This series of pothole flower installations and disposable images confronts the visible neglect and lack of upkeep at Santa Fe University of Art and Design. Year after year, I watched the campus deteriorate as potholes expanded in size and depth—left unaddressed, despite posing both practical and symbolic concerns around care, safety, and institutional responsibility.

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The title, Don’t Forget US SFUAD. – Potholes, speaks to a growing disconnect between the institution’s priorities and the lived experience of its students. While attention was often directed toward ambitious or performative projects, the fundamental maintenance of shared spaces was overlooked. 46 total potholes, varying in sizes around 1' - 5.5' wide and 1" - 6" in depth, were found around the entirety of the campus roads. These potholes became markers of that neglect—small but persistent reminders of what was being ignored.

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In collaboration with fellow student Omar Lazri, we transformed these sites of disrepair (view map at the bottom of this webpage) into acts of protest using nature and artistic intervention. By installing flowers, imitation caution tape, and handmade signage directly into the potholes, we were able to restore them as spaces of beauty, visibility and disruption. By inserting life into neglect, the work invited pause, reflection, and a reimagining of what care could look like within an institutional space.

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Rather than forcing people to navigate around these hazards, we chose to engage them—turning obstruction into invitation. The installations functioned as both critique and offering: a call for accountability, and a demonstration of attention.

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One month after the initial intervention, 16 major potholes on campus—large and small—were filled. What had long been ignored was finally addressed. Not to its entirety, but an acknowledgement no less was reward enough, paving way (literally and figuratively) for new conversations about the upkeep and safety of our campus between the students and its administration.

 

This outcome underscores the power of art and nature as tools of protest, capable not only of exposing neglect, but of provoking tangible change.

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outdoor installation