WHAT: The exhibit features 22 interpretive panels displaying historic information and images; oral histories from Route 66 in New Mexico; along with artifacts and art. Art activities and film screenings complement the exhibit.
WHERE: New Mexico History Museum, 113 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe, NM 87501
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, August 28-30, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
ACTIVITIES:
Opening day, Friday Aug. 28: Guided school tours.
Saturday, Aug. 29 and Sunday, Aug. 30: Art activities for all ages including car design and license-plate making 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 29: Route 66 Story Recording Station visitors will have the opportunity to record memories connected to Route 66.
Route 66 film screenings throughout both days in the auditorium.
Sunday, Aug. 30 Special screening at 2 p.m. about atomic history on Route 66 followed by a panel discussion.
About the Exhibit
The Route 66 Centennial Traveling Exhibit is the brainchild of documentary filmmaker, Katrina Parks, who devoted 25 years capturing the memories, struggles and triumphs of women whose lives intersect with Route 66 in some way. The videos in the exhibit include snippets of Parks’ acclaimed documentaries and new oral histories she has collected.
Producer and content developer, Kari Kussmann, who developed numerous lesson plans for Assertion Films, also created special activities for kids visiting the exhibit.
MORE INFORMATION Throughout the weekend in conjunction with the Route 66 Centennial Traveling Exhibit, visitors are invited to enjoy free film screenings in the New Mexico History Museum auditorium of the complete three-part documentary series, Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road. The award-winning series explores the lives and contributions of women who helped shape the history, culture, and communities of America’s most famous highway.
- On Saturday and Sunday:
Artist Marla Allison will lead a hands-on Route 66 art activity inspired by the iconic vehicles that have traveled the Mother Road over the past century. Participants will choose from original vehicle illustrations created by Allison, ranging from Model Ts and classic Corvettes to lowriders and Ford Rancheros, then use a variety of art materials to customize and decorate their own designs. This family-friendly activity invites visitors to explore creativity, personal expression, and the many stories that connect people to Route 66. Museum staff will also lead a license plate art activity.
On Saturday:
Join us at our Route 66 Story Recording Station, where visitors will have the opportunity to record personal memories connected to Route 66. If you have photographs, memorabilia, or other objects related to your story, please feel free to bring them along. Interviews will be filmed as part of an ongoing effort to document and preserve the history and experiences of Route 66 communities as part of this public history project.
On Sunday:
screenings of the Route 66 series will continue, with a special program at 2:00 p.m. featuring a preview of a new documentary by filmmaker Katrina Parks. The film explores the Atomic Legacy on Route 66 through the story of a Navajo Nation community seeking environmental justice after decades of uranium mining and the continuing legacy of the 1979 Church Rock Nuclear Disaster.
Following the screening, a panel discussion from 2:30 to 3:15 p.m. will feature members of the Red Water Pond community, filmmaker Katrina Parks, author and journalist Sharon Niederman, and Kaisa Barthuli, Retired Program Director for NPS Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program exploring the lasting impacts of the nuclear age in the American Southwest and ongoing efforts to restore and protect affected communities.
WHO The panel of speakers on Sunday August 30 (only) includes:
Exhibit director/filmmaker Katrina Parks;
Sharon Niederman, NM award-winning Southwest author and photographer;
The Red Water Pond Community Association Navajo Nation including Edith Hood, Bertha Nez and Jennifer Nez.