This Summer, Two Major Albuquerque Museums Celebrate the 90th Anniversary of the World's Most Famous Street

Albuquerque, New Mexico, May 25, 2016 (Newswire.com) - ​​​​​​​​​This summer, two major Albuquerque museums celebrate the 90th anniversary of the world’s most famous street with exhibitions that will excite Route 66 enthusiasts. Route 66 has a long and varied story that can be explored as a bigger, national picture as well as more specific, local focus. Albuquerque Museum will focus on the culture of “our” piece of the road in the exhibition Route 66: Radiance, Rust, and Revival on the Mother Road. The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History will paint a broad picture of the road “from Chicago to LA” in their exhibition America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66.

Both exhibitions celebrate the art, history and popular culture of the iconic Mother Road. Visitors of the exhibit at the Nuclear Museum will experience a geographical and historical tour of the iconic highway and understand its role as a major pathway for those who migrated west and the communities it helped support. Keystone artifacts include an original Ford Mustang as well as images of classic service stations, motor courts, cafes, public art and more. “Visitors will be transported to a time in history where the open road meant having the wind in your hair and a new adventure at every stop,” said Jim Walther, the Nuclear Museum Director.

Visitors will be transported to a time in history where the open road meant having the wind in your hair and a new adventure at every stop.

Jim Walther, National Museum of Nuclear Science & History Director

Visitors of the exhibit at Albuquerque Museum will be intrigued by the Southwestern leg of the route – “especially the place on the Mother Road where the highway crosses itself,” says Albuquerque Museum’s Curator of History, Deb Slaney. “The re-routing of Route 66 to the east-west alignment was a political scandal, but shaved time and miles off the odometers of road-weary travelers and their automobiles.” Key objects in the exhibit include neon signs from Oden Chevrolet and the El Vado Motel, a set of six Burma shave signs, works of art by Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Ed Ruscha; Roy Rogers’ guitar and cowboy boots, and the cover illustration from Jack Kerouac’s book On the Road.

There’s something new to experience every week at the museums. Both museums will run family-friendly programming throughout the summer, including car shows, movie nights, sock hops, concerts and more. The two exhibitions are expected to draw significant numbers of local and out-of-town visitors who love the drama of the road. They complement events all over the country which will be celebrating our unique relationship with the Mother Road and show the benefits of enjoying – and preserving – this historic landmark. If you plan to motor west this summer, make a full day of it by visiting both exhibitions. 

America’s Road: The Journey of Route 66
May 14 – September 25, 2016
The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
601 Eubank SE, Albuquerque, NM
Open every day, 9 AM – 5 PM
505-246-2137​ or [email protected] 
www.nuclearmuseum.org

The National Museum of Nuclear Science & History is located at the entrance to the Sandia Science & Technology Park. The Museum is a not-for-profit organization. It was chartered by Congress in 1991 to serve as a repository and steward of nuclear-related historical items and is a nationally accredited, Smithsonian affiliate. The Museum Store provides a distinctive mix of products that are a fun and educational extension of the Museum’s mission. 

Route 66: Radiance, Rust, and Revival on the Mother Road
May 14 – October 2, 2016
Albuquerque Museum
2000 Mountain Road NW, Albuquerque, NM
Open Tuesday – Sunday, 9 AM – 5 PM
505-243-7255
www.cabq.gov/museum

Albuquerque Museum is located in the heart of Old Town and has served as the city's cultural center since 1967. Visitors should plan to stop in the Museum Store and the Museum's café, Slate at The Museum. Albuquerque Museum is a division of the Cultural Services Department, City of Albuquerque, Richard J. Berry, Mayor. Supported in part by the Albuquerque Museum Foundation, the museum celebrates the art, history and people of the southwest.

Source: National Museum of Nuclear Science & History