Category Archives: art car

Art Car Weekend 2007

dancing queenArt Car weekend is always a great time, and there was no exception this year – the 20th Anniversary year. It started for me at the Art Car Ball which had moved to the Son’s of Hermann Hall on Heights/Yale. There was an “outlaw” ball this year at the Meridian, location of the ball the last few years. I suspect it was because planning had already begun on the Meridian’s part by the time the move was contemplated by the local artists.

There was a bit of rain (which is to say a massive torrential downpour replete with hail) that washed some of the attendees inside and definitely kept down numbers. It was still quite fun, though, and I met some people I didn’t previously know.

stripingFriday morning came early as I met with Big AL to drive one of his two cars in the Main Street Drag. This is a truly fun event that begins early in the morning at the zoo, as cars are divided up into packs of about 10 each and go on different routes visiting schools and hospitals. Two motorcycle police escort each team through town to keep the pack together.

Friday evening the symposium and all around gathering was held at the Art Car Museum with half of Heights Boulevard being blocked off. Several bands play outside. There’s some talks given inside. Some nice fire from cars which is not allowed in the parade. (Mark Bradford was driving/walking his cars around the citgo parking lot belching flames.) Continue reading

Art Car Weekend

George Clinton - Grand MarshallHere’s how the schedule goes, add what you will to your list:

Thursday 7-midnight, Art Car Ball, $15, Sons of Hermann, cheap beer, bring a flask (they sell “set ups” – which of course you don’t need *wink*) (flyer pdf) You don’t need to go to the “outlaw ball” at the Meridian, this is the one to be at!

Friday, 6-9pm, Shop Talk, Art Car Museum, free, The Art Guys lead the “symposium” which will be pure fun. Heights Blvd. will be closed, you’ll have to park and walk. There will be hats with fireworks in them.

Saturday, 10am-1pm, free, Art Car Tailgaiter, preview the art cars lining up on Allen Parkway. This is the best way to check out the cars and meet the artists.

Saturday, 1pm-3pm, free, Art Car Parade. It’s a must! Wear your walking shoe. Bring hydration – beer preferred. If you only do one thing, this is it. 100,o00+ other people will be there, too.

Saturday, 3pm-7pm, After Party, free, Last Concert Cafe. Very likely fun. (flyer pdf)

Sunday, 11am-3pm, free, Art Car Brunch and Awards Ceremony, Orange Show. Prove your hard core art car fan and come out and see how the judging went.

Flower Man

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/features/2088557

I was planning on going to help out on this project. Would have been fun. Damned Flu.

-b

Sept. 8, 2003, 9:21PM
Artistic ‘Flower Man’ gets new house, paint job, too
By ANDREW GUY JR.
Copyright 2003 Houston Chronicle Paint cans sit on the ground, tops popped off, brushes dipping in and out. Sledge hammers lift and fall, crushing the dilapidated columns on the porch and the tile floors in the entrance. Workers scatter, lifting, squatting, brushing, sweeping.

“Yeah!” the Flower Man answers.

The door is painted.

Bright yellow.

“This is the only yellow that will bring out the life of this dead house,” the Flower Man says. “And it brightens up this corner.”

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Art Car 2003 – Free for All

Well, I survived the 16th Art Car Weekend. This was my second year to drive the “Green Mobile”.  It belongs to Beverly Hayes and is a ’73 AMC Hornet.  It pulls an old (really old, like 40s) camping trailer that’s had a giant fin attached to the roof, made mostly of foam.
This year we worked on it to add a Stars and Stripes theme on the fin, with doves that had phrases on them with Green Party values.  Particularly “Peace” was on the larger doves.  That was about 5 days of sweaty work leading up to this years parade.

Thurs – The Art Car Artist’s Ball was in the Franklin Lofts’ Garage at Congress and Main.  My car was oversized so we parked on the unfinished light rail on Main St.  The Garage was fairly narrow compared to the Allen Center garage where they had the Ball maybe 5 years ago.  It’s a little nicer when you could have more people/level. It sprawled for 4-5 levels, so I mostly walked up and down constantly to interact with all the people I knew.

Also, the port-a-pots (which I never used, and the women were horrified of) were some bizarre cut-off version of port-o-pots so they could fit inside the garage.  They would have been much better served had they got some normal ones and hauled them to the top of the garage.  And perhaps left one or two at ground level by the elevators.

Last year it was in a more spread area, and I prefer the wideness to the up-and-down.  It was a good time, though, and $4 St Arnold wasn’t too horrible.  Of course, many people had stashes in their cars, as did I.   But my stash was out on the street.

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