Арт-Сити, an outdoor art destination that combines large-scale sculpture installations with overnight accommodations, is expanding Tucumcari, New Mexico’s tourism offering by blending cultural experiences with glamping and RV hospitality.
Located on a 40-acre former horse ranch a few miles north of Route 66, the attraction was developed by conceptual artist Matt Monahan, who is professionally known as Matty Mo and has also used the pseudonym “The Most Famous Artist.” The property features a collection of monumental outdoor sculptures alongside accommodations that include RVs, container cabins, and traditional campsites, allowing visitors to stay within the art installation itself.
According to Monahan, the project was conceived as a way to create a new tourism draw for the area while repurposing large-scale artworks that might otherwise remain inaccessible after their original exhibition.
“The vision was to create a destination where monumental art, hospitality, and community could bring a new energy to a place, specifically Tucumcari,” Mo told Travel + Leisure. “I was inspired by places like Marfa and Burning Man and Route 66 … places where imagination, landscape, and pilgrimages collide.”
Monahan, a Stanford University graduate and former Silicon Valley technology entrepreneur, relocated to Tucumcari during the COVID-19 pandemic, where his mother lives. He said the city’s affordability, expansive landscape, history, and creative culture influenced his decision to establish the project there.
Tucumcari has long been recognized as a stop along historic Route 66, with its collection of vintage motels, neon signs, murals, and roadside diners attracting travelers exploring the iconic highway. Art City adds a contemporary attraction to the community by introducing rotating public art installations that complement the area’s existing tourism assets.
The site currently features approximately a dozen interactive sculptures connected by walking trails. Many of the installations previously appeared at Nevada’s annual Burning Man festival before being relocated to New Mexico. Each artwork remains available for purchase, with asking prices reportedly reaching into the six figures.
“A lot of these incredible, large-scale artworks are built for one moment, shown for a week at a festival, then they end up in storage or scrapyards or on private land where very few people get to see them again,” says Mo. “The hope is that Art City gives them a second life, a place where the public can experience them long after that festival moment ends.”
Visitors are encouraged to engage directly with the artwork by walking through, climbing on, and photographing many of the installations rather than viewing them from a distance.
“People can touch and climb and walk through and photograph and physically experience the work, and it becomes memorable in a totally different way,” Mo says.
In addition to overnight accommodations, Art City welcomes day visitors who can explore the sculpture trails and use an on-site spa featuring a wood-fired cedar hot tub and Scandinavian-style sauna.
For owners and operators in the outdoor hospitality, glamping, campground, and RV sectors, Art City illustrates how experiential tourism continues to evolve beyond traditional lodging. Integrating accommodations with immersive attractions, public art, wellness amenities, and destination-specific experiences can encourage longer guest stays, create additional revenue opportunities, and differentiate properties in competitive travel markets.
The project also demonstrates how adaptive reuse of existing assets—including retired event installations—can help create distinctive guest experiences while contributing to local tourism development.
As destinations seek new ways to attract travelers beyond seasonal or pass-through visitation, concepts that combine lodging with arts, culture, and interactive experiences may offer another model for expanding visitor appeal and strengthening regional tourism economies.