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We spoke to some of the 18 amazing artists working on the Route 66 Remixed project with the City of Albuquerque and us (Meow Wolf that is).
Photo by Allonzo Armijo/@vivo.crtv
2026 marks a lot of big anniversaries— it’s the semiquincentennial (a word I learned from writing this article!) of the U.S., the 30th anniversary for Pokémon (Ash needs to retire), and, most relevantly to this article, 100 years of Route 66! While the road stretches 2,448 miles between eight states, 18.5 of those miles can be found in Albuquerque.
To celebrate this centennial, Meow Wolf has partnered with the City of Albuquerque to create Route 66 Remixed. The City of Albuquerque describes Route 66 Remixed as “an innovative public art project…[where] visitors and residents alike can explore the highway’s legacy through murals, sculptures, and augmented reality (AR) experiences.” You can visit the sites in any order or combination you like, but you can also utilize the city’s web-based AR platform to follow a digital “road trip” that includes narration and storytelling.
This project wouldn’t be complete without the 18 artists (and a poet laureate!) making the art, so we decided to chat with some of them to learn about them, their art, and their perspectives on Route 66 and ABQ. This article features some of these 18 artists, but be on the lookout for our second round of artist interviews coming soon!
First, though, we wanted to hear about the project itself. So we decided to chat with Dr. Shelle Sanchez, who is not only Director of Department of Arts and Culture for the City of Albuquerque, but also the person spearheading this project!
How did you all come up with the idea of Route 66 Remixed?
Like any good idea, it was the result of many iterations and conversations. But I felt really strongly that we should invest in an experience that was available to people every single day of the centennial year. Because the kind of default for these…is usually a thing that you have to go to and you have to be there to be part of it. I felt like Route 66 is all about that travel and taking your road trip to wherever it is you're going. And so I wanted us to think of something that is there, an experience any day in 2026.
The other piece [was deciding on] a way to celebrate the whole 18 miles that goes through the heart of our city, which is also the longest urban stretch of Route 66. And then, because I'm the Director of Arts and Culture, I was like, it has to be with artists. And so once we kind of had those three pillars, that's when we reached out to Meow Wolf and the pieces just started piling together. Then here we are!
What was the idea behind doing that mix of traditional art and AR?
I think the first kind of impetus for augmented reality came out of conversations we had with the community, like a couple years before we actually started planning about Route 66. There was this even distribution between people who said, “we need to like the history and the nostalgia and the past and classic art” and “We need to celebrate the here and now and the future and where we're going.” We decided that we could be using technology to tell the story of Route 66, or to invite people to experience Route 66 through technology, which felt important with balancing the past, present and future.
For our readers not in the Albuquerque area, talk a little about what Route 66 means to the city.
For almost every town that had Route 66 go through it, it really spurred the growth and shaped what the city became. Having Route 66 in the 30s and 40s come through your city was transformational— people can argue about if it was good or bad transformation, but it was definitely transformational.
For Albuquerque, it's always been one of our most iconic touchstones of the city. That may not be true of every other major artery, but everybody knows where Central Avenue is. And so many of our really important and historic things are on there. It's also 18 and a half miles, so it takes you from the mountains, down to the river valley, back up to the high mesas and volcanoes. And it takes you through every kind of economic stratosphere of our city— our poorest neighborhoods, some of our wealthiest neighborhoods. It's super, super critical to who we are.
Is there anything else you'd like our readers to know?
I think [this experience] makes more sense if you take, or you grew up taking, road trips. A lot of the joy for me in a road trip is stopping at little places that you would not stop otherwise, having these moments of discovery, like seeing something through fresh eyes.
We haven't done a mural all the way down 18 miles. We invite you into all these little spaces and neighborhoods to stop and see something, hear about it through the words of a poet, and look at it through the eyes of artists. And that, I think, is what we're offering that I feel like is a really different experience than people will get anywhere else.
With that great introduction to the project from Dr. Sanchez, let’s get into our chats with some of the artists!
Tell us who you are! As a person, as an artist, both, neither, whatever you want to highlight!
I am a human, American citizen who was raised in a traditional indigenous manner. I began my artistic journey in 1971 by learning silversmithing. In 1975, I taught other Native artists silversmithing and lapidary as part of a government program. It was at this time that I began painting and sculpting.
Tell us a little about the installation you’re working on at the Route 66 Visitor Center - what can we expect? What's the inspiration?
The installation I have completed for the Route 66 Visitor Center is a mural depicting Route 66 as a portal to adventure in the form of a fantastic road trip.
As someone who works with more "tangible" art, such as painting, jewelry, sculpture, etc., what's it like mixing your art forms with a more digital form like AR?
I have previously worked with AR as a performance artist. Our indigenous dance was transformed into an otherworldly experience through AR. If my visual art is subjected to AR for this project, it will be the first time that I experience an AR treatment with my visual art.
You began your artist career in 1971. How has the ABQ art scene changed since then?
