JanTerm students create award-winning art cars
JanTerm is a good time to try something new. The students in Mark Monroe’s class titled “Driving the Dream,” took their art skills from “zero to 60” in record time as they created very alternative art for entry in the annual Houston Art Car Parade last year.
The class members, not a single one majoring in art, worked to design, plan, and implement the transformation of two vehicles into street legal rolling artworks. “Frankie, The PT Crusher” and “I Keyed My Car” became the newest incarnations in the long history of Austin College Department of Art and Art History mobile art works.
“Frankie” was built on the platform of a ’06 PT Cruiser, donated by Lauren McCaskill ’18, and transformed into a dragon featuring fire and ice imagery. Working in teams, the students used different construction techniques, including painting, welding, sewing, carving, and fiberglass work. Alumnus Johnny Edwards ’93 assisted the students as a visiting artist demonstrating airbrush techniques.
“I Keyed My Car” is a ’98 Ford Explorer covered in keys of different colors and shapes. Heidi Rushing ’04, who worked in the Art Department at the time, had the vision that took approximately 7,000 keys to create the variety of geometric patterns from argyle to zip-zag.
“Driving the Dream” JanTerm students include: Saylor Anderson ’21, Trini Balkaran, Juan Borda ’18, Chace Fulton ’21, Jor’don Jones ’18, Spencer Kelley ’19, David Latiff ’19, Simran Likhari ’18, Kirk Lipsitz ’18, Brycen Martz ’21, Lauren McCaskill ’18, Michael Megenhardt ’21, Jett Peeler ’21, Brooke Reiche ’19, Felix Rivera ’21, Wiley Schuler ’19, and Lucas Slingerland ’21.
- See photos from the parade and see how “Frankie” and “I Keyed My Car” ranked.
