“Birds of ‘Burque,” mural in progress by Andrew Fearnside

Artist Vicki Bolen, proprietor of “Little Bird de Papel” on 12th Street and Mountain, travels to art fairs around the country on an annual basis. She longed to host a mural on the walls of her building, not so much for the visibility of her business as to contribute to the visual culture of her neighborhood. We met through the Tiaso Project, an artists’ collective here in Albuquerque, and two years ago began exchanging ideas for a mural. Over time, we discovered a kinship around our lifetime love of textile and paper patterns, including those descending from the Japanese paper trade. Vicki’s business began with a love affair with the origami crane. “Birds of ‘Burque” was born from this kinship. The mural’s design was complete in December 2019; production began in February 2020, and is set to conclude by the end of March.