Disturbance is a new interdisciplinary initiative by The Paseo Project and Del Fuego that brings artists, scientists, and community members together to examine wildfire as both a destabilizing force and a generative ecological process. Developed during a pivotal transition year for the organization, Disturbance unfolds as a season-long arc of research, creation, and public engagement, culminating in a community exhibition opening August 28, 2026, and continuing through the fall.

Wildfire is rapidly reshaping ecosystems and communities across Northern New Mexico, the Southwest, and beyond. Once an integral cycle of renewal, fire has become increasingly destructive due to climate change, forest mismanagement, and expanding human settlement in fire-prone landscapes. Disturbance resists simplified narratives of catastrophe, instead inviting artists and audiences to grapple with fire as a complex system—one that holds grief, adaptation, resilience, and transformation in tension.

The project began with an open call that brought together a cohort of artists working across disciplines. Selected artists will participate in a Northern New Mexico–based Fire Ecology Boot Camp, a formative, research-driven convening that paired artists with fire practitioners, ecologists, land stewards, and community knowledge holders. Through shared learning, field visits to burn scars and post-fire landscapes, and sustained dialogue, the boot camp established a common foundation from which new creative work could emerge.

Following this immersive experience, artists will return to their home studios to develop new works responding to the ecological, cultural, and emotional dimensions of wildfire. These projects—ranging from installation and sculpture to media-based and participatory works—will be brought together for the public opening of Disturbance on August 28, 2026, launching a multi-month exhibition and program series in Taos.

Throughout the fall, Disturbance will continue to unfold through community-centered programming, including artist-led workshops, public conversations, youth-focused engagements, educational partnerships, and additional events designed to invite reflection, dialogue, and shared learning. These components position Disturbance as a living platform—one that asks how we understand change, how we live with fire, and how creative practice can help communities navigate an uncertain, climate-altered future.

Disturbance is developed in 2026 as The Paseo Project prepares for the return of the PASEO Festival in a biennial format beginning in 2027, marking a year of deep inquiry, experimentation, and expanded public engagement.