City Dedicates “Vision Zero” Mural at Expo New Mexico
June 17, 2023 - Today, Mayor Tim Keller along with leaders from the City’s Department of Arts & Culture and Arts Board, dedicated the newest mural in the Public Art Program’s collection: Vision Zero mural led by artist Andrew Fearnside. The mural, located on the eastern wall of Expo New Mexico along Louisiana Blvd. in Albuquerque, emerged from a community engagement process to create a beautiful and meaningful work of public art as well as to promote the City’s Vision Zero initiative. The City’s Vision Zero initiative is working toward eliminating traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility, and transportation for all.
A team of youth (ages 15-19) who live in the International District, led by Artful Life, created a community outreach plan to develop the mural design. Stories and perspectives of International District residents who live near the mural site were integrated into the design by the youth team working in collaboration with Fearnside.
The mural, commissioned by the Albuquerque Arts Board and Artful Life, features two layers of non-representational patterns, rendered in a palette of saturated purple, deep yellow, turquoise, and salmon. Small cartoons of black and white humanoids rocket through various openings in this patterned backdrop along the life-sized silhouettes of people using the street for a variety of modes of personal transit.
“Our city’s public art not only beautifies and enriches, it can be a catalyst for change; and this is certainly a mural with a message,” said Mayor Tim Keller. “It creates important awareness for the Vision Zero initiative, which has the goal of reducing traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. It’s also a tribute to the people of the International District and their collaborative process of community engagement.”
“I’m hoping that this will kick start some more projects in the future that’ll bring us together to do even more murals,” said Finnegan Parker, youth team participant.
The youth team, local artists, and community members were involved in the design creation and painting of the mural, addressing the high rate of pedestrian and traffic fatalities faced by the International District community.