Press Release: Craig Kilgore

Craig Kilgore’s “Before 100: Route 66 Now” Tour Marks Centennial Lead-Up With
Contemporary Look at the Historic Highway

TUCUMCARI, N.M. — As Route 66 marks its 100th year in 2026, documentary photographer Craig Kilgore will
present a two-day installation of his exhibition Before 100: Route 66 Now March 27 and 28 at the Apache Motel
Lobby Gallery from 4 to 6 p.m. each day.

The exhibit will feature framed photographs and limited-edition photo zines (small-format self-published books) drawn from the Route 66 project, including the public debut of Kilgore’s black-and-white New Mexico edition.
Kilgore captured the images during a 28-day drive along the Mother Road in March 2024, traveling from Chicago to Los Angeles and back. The work is part of his long-term photographic series, American Monomyth, which examines streetscapes, signage, and letterforms in corridors shaped by rerouting, reinvestment, and economic transition.

“I wanted to see Route 66 as it exists right now,” Kilgore says. “Not just the legend, but the everyday places.
What’s still standing. What’s changing. What it feels like to move through it today.”
Tucumcari remains one of New Mexico’s most visible Route 66 communities, with historic motels, signage and
streetscapes that continue to define the corridor’s character. Hosting the exhibition at the Apache Motel places the work directly within that landscape.
“The Apache has always been about welcoming people moving along the road,” said Joanne Thompson, owner of the Apache Motel. “What Craig is doing feels similar. He’s paying attention to the journey itself. It’s interesting to see Route 66 reflected back to us through someone who recently drove the whole thing.”

Before 100: Route 66 Now Tucumcari Installed Exhibition
Friday, March 27, and Saturday, March 28
4-6 p.m. each day
Apache Motel Lobby Gallery, 1106 E Route 66 Blvd.
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Additional tour stops include Amarillo, Texas, on March 7; Albuquerque,
N.M., on March 14; Flagstaff, Ariz., on March 19; and Santa Monica, Calif., on March 22. Updates will be shared
via Instagram @AmericanMonomyth.

About The Artist
Craig Kilgore is a documentary photographer whose work explores the American landscape as both lived reality
and cultural memory. With a background in engineering and an MFA in photography and printmaking, he brings a systems-minded perspective to the roadside, focusing on signage, streetscapes and communities shaped by rerouting and economic change. His long-term project, American Monomyth, documents the human landscape and its artifacts. Before 100: Route 66 Now is the project’s current chapter, focusing on the historic highway in the years leading up to its 2026 centennial.
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