branding elements.
President Stokes concluded: “This beautiful mural on our campus is just one of several installations along the 18-mile span of Route 66 as it makes its way through Albuquerque,” added Stokes.” Each is a reflection of personality—the unique character—of communities they’re in.Taken together,it is that diversity…that makes our city as culturally rich [as] it is.”
Further information about events can be found at www.rt66abq.com.
