The Other Route 66: 100 Years of People, Identity, and Place in Albuquerque
June 6, 2026 - January 3, 2027
November 11, 2026 marks the centennial of Route 66, a road often celebrated as a symbol of freedom and the American dream. Stretching across seven states and over 2,400 miles, Route 66 carried millions of travelers, hosted countless small businesses, and became a site of encounter, displacement, and settlement. Yet the story of this iconic highway is far from uniform, and each path it crosses has its own story to tell. The Other Route 66: 100 Years of People, Identity, and Place in Albuquerque invites visitors to explore these layered narratives. This exhibition centers the lives of those who traveled, worked, and lived alongside the road, including stories often left out of mainstream accounts: migrants seeking opportunity, communities shaped by segregation and commerce, and the individuals whose identities were forged at this intersection of movement and place. This exhibition is supported by the Mellon Foundation.
Media Coverage
Albuquerque Museum receives grant to launch exhibition Route 66, KRQE News, 2/13/26
Route 66, 'A Linear Museum Stretched Across Eight States,' Turns 100, New York Times, 4/14/26
Albuquerque Museum's Route 66 Exhibition, ¡Colores! Season 32, Episode 13, 5/23/26
'Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me': 6 essential stops along Route 66, CNN, 5/28/26
3 Ways to Celebrate Route 66, New Mexico Magazine, 6/3/26
New Albuquerque Museum exhibition explores Route 66 through a local lens, Albuquerque Journal, 6/4/26
New Exhibition at Albuquerque Museum Reveals the Realities of Traveling Route 66 as a Black Person, Pasatiempo/Santa Fe New Mexican, 6/5/26
Albuquerque Museum opens Route 66 exhibit showcasing the untold stories of the Mother Road's Creation, KRQE News, 6/12/26
The Other Route 66 exhibits honors 100 years of the Mother Road, KOAT, 6/21/26
Albuquerque Museum takes a road trip along The Other Route 66, The Paper., 7/15/26
Public Programs
Thursday, September 17, 5 - 8:30 pm
Free event: Third Thursday, Celebrate The Other Route 66 with an evening of art, performance, and storytelling. Experience a series of pop-up performances throughout the Museum, including original poetry by former Albuquerque Poet Laureate Anna Martinez, an excerpt from a new opera inspired by stories of migration along Route 66, and a new theatrical performance created by students in response to The Other Route 66 exhibition.
Saturday, September 19, 2 - 3 pm
Immersive Opera: The Migrant Highway is a collection of operettas based on migrant stories that took place along Route 66. Each of the five stories shown takes a peek at the lore and cultural impact of these 2,448 miles of road. Join a duo of soprano Lucianna Astorga and tenor Curtis Storm as they depict each story alongside a chamber ensemble. This program travels through several galleries, this is not a seated performance. This project is supported in part by Creative West, which receives support in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
Sunday, September 27, 2 pm
Talk: "History of the Indian Detours," by Kathleen Dull, Librarian and Archivist, Fray Angélico Chávez History Library at New Mexico History Museum.
Sunday, October 18, 12 - 4 pm
Car show: “On a Sunday Afternoon,” lowrider car show in the Albuquerque Museum parking lot featuring lowered cars, trucks, bicycles, motorcycles, and more. Get to know the people and families who build and drive these works of art. Music, entertainment, food, and vendors all afternoon.
Sunday, October 25, 2 pm
Talk: "Headlights on the Mother Road: A History of the Fireballs," by George Tomsco, founder of The Fireballs.
Sunday, November 8, 2 pm
Talk: "Neon along Route 66," by John Meier, owner of the Classical Gas Museum, Embudo, New Mexico.
Sunday, November 15, 2 pm
Staged reading of the acclaimed play, Mother Road by Octavio Solís, directed by Mónica Sánchez.
In Mother Road, Solís reimagines the world of The Grapes of Wrath for today. William Joad's search for an heir leads him to the last surviving descendant of Tom Joad: Martín, a young Mexican American whose existence challenges everything he believes about family and identity. Their road trip from California to Oklahoma becomes a journey through the United States’ past and present, toward a new vision of what the country could be.
Octavio Solís, originally from El Paso, Texas, is a preeminent contemporary playwright, author and director. With work that both draws on and transcends the Mexican-American experience, he defies formula, while examining the darkness, magic and humor of humanity with brutal honesty, a virtuosity of language and an intrepid imagination. Mónica Sánchez returns to Salón Ventana after directing a standing-room-only presentation of her play-in-progress, The River is a Scar that Sometimes Bleeds Water, in March 2026.
Thursday, November 19, 5 - 8:30 pm
Free event: Third Thursday, Route 66 Dance Party.
Sunday, December 13, 2 pm
Talk: "Route 66 Travelers and Tribes 100 years," by Shawn Price, Tradition Keeper and Director of the Dine'Tah Navajo Cultural Program.
Image: Brooks Studio, Wrecked Cars at Oden Motors, 1936, Albuquerque Museum, gift of Channell Graham, PA1978.152.016