The primary manner in which the art scene has changed since 1971 is that there are many more of us (artists) practicing our profession. The public art programs, as well as the scene, have grown exponentially.
Anything else you’d like our audience to know?
Art is an integral part of society. It facilitates the expression of hope and the aspirations of our communities. It can serve as a tool for healing.
In toltekayotl aik ixpoliuz (Artistic tradition will never perish).
If someone was writing your biography, how would they describe you?
JL: Jesse Raine Littlebird (Laguna/Kewa Pueblos) is a full time artist as well as painter and film director, a Sundance Institute 2017 Full Circle Fellow, Andy Warhol Foundation recipient, and founder and curator at Kukani Gallery. Expression through the medium of painting and film is a vital part of life for him, deeply rooted in the oral tradition culture of his Pueblo Indian lineage and growing up in a creative household of art, film and story. You will see one of his panoramic landscapes leaving the ABQ Sunport and his 2024 project “Petrol-glyph,” a 1973 Dodge Dart painted like an Anasazi piece of pottery, has garnered recognition worldwide. His work is inspired by teachings, prophecies, and stories that are commonplace among his people.
TH: Thomas Christopher Haag was born in Wichita, Kansas into a family as vast as the sea. He has lived in southern Mexico, Switzerland, India, Spain, the Pacific Northwest and the great American Southwest. For the past 20 years, he has been ridiculously involved and obnoxiously in love with the New Mexico art scene, living and working in Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. When he’s had to work, he’s been a commercial diver, propman, art director, low-volume smuggler, curator and gallery owner, and spent eleven days in a dog food factory where they made Kibbles’ n Bits, but he prefers to paint. An avid muralist, both commissioned and not, he has painted buildings in Oaxaca, Barcelona, Venice, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Taos, Varanasi, Bangkok, Rangoon, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Oakland and many other places. He has exhibited with the likes of Shepard Fairey, Chaz Bojorquez, Swoon, Gaia, Slinkachu, Henry Chalfant, Mark Jenkins, Chris Stain, and Chip Thomas.
Tell us a little about the installation you’re working on, and where we might be able to catch it.
JL: A striking new mural now graces the west side of the El Rey Theater, featuring three bison in a vibrant depiction of the land before the iconic Route 66. This nearly 120-foot-wide by 19-foot-tall artwork is a tribute to the majesty of the bison, a symbol of the American wilderness and Native American heritage. The mural’s central theme is to capture “what Route 66 looked like before Route 66”— offering a glimpse of the land in its primal, untamed state.
The bison in the mural are portrayed in bold and symbolic ways: one bison is painted in hues of blue and black, another in a striking mix of colors, and a third is adorned with a white checkered pattern, referencing a powerful symbol of hope and rebirth in Native American culture. Positioned to gaze toward Central Avenue, these majestic creatures invite viewers to reflect on the past, the significance of the land, and the enduring spirit of both the bison and the people connected to this land. The mural serves as a visually compelling reminder of a history that often gets overshadowed by modern development.
TH: On the once famously blank west wall of the historic El Rey Theatre, 3 buffalo, representing the unstoppable progression of time (past, present and future), unflinchingly stride through 4 portals of reality and possibility. Through abundance and ease, struggle and challenge, they walk on. When storms rage, the entire herd faces them head on, refusing to turn away and be chased by them, instinctively aware that this will get them through it faster.
What inspired your installation?
JL: The inspiration behind the installation stems from a deep reverence for the land and its history, particularly the time before Route 66 transformed the landscape. We wanted to honor the bison, a creature that once roamed freely across this territory and is central to Native American traditions. The idea was to convey a sense of what the world looked like before modern highways carved through it— an image of nature and wildlife in their purest form. By using vibrant colors and symbolic patterns, like the checkered design that represents hope and rebirth, we aimed to merge the cultural and natural history of this region, inviting people to reconnect with what was here long before the asphalt roads.
TH: The buffalo represents an animal that has famously experienced some of the greatest successes and crippling challenges in human history. And yet they walk on, strong and determined, heading into what storms may come, together.
What was it like collaborating on this?
JL: Collaborating on this project was an incredible experience. Thomas and I have a deep mutual respect for each other's work, so it felt natural to come together on something that meant so much to both of us. We spent a lot of time discussing the symbolism behind the bison and how to incorporate elements of Native American culture and the land into the mural. It was a fluid back-and-forth process— Thomas brought his sharp, detailed approach to the animals, while I focused on the symbolic patterns and the larger narrative of the piece. The real magic came when our ideas started to align visually, and the mural began to take shape. It was inspiring to see how our distinct styles blended together to tell a unified story. At the end of the day, the mural feels like a shared vision that reflects both our artistic journeys and the history we wanted to honor.
TH: One of the most effortless collaborations I've ever taken part in. Jesse and I have been good friends and art comrades for quite some time. We both share a deep respect for our ancestral past as well as a deep desire to use our present to beautify the future. A collaboration was inevitable, and I'm extremely grateful to my city and all the amazing people involved for making it happen the way it did.
