KRЯRL DЯAWINGS: Downtown ABQ Art Walks in Times of Covid 2020

The only thing going on during the Summer of Covid in Albuquerque was the downtown Art Walks. After the George Floyd riot on June 1st, all the businesses boarded up their windows, and later the artists painted on the large plywood surfaces. I documented all the window murals and Art Walks as things will never look like this again.

Evolution of art downtown

during the Summer of Covid

Even the bronze statutes were wearing masks in Decmeber

at 3rd and Tijeras downtown

JUNE

June 1st started off with a riot at midnight, the same moment that Covid restrictions had been loosened up, after two months of hard lockdown since March 24th.

After the George Floyd riot downtown

on June 1st,

all the businesses boarded up their windows

The June 5th Art Walk was a little spooky but spacious, as the streets were closed down, still so soon after the riot.

Boarded up in June

On Monday, June 15th, I sipped a pour-over inside the coffee house. I believe that breweries and coffee houses had opened on June 12th, with limited indoor seating.

That same day, June 15th, someone was shot during the demonstration in front of the Albuquerque Museum, where protesters were trying to pull down the statue of Don Juan de Onate (video).

JULY

The July 3rd Art Walk seemed like it had more people, but less artists than the previous month. Central Avenue was open for traffic.

Still boarded up during the July Art Walk

Jodie Herrera had an opening
at the B Ruppe in Barelas,
where a limited amount of visitors were permitted inside

MURALS

Then murals started popping up all over downtown, painted on the boarded up windows, beginning at least by July 8th:

Then by July 8th,

the boarded up windows

were painted with murals

More July Murals -- Part 1

More July Murals -- Part 2

Downtown Murals on July 19th -- Part 1

Downtown Murals on July 19th -- Part 2

On Monday, July 13th, all the restaurants and coffee houses had closed again by order of the governor, as Covid cases were rising.

Downtown Murals on July 19th -- Part 3

See more pictures:

Many of the businesses have already taken down the boards over their windows about the time I took the last set of photos on July 19th.

The cases of Covid has more than doubled in the downtown zip code in just over a month, from 71 on June 14th, to 156 cases on July 21st.

On July 22nd, President Trump announced Operation Legend, where he sent government agents to Albuquerque, as well as Chicago, Baltimore and Philadelphia.

Someone else's view

and filming of downtown Albuquerque

on July 23, 2020

AUGUST

On Sunday night at 1 AM (technically Monday, August 3rd), all of downtown Albuquerque was blocked off east of 6th street, from Lomas to Silver street (south of Central Ave). I have never seem downtown Albuquerque that shut down. I believe that that stretch of Lomas was also closed on Friday. Apparently they closed it down for fireworks/gunfire during a protest on Sunday night. And I heard that this was a follow-up protest to the one on Saturday night, though the streets were not closed off on Saturday/early Sunday morning.

August 7th was a warm and active Art Walk, as things got back to normal:

August Art Walk

On August 29th, Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham lifted some of the Covid restrictions, so that restaurants could reopen, but only at 25% capacity. I could drink coffee indoors again at Villa Myriam Coffee and Little Bear Coffee.

SEPTEMBER

The September 4th Art Walk was in high gear by the time I got there, after the steamroller printing event. This kicked off Labor Day weekend, and the Covid restrictions had loosened up.

The September Art Walk was packed around 9 PM

We had a steamroller printing event the same afternoon,

at the Isleta Amphitheatre in south Albuquerque

OCTOBER

Perhaps the October 2nd Art Walk was the most active all year:

Likewise the October Art Walk was very active

On October 23rd people had to sign in in order to eat at restaurants, governor's orders.

We had a snow on October 26th, and a big snow on October 27th.

Big snow on October 27th

NOVEMBER

The November 6th Art Walk was very pleasant, but not as well attended as before:

King Karl

at the November Art Walk

Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham imposed another New Mexico lockdown for two weeks, starting Monday, November 15th. I can no longer go to the coffee houses and drink pour overs, not inside or outside.

DECEMBER

We got snow on December 2nd. By then the governor had lifted some restrictions, so that I could drink coffee outside again.