El Camino Real/Road of Life Plan

A Plan for Commemorative Artworks Along Albuquerque's 4th Street. This Plan was prepared by an Ad Hoc Committee of the Albuquerque Arts Board that included board members Raymond Quintana, Walter BigBee, Muriel Stephenson and Francie Cordova. Other participants included Francisco LeFebre of the Special Events Division of the City of Albuquerque and John Grassham of the Albuquerque Museum.

Introduction

This Plan is designed to provide structure and guidelines for developing public art works and appropriate memorials along the length of 4th Street within the Albuquerque city limits. At the beginning of the 20th century, 4th Street was officially designated as "El Camino Real" by the New Mexico Highway Department. While the actual Camino Real trail wandered between the Rio Grande and the eastern foothills, depending on seasonal conditions, the designation of 4th Street as El Camino Real by the New Mexico Highway Department sets a precedent for this Plan.

Plan Name: El Camino Real, the Road of Life Heritage Drive

El Camino Real (the Royal Road) describes the imperial Spanish route from Mexico City to the far north. Use of this designation represents the centuries of Spanish influence on New Mexico. In Pueblo tradition however, this ancient trading route was called the Road of Life. The project title, El Camino Real, The Road of Life Heritage Drive seeks to incorporate and honor these two formative influences on Albuquerque and New Mexico history.

Background

Many Albuquerque and New Mexico citizens, together with events and attributes of humanity and of nature have made great contributions to the history and growth of the City of Albuquerque, the State of New Mexico, and indeed the Nation. In order to provide an appropriate way to commemorate these contributions, the Albuquerque Public Art Program proposes to develop 4th Street from the city's northern boundary to its southern boundary, including Civic Plaza and the Pedestrian Mall, as an Avenue of Honor. Imagery of selected contributors to our city, state and nation will be rendered in appropriate public art works, as decided by the Albuquerque Arts Board in cooperation with each project planning committee. Art work will be accompanied by commemorative plaques that describe the contributors' impact on history. These art works are intended to encourage the viewer to study, remember and celebrate these notable contributors.

Commemorative art works will be located along El Camino Real in order to reinforce the historic significance of this Road of Life. For the purpose of this plan, 4th Street has been recognized as El Camino Real. The actual route meandered, depending on season and weather. Within the boundaries of contemporary Albuquerque the route sometimes followed 4th street, sometimes followed the river, and during periods of flood, it may have followed the high road, now well known as Edith Blvd., and other more easterly alternatives.

El Camino Real began in Mexico City and went north through Chihuahua and the present day city of El Paso. From there it proceeded along the Rio Grande, through the Jornada del Muerto, and on to Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos. For the fragile colony of Nuevo Mexico, the road was a life line to New Spain and imperial aid. Yet, even in the 16th century, the route was not new. It followed the ancient trade routes of Native Americans who plied their wares far to the south for millennia before the Spanish arrived. To the puebloans, as to the Nuevo Mexicanos, the Road of Life provided an important source of material goods and creative inspiration.

With the opening of the Southwest to Americans in the early 19th Century, the ancient route became an important extension of the Santa Fe Trail. A new round of trade and settlement flourished in the footsteps of Indian and Spanish settlers. In the late 20th century, in response to the opportunities provided by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the road has been reborn again as an important and strategic trading link between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada.

Recognizing that the road is embedded deeply in both our historic development and the culture of the southwest, the National Park Service is studying El Camino Real for designation as a National Historic Trail and several efforts in New Mexico are focusing on this historic route for purposes of education and tourism.

Mission/Purpose of the Plan

The purpose of the El Camino Real/Road of Life Plan is to create, through the visual arts, an historically accurate sense of New Mexico's experience, and to commemorate individuals, groups and events that contributed to the shaping of New Mexico's cultural history. It is our mission to highlight and celebrate the positive attributes of New Mexicans and their environment.

Efforts to implement the plan will endeavor to provide written and visual information about New Mexico as a community, and about its history. The hope is to educate residents and visitors alike about the meaning of citizenship, especially within the historical context of Albuquerque and New Mexico. Various perspectives of achievements, aspects of the person and interpretations of events which are deemed to be significant and which have impacted the development of New Mexico as a community, will be represented.

Eligibility

A. Nominees of Individuals shall be:

• Deceased citizens of New Mexico, or in the case of early residents, one who has resided in the area which is presently New Mexico (preference given to native New Mexicans).
  AND

• A person who has contributed in a remarkable/marked fashion to the prosperity or betterment of New Mexico.
  AND

• A person who has had an impact beyond the State of New Mexico and/or to a particular ethnic group or segment of society.
  AND

• Contributions in 2 and 3 above cannot have been made for primarily political or financial benefit of the contributor.
  OR

• The action of the Albuquerque City Council to designate a significant individual to be honored is suitable in making that individual eligible, whether the nominee is deceased or alive. If an issue arises regarding this designated individual, as identified by the historian preparing the necessary profile on the individual, the Albuquerque Arts Board may inform City Council of pertinent information before continuing with development of an appropriate memorial.

If an individual or individuals have been honored by the City before this, they may still be included in the Heritage Drive with a new monument or any previous monument may be moved to the Heritage Drive.

B. Nominees of Events, Positive Attributes of Humanity or the Environment shall be:

• Events in history, up to and including the present, which have had major impact on the development of New Mexico.
• Attributes of humanity or the environment that will be considered in the context of each project developed along 4th Street.

