This summer the City of Albuquerque launched the Race, History & Healing Project (RHHP) in response to community concerns about the Juan de Oñate statue on the grounds of the Albuquerque Museum. The RHHP embarked on a months-long community-centered process to provide a space for difficult dialogues about our shared history and to make recommendations for the future of the statue.
More than 1,500 people provided input to the Project, and there was broad representation from the community in terms of gender, race, ethnicity, age, and location (complete demographic data will be available soon). In addition to input about the statue, participants shared insights about values, public space, land, heritage, education, history, and the role of community process.
During a special meeting on October 31, the Arts Board voted 7-2 to support the recommendations from the Project's Community Solutions Table. The Community Solutions Table recommended that the Oñate statue not be returned to the land at 19th & Mountain. They also recommended that the land should be re-envisioned and/or re-contextualized.
In addition, the Community Solutions Table expressed a desire to hear from the living artists to discuss next steps. The Community Solutions Table also expressed the need for continued public dialogue and input as planning and decisions move forward.
These recommendations are expected to appear on the Letter of Introduction to the City Council as early as the Monday, November 16 meeting at 3 p.m. They are likely to be discussed and considered at a future City Council meeting. The November 16 meeting can be streamed here.
