2020 / Field Program Highlights

2020

HIGHLIGHTS: TRANSECTING ALBUQUERQUE

From August through November 2020, artists participating in the Land Arts of the American West program explored Albuquerque through a series of Art & Ecology Field Labs.

During these Field Labs they employed an investigative TRANSECT to guide their movements – starting from the east atop the Sandia Mountains, then down across the city and river valley, and ending at the volcanoes on the westside of Albuquerque. They traversed not only space, but also transected the many environmental, social, geologic, economic, industrial, and political issues present. As a response to these experiences each artist produced a series of works and reflections shared here in a website and as a folded map publication.

Field Lab Sites:

Sandia Peak, Elena Gallegos Open Space, Manzano Open Space/Kirtland Airforce Base, Tijeras Arroyo, National Museum of Nuclear Science and History, International District, The Big-I, The Wheels Museum at the Railyards, Sawmill District, Old Town, Mountain View Neighborhood, Valle de Oro National Wildlife Refuge, Bachechi Open Space, Drinking Water Diversion Dam, Los Poblanos Open Space, Flood Control Infrastructure at Lower Montoyas Arroyo, Rio Rancho Development Boundaries, Petroglyph National Monument, Volcanoes and Escarpment.

Land Acknowledgement:

We acknowledge that we are on the unceded homelands of the Pueblo, Diné, and Apache people. We honor the land itself and those who remain stewards of this land throughout the generations and also acknowledge our committed relationship to Indigenous peoples. We commit to honoring and listening to all life that came before us. We express gratitude for the land, water, and air that sustains us.

These lands hold a history of settler-colonial violence alongside continuous Indigenous resistance and resilience. We see this acknowledgment as an ongoing dialogue that recognizes the displacement of Indigenous people. By recognizing these histories we can foster an environment for all people to feel included and valued.

As artists, we understand that a land acknowledgment is more than a statement, it is an ongoing process—one that informs and alters our practice. We invite you to begin the process of land acknowledgment with these resources:

WHAT UNCEDED HOMELANDS DO I LIVE ON?