Is it Kitsch? Camp? or Fine Art?
Glimpses of Indian Life
Making it Local
Authenticating the Inauthentic
Secularizing the Sacred
Mixing High and Low
Yearning for the Past

Route 66
Tourist Icons: Native American Kitsch, Camp, and Fine Art Along Route 66 celebrates the 75th anniversary of the first transcontinental highway connecting the industrial Midwest of Chicago, Illinois, with Santa Monica, California, in the Land of Sunshine. deer

This investigation focuses on the souvenirs sold in New Mexico along Route 66, and the terms used to describe them. The exhibition asks why these forms of popular culture are so fascinating or so objectionable.

Local entrepreneurs produced diners, tourist courts, trailer parks, service stations, and roadside attractions to meet the needs of tourists along the "Mother Road." Along with these facilities flourished a thriving market for souvenirs reflecting local perspectives.

 
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