New Mexico Mercury

Warehouse 508, 516 ARTS and The City of Albuquerque Public Art Urban Enhancement Program are celebrating the completion of a 180-foot long mural as part of a collaboration called Heart of the City.  The mural was created by a team of youth apprentices from Warehouse 508 under the direction of lead guest artist Aaron Noble. 

A celebration for the unveiling of the mural will be on Sunday, November 24, 2-5pm with refreshments and a chance to meet the artists.  A local DJ (Gabe from Ace Barber Shop downtown) will be selecting tunes while the curious peruse sketches, photos and ephemera from the project.  The mural and festivities are located at Warehouse 508, 508 1st St. NW, Downtown Albuquerque on 1st Street NW between Roma and Marquette.  The piece is displayed on the south and east facing walls of Warehouse 508 and is visible from the bridge into Downtown on Martin Luther King Blvd and from the Rail Runner and Amtrak trains.

The mural aims to address the Duke City’s future and potential.  According to Noble, “’Quantum Bridge’ embodies my response to the interests and challenges of the young artists of the Warehouse 508 mural program… [and] is a semi-abstract time travel epic with aesthetic roots in comics, graffiti, and hip-hop.” 

Noble has completed mural pieces all over the world and is known for blending comics, collage, and muralism in his large-scale and fine art work.  He is also co-founder of the Clarion Alley Mural Project (CAMP) which facilitates opportunities for artists creating murals on Clarion Alley, a famed artistic street venue in San Francisco.  Noble was a participating artist in 516’s Superheroes: Icons of Good, Evil & Everything in Between in 2011.

According to the art collaborative, Heart of the City, which officially runs February – April, 2014, “will examine the urban environment, exploring art, urban planning, cultural and economic development, education and community dialogue. The project will feature a series of lead artists and apprentices working together to create art projects that explore issues of Downtown Albuquerque and incorporate youth visions for the future.”