The Art Car Spectacle: a Cultural Display and Catalyst for Community Page: 3
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parade, with even more viewing the television broadcast (Blank, 2007). According to
Blank, "This event has inspired hundreds of people to make art cars and attracts an
annual pilgrimage of artists, such as those who formed the art car caravan from the
West Coast" (p. 127). Furthermore, thousands attend additional events of Art Car
Weekend. These gatherings include a party for the out-of-towners, welcoming people
who come from all over the country to participate in the Houston parade; the Art Car
Ball, a party presenting art cars as the guests of honor; the Main Street Drag, where
small groups of art cars caravan to local hospitals, schools, and community centers,
visiting people who would not otherwise be able to experience the parade; Art Car
Sneak Peak, a Friday evening preview of art cars; the Annual Parade Saturday and
illuminated cruise through the streets of downtown Saturday evening; and an awards
ceremony and brunch on Sunday.
As an art car artist, I am one of the individuals inspired by this culture; I saw
features on the news about the annual event and watched the parade from home
several times before joining the community. Art cars were more than something odd
featured on television; I encountered the cars on the streets, in the parking lots of
stores, and at music venues. As an art teacher in the Houston area, I introduced art
cars to my students. But while I was excited by the concept of this "vehicle of
expression," I was not one to defile my own car with a hand-made paint job or affix
something to it, much less remove the body and build one from the chassis up. Perhaps
someday I will have the courage to create a "daily driver," an art car that is the owner's
main mode of transportation. In the meantime, my art car is an additional vehicle, used
solely for art car related activities. My journey from outsider to insider took place in less
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Stienecker, Dawn. The Art Car Spectacle: a Cultural Display and Catalyst for Community, dissertation, August 2012; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc149669/m1/13/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .