Featured artwork by Naomie Njetchou

As we begin to emerge out of the hindrances COVID-19 has brought to our world, streets are starting to fill up with bustling life and vibrant art! Specifically, the Paseo Project Festival, an outdoor art initiative, aspires to create a place for artists to display their work and cultivate a community surrounding local and global art. It supports art businesses and provides exposure for aspiring creators!

Aiming to paint masterpieces on the Taos Plaza (New Mexico) crosswalks, community artists, nonprofits, and volunteers have worked many hours to settle the logistics and schedules needed to complete the project. The crosswalk painting was indeed a symbol of unity and togetherness, filled with bright colors and optimistic imagery. Despite the immense effort put into the piece, the crosswalk was vandalized with bold black and white stripes that swept away these volunteers’ hours of dedication and hard work. The community faced a conflict– should they repaint everything?

Passionate and seeking justice, people won’t let the vivid nature of their town be ruined! Volunteers and artists are coming together once again, wanting to bring the streets back to life with beautiful murals and masterpieces. The Paseo Festival is going to come back bigger and better! After its cancelation in 2020, 2021 is going to be a year of novelty and freshness. The festival is on September 17 and 18, from sunset to 11 pm. Residents and travelers alike will have the opportunity to appreciate the efforts put in by all of the local artists, nonprofit organizations, and event coordinators that turned ideas into reality. This year’s overarching theme is “Transformations,” questioning what has changed as we return to a sense of normalcy. Artists and volunteers are adding their own personal interpretations to collective pieces of art.

Let’s continue supporting local art organizations–our community’s art is representative of the world blossoming back to life. Townspeople are continuing to volunteer and get involved with local works, adding splashes of color to walls and sidewalks to bring back all the joy that has been stuck in our houses!

For more about the festival, visit: https://paseoproject.org/

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