Two Albuquerque museums will launch new Route 66-themed exhibitions beginning Saturday, May 14, to mark the road’s 90th anniversary.
Here’s how the Albuquerque Museum describes the upcoming “Route 66: Radiance, Rust, and Revival on the Mother Road” show:
From her hotly debated beginnings to her decades-long role as a pathway for adventurers, migrant workers, post-war veterans, tourists, hippies and sentimental souls, Route 66 has fascinated and engaged us, and compelled us to follow her beaten, crumbling path. Conceived in honor of the 90th anniversary of Route 66, this exhibition celebrates the art, history and popular culture of the iconic Mother Road.
Too often the history of Route 66 in Albuquerque has been overlooked, even though our city sits at the center of the Southwestern leg of the route and boasts, at 16 miles, the longest single-city urban stretch of the highway in the nation. We are also the only place on the Mother Road where the highway crosses itself! Indeed the very re-routing of Route 66 to the east-west alignment was a political scandal, but shaved time and miles off the odometers of road-weary travelers and their automobiles.
The Alibi newspaper in Albuquerque talked to the curator, who provided more details:
Collections include works of art from lenders across the country including the Autry National Center and the San Jose State University’s Steinbeck Center, as well the collections of the Albuquerque Museum and other New Mexico museums, and private lenders. Key objects in the exhibit include neon signs from Oden Chevrolet and the El Vado Motel, a set of six Burma shave signs, works of art by Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol and Ed Ruscha, Roy Rogers’ guitar and cowboy boots, and the cover illustration from Jack Kerouac’s book, On the Road.
Informative displays will share stories of the road, and visitors will metaphorically travel the road through art, memorabilia, poetry, literature, music, film and television.
There will be many exciting ways for visitors to drive down memory lane. A hands-on component of the exhibit will focus on the family road trip, recreating the experience of traveling in the iconic Teardrop Camper and providing ideas for your own Route 66 road trips. Families can plan to attend a Sock Hop in May and a movie night in June.
The exhibition will run through Oct. 2. The Albuquerque Museum is at 2000 Mountain NW (map here), near Central Avenue, aka Route 66, in the Old Town neighborhood.
Meanwhile, the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History will launch “America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66” the same day as the Albuquerque Museum:
Surrounded by stories, artifacts, music, memorable images and interactive and engaging elements, visitors will experience a geographical and historical tour of the iconic highway, Route 66. […]
“Visitors will be transported to a time in history where the open road meant having the wind in your hair and a new adventure at every stop,” said Jim Walther, Museum Director. “This exhibit will paint a picture of this ‘National Scenic Byway’ and will celebrate the communities that prospered largely due to its popularity; Albuquerque, New Mexico, included.”
This exhibit will display an original Ford Mustang as the keystone artifact alongside artifacts and photographs depicting classic Route 66 service stations, motor courts, cafes, public art installations and more. “America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66” will provide a true historic experience to visitors from all over the world, and local community members will be able to further their knowledge of the iconic road as it plays a part in their daily lives. Whether guests engage in the drive-in theater display and video or contribute to the Route 66 blog and memory sharing activity, there is something for everyone.
The Nuclear Museum also is hosting several car shows through Sept. 25 during the Route 66 show’s run. The museum is at 601 Eubank Blvd., six blocks south of Central Avenue on the city’s east side.
The Alibi also reported the historic KiMo Theatre would screen a series of Route 66-themed movies this summer, but no obvious ones had been posted on the theater’s website as of this time.
(Hat tip to Philippe; video image of El Vado Motel’s neon sign from 1994)