Anything else you’d like to tell our audience?
JL: Always remember who are the original keepers of the land that you occupy everyday.
TH: Mostly just thank you, thank you, thank you.
Tell us a little about yourself!
I'm an artist/muralist based in Albuquerque, New Mexico for about 15 years, and I grew up between Arizona and New Mexico. I'm three Native American tribes: I am Chiricahua Apache of the San Carlos Apache tribe in Arizona and then Diné (Navajo), and Taos Pueblo here in New Mexico. So Albuquerque is just the spot to be at for me.
As a Native American muralist and artist, my culture and my background really informs my work. Especially being here in basically the centerplace for Native American art, between Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. I really got inspired by the Native artists that have come before me and what they say with their art. The representation out there was very important for me to see when I was small. It really informs my art right now because, as a muralist, I feel like representation is important— to have Native American representation out here in all fields, from the micro to the macro. Whether that be public art or out in the political field, everything informs everything.
I also graduated with my bachelor's degree in social work from New Mexico Highlands University in 2016. After that, I was like, “I got a degree and now I'm really going to just do my art professionally,” and I’ve been doing it for the last 10 years now. But social work informs my background too— between authentic Native representation in the art field, as well as working with communities and activating them through art.
Tell us about your installation, and the inspiration behind it.
Given the themes [for this project] being the Route 66 centennial and portals, it’s a portal back in time. As history has shown, before Route 66 actually became Route 66, a lot of Native American tribes between the Pueblo, the Apaches, and more, we would use these traditional trade routes, right? So I kind of wanted to go back to these traditional trade routes and what really started this as the center of trade, to having Route 66 built through here. And before, it used to be landscapes. So a lot of [the mural] is landscapes, then it goes to a Native American man on horseback carrying his goods, and then cars using the route. It's kind of like a time warp of these routes going from traditional trade routes to modern Route 66.
Within this, all of the goods and traditional wares and potteries that were traded were a big part of what brought a lot of tourists. A lot of Navajos used to sell their weavings, their rugs. And so, as a Navajo Diné woman, [it was important] paying homage to Navajo rugs and what a big part of the history they had in New Mexico and developing the trade routes. The centerpiece is actually a Navajo rug design that has the portal opening around it. And then you see more traditional shapes and colors before going into the routes.
You spoke about the importance of representation. Talk a little more about that.
I think that the representation was what really drew me to this call. I knew that as Native artists, we got to go out there for these calls for us to represent ourselves…very few Native artists go out for these big calls. It can be really intimidating, but I think it's important to just try and go for it. And I was lucky enough to get it.
My whole proposal for this artwork was about authentic representation. A lot of people will do the cliché Route 66— like, Native American headdress. Headdresses aren't traditional of our native tribes in the southwest, that's northern plains, Lakota and Dakota tribes. That authenticity is very important. Not just throwing up any kind of design, but knowing what traditional background it comes from, making sure these designs are correct and respecting those cultures. Knowing not to put Kachinas or something up there, that's very sacred to our people.
As a social worker, we're taught about working within marginalized communities and bringing our culturally sensitive practice. Not just going in with a colonizer mindset and saying, "This is what I can do. This is what your community needs and should do.” You go in as someone helping them and say, "Where are you at? What do you need me to do or help you do?" And you work within that community with those professionals that already know, and they tell you what they need. As a muralist…I'm not coming into a community and putting my mark and saying I was here. I'm speaking with that community and directly representing [them], and that's very important. You don't just go put something up that has nothing to do with the community. It might be cool, but it doesn't have that meaningful connection. It's not just about putting something pretty up sometimes— it's about what's really needed.
As a Native artist, we're always trying to push back here and reclaim our art and our identity. Especially Santa Fe being the centerplace of native art— with the Indian Market, the Plaza, it can be exploitative. And it has been since it started. But now we're finally getting to a point as a Native artist where we can reclaim our identity and say, "Hey, that's not how we are. Let us show you and tell you and paint our stories ourselves. We're here. We've always been here. We're going to continue to be here and we can tell our stories.” We have that access and ability now to come into these spaces. They all want that Santa Fe art— the Kachinas or a stoic native in the wind, hair flowing. They want the prettiness. But whether I'm doing actual Native designs or not, whatever I make, that's Native art today. It doesn't have to be traditional motifs and designs.
Tell us where we might be able to find your piece!
[My piece] is on Fifth and Central at 505 Food Hall, in the outdoor patio. It's at the corner crossroads, right across from the Kimo Theater, so it's a really nice spot.
Anything else you’d like to tell our audience?
It's important to have Native American authentic representation in the public art field. And that Native art is for everybody to enjoy and to learn. I'm happy to share my art with my community here in Albuquerque and for this experience. It's actually probably one of my biggest and greatest yet!
