International District

In the spring of 2023 I took a road trip on Route 66 to research and explore underrepresented communities on the Mother Road. When I arrived in Albuquerque I meet with anthropologist Donatella Davanzo and she gave me a detailed description of the health of business along Route 66 in New Mexico. She told me to take a drive along Central Avenue (Route 66) in Albuquerque at night and take the pulse of the road. She said I could get an idea of how the business are doing by seeing how many neon signs were on. As I reached the end of Central Ave I noticed that the International District did not have a neon sign despite many business being open at night. Neon Signs are ubiquitous to Route 66 and the signage is a way to attract customers.

I debriefed with the National Trust for Historic Preservation (sponsor) upon returning to New York City and told them about how their was an opportunity to help the International District in Albuquerque attract customers by building them a beautiful neon sign. After a few weeks of discussion we engaged with the mayors office and some local community groups to get their tie-in and support. They we're very excited about the possibility of collaborating and we ended up applying for the National Endowments for the Arts Our Town Grant. If we get the grant we will engage with local artist to build a neon sign for the area.