Grants' public art, galleries celebrate the area, culture

Executive Director Robert Gallegos and Asst. Director Sherri Carattini conduct some of their daily business at the Double Six Gallery in Grants on Wednesday afternoon. The summer art season is nearing and the Double Six Gallery is ready. They currently have several different exhibits on display including artist interpretations of Mt. Taylor and several pieces from local school students. [Photo by Matt Hinshaw/Independent]

By Mike Marino
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Grants loves its art.

It's in the galleries and annual festivals, like PAH Fest, and many locations feature the art and crafts of Native American culture. Although much of the art is featured indoors at a variety of locations, a great deal of art is out on the streets.

Public art celebrates creativity through murals and mosaics from the parks and riverwalk to the length of Santa Fe Ave. The best part is that this outdoor gallery is nestled in a larger more natural gallery composed of nature's own wonders of mountains, cliffs, caves and lava tubes.

The crown jewel could well be the sculpture "Fire and Ice" which sits prominently on the grassy knoll just east of the post office parking lot on Santa Fe Ave. Created in 1998 by Howard and Kathleen Meehan of Santa Fe, its plaque states, "Those nostalgically searching out the Mother Road will find that Route 66 is only one aspect of this communities rich past. Grants is a gateway to exploration in the Land of Fire and Ice. Dinosaurs to the Puebloan ancestor from the arrival of Spanish explorers to the Grant brothers who built the railroad. Inspired by local geological formations such as La Ventana and the Ice Caves this sculpture suggests Grants as an intersection of nature, culture and history."

Commissioned by the Cultural Corridors Public Art on Scenic Highways, a project of the Art in Public Places Program in cooperation with the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department and the City of Grants. Reminiscent of Stonehenge, it's roughly two stories tall with arches, rich in aged patena. Tiles surround the base perimeter of the sculpture that indicate historic events and dates in the region including decorative Route 66 tiles and even a horseshoe.

There is an elk sculpture in the park near the library that drinks stoically from the shore and the riverwalk is a mosaic masterpiece for leisurely strolls. Grants also has a tribute to the veterans of the Vietnam War at Friendship Park that is a collective creation of honor, glory and marble. Other sculptures and creations dot the parks and public spaces and await your discovery.

Art also reminds visitors that Cibola County has the longest unbroken stretch of Highway 66 in New Mexico. A delightful mural on the wall of the Cibola County Detention Center captures people's attention, and the Route 66 Motorcycle Shop on Santa Fe Avenue has an "easy rider" tribute on the east wall that was painted by Felix Tom in 1999.

The King of Rock n' Roll is on the west wall of the old Bush Political Headquarters Building at the west end of town on Santa Fe Avenue. At night, people can cruise "Old 66" downtown and take in the neon glitz of the old motel and movie theater signage.

Grants is also home to the Cibola Arts Council, and there is also a wonderful gallery of fine art at The Mission Gallery and Coffeehouse; however, anyone who wants to enjoy art 24/7 and can appreciate real pedestrian art in a natural environment then just take it to the streets of Grants.