Route 66 Remixed: An Art-Fueled Road Trip includes a stop at UNM's ARTS Lab

The University of New Mexico is taking part in one of the city's most ambitious public art initiatives in decades-Route 66 Remixed, a cornerstone of Albuquerque's Route 66 Centennial Celebration. The citywide project reimagines Albuquerque's 18-mile stretch of the legendary highway through a collection of murals, sculptures, and cutting-edge augmented reality (AR) experiences, blending history, art, and innovation into an immersive celebration of culture.

Led by the City of Albuquerque's Department of Arts & Culture, Route 66 Remixed invites locals and visitors alike to explore the legacy of the Mother Road through a modern creative lens. With support from Visit Albuquerque, the New Mexico Tourism Department, community organizations, and property owners, the project transforms Central Avenue into a living art corridor-an art-fueled road trip showcasing the stories, traditions, and people that continue to shape Albuquerque's identity.

Along the route, travelers will discover large-scale installations and site-specific digital features that reflect the stories, traditions, and people that have helped shape Albuquerque. Route 66 Remixed is created in partnership with Meow Wolf, Refract Studio, and local artists. The project includes 18 art attractions along Albuquerque's 18-mile stretch of Route 66 that can be experienced on their own or explored together via a web interface. Hakim Bellamy, Albuquerque's inaugural poet laureate, is the road trip narrator and storyteller.

U.S. Route 66, also known as The Mother Road, starts in Chicago, Ill., and ends at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif. It passes through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, for a total of 2,448 miles. Route 66 will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026, with events planned along the historic route, including a national kickoff in Springfield, Mo., on April 30, 2026. Cities along the route are celebrating the Route 66 Centennial for a once in a 100-year trip.

"Route 66 is part of who we are as a city," said Mayor Tim Keller. "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 centerpiece of the launch event was the mural titled Mother: Moment at The University of New Mexico's ARTS Lab on the northwest corner of University and Central, which was recently completed by artists Noé Barnett and Travis Black. UNM partnered with the City on the piece with UNM President Garnett Stokes noting the university's roots on Route 66 and expressing appreciation for how positively the mural has been received by students, faculty, and the broader community.

"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."

Mother: Moment is a piece that merges contemporary aesthetics with historical narratives of travelers and trade, capturing the essence of motion, connection, and community that define both Route 66 and UNM.

"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, who graduated from UNM with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. "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 of us getting to know one another. They gave us a timeline and told us that we wanted to have this done by the end of September."

The Mother: Moment mural joins a growing list of installations across the city, including the first Route 66 Remixed mural, completed at the Historic El Rey Theater by artists Jesse Littlebird and Thomas Christopher Haag. That collaborative work set the tone for the project, reflecting Albuquerque's artistic vibrancy and cultural dynamism. Once fully launched, visitors will be able to experience each installation individually or as part of a self-guided digital tour via a new web platform.

"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. It's always a privilege," said Barnett. "So, I just try to approach it with that mindset and not take anything for granted. Just give everything that you have like not knowing that another opportunity's coming down the road."

In addition to Route 66 Remixed, Albuquerque's Centennial celebration-developed in collaboration with Visit Albuquerque, Meow Wolf, Refract Studio, Jak + Flux, and other creative partners-includes a suite of special events, immersive A/R storytelling adventures, and commemorative branding designed by Ripe, Inc.

Funding for the Centennial efforts has been provided by the New Mexico Tourism Department, the National Park Service, and the National Endowment for the Arts, with key partnerships through the National Trust for Historic Preservation and local Route 66 business owners.

The Route 66 Centennial celebration will span two seasons, weaving art, history, and technology into a citywide story of creativity and connection. For UNM, the project not only enhances the campus landscape but also underscores the university's role as a hub for cultural engagement-where tradition meets transformation on the Mother Road.

"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 the personality, the unique character, of the communities they're in. Taken together, it is that diversity in our communities that makes our city as culturally rich it is."

The official Centennial website, https://www.rt66abq.com, will serve as the central hub for event updates, installation maps, and behind-the-scenes features as more artworks are completed.