A new group art exhibition will open at the South Broadway Cultural Center Gallery, a satellite of the Albuquerque Museum, with a public reception from 5 to 7 p.m. on May 28. The show, titled At the East of My Past and the West of My Future and curated by multidisciplinary artist Watermelon7, will run through July 17.
The exhibition brings together work from 14 artists who use Albuquerque’s Big I interchange as a central theme to explore ideas of movement, identity, memory, and transformation. Organizers say the project draws inspiration from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road and U.S. Route 66 while reflecting on both individual and shared journeys within Albuquerque’s changing cultural landscape.
“Just as Robert Johnson’s Delta blues lamented the weight of decision at the crossroads, so too does this exhibition dwell on those pivotal, haunting moments when personal and collective histories meet the unknown,” explains Watermelon7. “The Big I, reimagined through each artist’s lens, emerges as a symbolic portal where ghosts of travelers past mingle with visions of future possibility.”
Watermelon7 was raised between Michigan and Isleta Pueblo and is of Isleta Pueblo, Diné, Sapponi, and African American heritage. His background in muralism, graffiti art, music, dance, and community-based arts practices informs his approach to curation. Since joining graffiti culture in the early 1990s he has used art for social dialogue across communities.
Each participating artist incorporates imagery or themes related to the Big I interchange into their work—ranging from paintings to mixed-media pieces—using it as a meditation on passage and place within Albuquerque. The show also connects with local history such as Route 66 heritage alongside contemporary creative movements in neighborhoods like South Broadway.
Albuquerque has served as a cultural landmark through venues like KiMo Theatre which foster community gatherings and artistic expression over decades; this is outlined on the theater’s history page. The city features structures blending Pueblo Deco architecture built for entertainment since its founding years.official page Its influence extends across nine districts shaped by developments such as arrival of railroads,according to the city’s timeline while governance is managed under an elected council system.official website
Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with admission free for all visitors.
