Connect 66 Internet and Sacred Wind Communications decided to save landfills the problem of dealing with old satellite dishes and instead, turned them into pieces of art.
GRANTS, N.M.-If you're driving along historic Route 66, keep an eye open for one of the country's largest tributes to Native American culture.
When Connect 66 Internet, a New Mexico broadband company affiliated with Sacred Wind Communications, ended up with a bunch of satellite dishes they didn't need, they decided to recycle them to look like giant Native baskets. So the eight-foot dishes were wrapped with copies of Native basket paintings and placed along Route 66 in Grants, New Mexico.
"This is the first time that I know about that someone has taken an actual satellite dish and a Native basket design and put those two together," Catherine Nicolaou, with Connect 66 Internet and Sacred Wind Communications, told KRQE-TV in Grants, New Mexico.
They started with one basket, but then put in a call for local artists to present proposals, and picked three to make four more baskets, presenting cash prizes to the artist. And the company hopes to expand to provide even more baskets and local interest on Route 66. The organizers feel the series of wrapped satellite dishes not only displays the talents of artists, but will also help establish landmarks and community gateways.
"The idea is to showcase the unbelievable unique art we have in the area," said Robert Gallegos, Chairman of Cibola Arts Council. "Our plan is to have this be a major tourist attraction that will have people come to our area and explore all we have to offer."
