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Council approves Route 66 centennial mural project; Blank Spaces Murals, National Geographic partnership highlighted
Summary
Council accepted a donation and authorized placement of a large mural project called '66 Stories from Route 66' near the 6th Street underpass; the privately funded project will include youth fellows, digital storytelling hosted by National Geographic, and a mural of roughly 400+ feet.
Blank Spaces Murals representatives presented '66 Stories from Route 66,' a privately funded mural and digital-storytelling project developed with youth fellows and partners that include 2892 Miles to Go and the National Geographic Society. Heather Finsterwald and Sean Kennedy outlined a three-part vision: centennial public art, a National Geographic-hosted story map of interviews, and paid internship opportunities for youth.
Project director Shanda O'Neil described preliminary design motifs — Cadillac Ranch paint layers, a West Texas sunset, Big Texan imagery and musical heritage references — and said the installation would occupy both sides of the 6th Street underpass, roughly totaling a little over 400 feet. Kennedy said the location was chosen to connect downtown to historic 6th Street and to slow traffic into a walkable corridor; staff and council requested a line‑art rendering to review before final acceptance, and council voted to adopt the resolution to accept the donated artwork and allow the project to proceed.
