In 2013 I began working with Littleglobe (now Artful Life) a communtiy arts non-profit. “Artful Life partners with local, national and international communities to create rigorous artistic works that create meaningful relationships, empower individuals and communities and reflect the power of our social imagination."
Morning Glory was one part of the neighborhood revitalization project Stories of Route 66: International District, engaging residents of Albuquerque’s International District in collaborative art, creative placemaking, community development and transforming neighborhood spaces. BJM was asked by the ID66 ensemble to lead the Morning Glory project and worked closely with artist Nina Dubois (lead on design and fabrication), Valerie Martinez director of Artful Life, the International District Community, the UNM sculpture program and many others. The design was developed and executed based on a seven month long process of collaboration with the ensemble that included learning about public art, sharing ideas of sanctuary, creative activities, making drawings and dreaming of a monument for the neighborhood. Finally, three models were made based on community input and of the three, the ensemble voted for Morning Glory. Morning Glory has a permanent home on Route 66 in front of the Sundowner a low-income housing and community center. 2014-2017
Watch some of the ID ensemble dance here. Set to a song by local band A Hawk and a Hacksaw.
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Stories of Route 66 is a long-term arts and community development project in the International District (ID) of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the most ethnically diverse legislative district in the state.
There are 47 languages spoken in the International District and it is the epicenter of refugee settlement in the state of New Mexico. The ID is also home to native New Mexican families and residents who are African-American, Asian-American, Middle Eastern, Latin American, Mexican-American and Cuban. The district is dotted with ethnic restaurants and features several cultural festivals each year. At the same time the district is also facing a range of critical challenges—high poverty and unemployment rates and crime at three times the national average.
For seven months, each Sunday, a multidisciplinary artist team worked with over 130 community members (ages 5-75, from 7 countries speaking 8 languages). Starting with smaller works of collaborative art, this community ensemble then co-envisioned and co-created five works of art, film, and performance that premiered at a large community festival in July of 2014. Over the span of this project, the ensemble community (without the artist facilitators) voted on the direction of all of the projects.