C. Grounds for Disqualification: War Crimes, Crimes against Humanity or Crimes against Peace may disqualify an individual, group or events from commemoration. If information related to such crimes is identified by a historian, the information will first be forwarded to the Project Planning Committee which may consider the issue/issues and then forward a recommendation along with the historian's profile to the Arts Board for final action regarding the appropriateness of the individual, etc. for commemoration. If the Board decides to proceed with the commemoration, the issues raised should be identified in the memorial artwork/signage in order that the individual, event, etc. is commemorated fairly.

Solicitation of Nominees and Committee Review

• The selection of those to be so honored could begin with the Albuquerque Arts Board's solicitation of nominees through the media. While names could be submitted at any time, a series of decisions would be made every two years, or more often at the discretion of the Arts Board, on which names, events, or attributes should be added to the "nomination bank."
• Solicitation of names, events and attributes will occur at least once each year. Simple applications will be developed to include a categorization of individuals, events, etc. (e.g., sports heroes, states people, cultural leaders. etc.)
• A sponsoring organization or group must nominate the individual, event or attribute and provide documentation on the individual and their/its contribution to history (this cannot be co-workers, family, relatives, friends, etc.). Local neighborhoods and communities along El Camino can identify an individual or event for commemoration as long as the nominee met other selection criteria.
• The Review Committee will review the nominations. The Committee will include two members of the Albuquerque Arts Board, two historians, a representative of the Mayor's Office, one member of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center and one community/public representative. Individuals, groups of individuals or events should be separated into two groups, one for general appropriateness and the other for those individuals, etc. which may have issues in their lives or in the history of the event which will require additional scrutiny before being commemorated.

Project Development

• The Albuquerque Arts Board will function as the planning committee and jury for projects in the Downtown core which includes 4th Street between Silver and Lomas including Civic Plaza and the 4th Street Pedestrian Mall.
• The planning committees for projects outside of the Downtown core including those in areas with active neighborhood associations will include the user department representative, community representatives, Arts Board representatives, etc.
• The Arts Board staff will present the nominations, or artists' images of those subjects, to neighborhoods along 4th Street and ask them to consider commemoration within the boundaries of their area. If interested, the neighborhoods can respond to the City/Arts Board with a proposal to accept a memorial.
• The selection of honored citizens can could also be related to each specific community site along 4th Street. The Planning Committee/Jury can could choose from the "nomination bank" or identify their own "honored citizen"; this might be, for example, the original founders of the various communities along El Camino such as Los Griegos, Los Candelarias, etc. If a new name is identified, a profile on the individual, group, etc. must be developed and returned to the Project Planning Committee who may forward a recommendation of the Planning Committee to the Albuquerque Arts Board. However, the City would encourage neighborhood associations to consider their civic responsibility to the larger community and therefore consider the names developed and prioritized by the community at-large.
• Additions to this series of commemorative art works will take place in relation to each general obligation bond cycle, perhaps two being added each cycle.
• The works to be sited in the Downtown core shall be more traditional in nature; decisions about the size and medium of an art work to honor each citizen, event, etc. will depend upon funds available, the individual or event to be honored, the site/physical context for the art work, etc.
• Before entering into an Agreement with an artist(s) to create an artwork memorial, the Public Art Program shall commission a respected New Mexico historian to research and document the individual, event, etc., if the Arts Board requests such a study to be made.
• Following the decision of the Arts Board and based upon the historian's profile of the individual, etc., the project shall be developed to acknowledge both the positive and negative achievements of the individual in the interest of fairness and historical accuracy.

The Relation of the Art Work Memorials/Projects to 4th Street

• The installation of various memorials along 4th Street will not represent a continuous, chronological progression in relation to New Mexico's history; however, staff will develop a brochure to be updated periodically which gives detailed information about each project and its context in New Mexico history.
• Both the north and south ends of 4th Street in Albuquerque should be marked by gateways.
• The Albuquerque Arts Board and the Public Art Program shall pursue the development of a project to identify the City's boundaries through Albuquerque history.

Art Work Parameters

• Each project planning committee including the Albuquerque Arts Board, when it functions as a planning committee, will relate its project, art work medium, and theme to the overall plan.
• This Plan allows for both traditional, representational art works and more abstract, contemporary art works to be used in creating memorials.

Planning Implications

• Other Potential Areas for the Extension of this Plan include Bernalillo County, Valencia County and Sandoval County. These counties and the particular communities in these counties should be notified of the development and implementation of this Plan for their consideration of extending the Plan concept into their counties.
• Suggested Planning/Construction Steps to be coordinated with this Plan would reinforce a distinctive character for the Heritage Drive. All projects should be developed so as to provide visual consistency with other projects along 4th Street. This drive should be beautiful so the entire city is proud of it. In time, the pride of those living along 4th Street will be greatly enhanced.
• Paving around commemorative art works (when applicable), sidewalk paving materials, light posts, benches, other street furniture, trees and other landscaping should all be distinctive and consistent for the length of 4th Street.

Plan Review and Modifications

• This Plan will be reviewed for effectiveness approximately one year from the date of its adoption by the Albuquerque Arts Board. It will also be reviewed periodically following the first review.
• The Plan may be modified by a majority vote of the Albuquerque Arts Board.