Barelas Art Walk
Spring 2021
PROGRAM: Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Planning and Design
STUDENTS: Hsaing (Albie) Wen Huang, Alex Hendrin, Erin Luther, Sairis Perez-Gomez, Willa Correia-Kuehn, Matthew Denis, Amber Rivera, Brandan Jew, Esmeralda Mendoza, Maggie Schneiderman, Inis Ware
INSTRUCTORS: Theodore Jojola
The project is focused on how visitors gain access to significant places in the Barelas community and to define its values and the design challenges within the neighborhood. Barelas is the second oldest community in Albuquerque and its rich culture is reinforced through local culture and life experiences.
Barelas is a place full of deep multi-cultural and multi-generational historical signifcance. Barelas began as an agricultural community in the 17th century, which led to the trading industry, in which the following rise of the railroad industry in the 1880’s had a major influence on. The shift from the railroad industry to the automobile industry in the twentieth century drastically changed the commercial strip and Barelas as a whole. In more recent times, Barelas has been recognized as a community rich in Hispanic culture and heritage. The neighborhood is one which has gone through various changes and cycles over the years, yet all the while has maintained a strong, constant identity. The synthesis of such cycles have recently brought crucial community values to light. These core values have built Barelas’ community, identity and are influencing revitalization and progressive change within the neighborhood.
