More than 30 wildly customized art cars will highlight the Aug. 4-5 Kentucky Art Car Weekend.
In many minds, "art cars" hark back to the psychedelically painted hippie-mobiles that carted the flower generation to concerts in the 1960s. Forty years later, those eye-popping paint jobs are still in evidence, but now much of the creativity is expressed through mixed-media artwork with messages that go beyond peace and love — to the point that some sculpted cars would not be recognized as drivable if their four wheels didn’t blow their cover.
It’s a growing subculture, and the popularity of these ornate automobiles is evident in the numerous festivals held around the country in their honor. The fifth annual Kentucky Art Car Week/files/storyimages/(Aug. 4-5), hosted by the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, will feature over 30 cars from around the country and the artists who created them. Among them is guest speaker Nod D’Nal-Teews from Fort Worth, who has been driving his "Caulk-It" van around the country for over 20 years. Rooftop solar collectors power appliances within the van, while a trailer serves as his studio, and together they are covered with more than 300 tubes of caulk.
In the week leading up to the festivities, local and regional artists will work in collaboration to reconstruct a car into a drivable piece of art. The metamorphosis will take place in the Mellwood Arts Center’s studios (1860 Mellwood Ave.), and the public is encouraged to stop in and watch the work in progress. Car "builders" include Cinderblock Gallery owner Scott Scarboro, a local multimedia artist and entertainer, along with Robbie Moriarty, who makes whimsical pieces of jewelry from found and collected objects. Also on hand will be Chris Hubbard, a Kentucky native living in Georgia who is known for mixing themes of good and evil, as he did on his "Heaven and Hell" car. Rounding out the list are C.M. and Grace Kelly Laster, whose "Rockin’ Holy Roller" van has images of Elvis, Loretta Lynn, Johnny Cash, Al Green and Bill Monroe (among others) flanked on one /files/storyimages/by Jesus and on the other by the devil.
On Friday evening, Aug. 4, all of the cars will be on display on the 700 block of West Main Street during the First Friday Trolley Hop. They’ll then take an illuminated cruise to Lynn’s Paradise Cafe on Barret Avenue. The following day will include a workshop for children on building mini-art cars and a car parade through the Highlands.
For information, contact the Kentucky Museum of Art and Craft, 589-0102, or visit www.kentuckyartcarweekend.com.