ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – A new public art mural was unveiled on Friday in downtown Albuquerque adding color and dimension to Bernalillo County’s headquarters at Alvarado Square. Standing at 123 feet tall, the mural titled “Windforms” is officially the tallest mural in New Mexico featuring a vibrant design meant to reflect the beauty of Albuquerque’s landscapes.
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Artist Ivan Depeña said his goal was to integrate the piece seamlessly into the building’s architecture. “What we really wanted to have the mural do is be sort of an inspirational moment to provide some color to the city and enhance the skyline. It was on top of our list of goals and aspirations for the project,” said Depeña.
The design features a wide array of colors inspired by the Albuquerque skies, the Rio Grande, the Bosque, and the Sandia Mountains. It took Depeña and his team over 6 months to create the art piece. 45 of those days were spent painting the design on the outside of Alvarado Square. “It’s an honor actually to be part of something that’s of this magnitude and scale in the city so you know, there obviously some nervousness that goes along with creating something that’s permanent and seen by the public on a daily basis but at the same time it’s also an honor and it’s exciting to be apart of the culture in the city,” said Depeña.
The $200,000 in funding for the “Windforms” project came from the county’s Art in Public Places Ordinance. At night the mural has large LED lights shining on it which turn the 2D display into a 3 dimensional animation.
Earlier this year, county commissioners approved an increase in the amount of funding that goes toward the Art in Public Places Ordinance, from 1% to 1.5% of county improvement projects.
