In the summer of 2023, New York-based artist Sammy Yuen embarked on a road trip from Los Angeles to Chicago, with support from the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 initiative. His mission: to create a series of line drawings capturing the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) experience along Route 66, the historic highway often referred to as the “Mother Road.”

“Vintage neon signs along Route 66, along the entire stretch of the road, are part of the visual connectivity of how you know you are on Route 66,” said Di Gao, senior director of research and development at the National Trust. “We really wanted to elevate underrepresented communities along the route that have always been part of the road but lacked that connectivity.”

The International District

Built in 1926, Route 66 was one of the first highways in the United States. It connected Chicago to Los Angeles while traversing eight states, including New Mexico. In Albuquerque, it initially ran along 4th Avenue. Beginning in 1937, the route was realigned to Central Avenue, passing through what is now known as the International District. Central Avenue transformed into a major thoroughfare and economic hub. Like many other towns along the road, the surrounding area became fertile ground for motels, diners, gas stations, and shops that catered to the steady flow of Route 66 travelers.

The construction of Interstate 40 in the 1970s, however, diverted traffic away from the International District, delivering a devastating blow to many businesses that had depended on the highway’s visibility and foot traffic. Around the same time nearby Kirtland Air Force Base, which played an important role in aviation training and nuclear research during World War II, relocated its off-base housing out of the International District back onto the installation. The move left many surrounding residences abandoned or boarded up, further accelerating the neighborhood’s economic decline.

The International District has since faced persistent challenges, including high poverty rates and a significant number of residents experiencing homelessness. At the same time, the area is home to a rich mix of cultures, languages and traditions. In addition to a large Hispanic presence, including many recent immigrants from Mexico and Central America, the International District is also home to Native American and Asian communities.

“How do you represent such a broad, diverse group of people with one object? That’s really hard to do,” said Fromm, adding, “We knew that we needed to have a lot of contact with the community to learn what they would actually want to see in this special place.”

Restorative Design In Action

As part of the community-centered process for designing the new sign, the City of Albuquerque’s Public Art and Urban Enhancement Division issued a Call for Artists to participate in a “restorative design” process. Four local artists were selected and each was partnered with a local organization to develop the look and feel of their art piece. Artist Christian Michael Gallegos was paired with East Central Ministries; Billy Joe Miller with the New Mexico Black Leadership Coalition; Denise Weaver Ross with United Voices for Newcomer Rights; and Samuel Sisneros with Together for Brothers.

Together with their partner organizations, each artist led a workshop that was open to the community, providing a platform for residents to share stories, images, and ideas that mattered most to them, through art as well as conversation. The “Our Town” grant covered compensation for each of the artists. Participants at the workshops had access to art supplies, as well as meals. Fromm characterizes the workshops as “art gatherings,” emphasizing that they provided a rare opportunity for people who are typically excluded from such processes to actively participate. “Neighborhood residents rarely have a voice in major public art projects, even though they are the ones who will encounter them every day,” said Fromm. “That’s why it was so meaningful when many happened upon these workshops and chose to participate.”

Local visual artist Aiko Jio, who served as project manager, said that the initiative “presented an opportunity to not only put material resources and power in the design into the hands of regular, everyday people in that community to say, ‘This is what is important to us, and this is what it means to us.’”

After the workshops, the four artists met as a group to share and discuss their experiences, highlighting the key themes, memorable moments, anecdotes, and symbolism that emerged. Fromm noted that they observed many common ideas and overlaps among their findings. (Local vegetation, for instance, was a recurring element.) Each artist then produced a sketch for a sign based on their workshop experiences, concluding the first phrase of the process.

Next, the project will enter a formal design and fabrication process led by the City of Albuquerque’s Public Arts Division. The goal is to fabricate and install the sign during the 2026 centennial celebration of Route 66. During that process, a committee appointed by the city will select and further refine one of those sketches to become the finished sign.