Art Cars are back! The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is thrilled to announce the long-awaited 35th Annual Houston Art Car Parade Weekend presented by Team Gillman will take H-town over April 7-10, 2022 following a two- year hiatus due to COVID-19. The Orange Show’s signature event – Houston’s most iconic and beloved annual celebrations – returns with a vibrant lineup of events and activations that will celebrate and showcase over 250 mobile masterpieces from across the country and engage the public with opportunities to express their personal artistic vision.
Team Gillman, one of Houston’s oldest and most established auto retailers, has taken the lead as the presenting sponsor for Houston Art Car Parade Weekend 2022, marrying two of the city’s most recognizable brands and continuing the tradition of honoring Houston’s creative and entrepreneurial spirit. Through Team Gillman’s support, the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art will continue to provide Houston with the world’s oldest and largest celebration of its kind in addition to programming ongoing arts education and outreach to spark creativity in young minds across the region.
This year, the Houston Art Car Parade presented by Team Gillman is dedicated to the late Ann Harithas, a leading figure in Texas’ art community whose efforts to support and create new arts organizations impacted generations of Texas artists and creatives. The Houston Art Car Parade’s grand prize will be permanently named the Ann Harithas Legacy Award and given out annually at the Art Car Awards Ceremony. Harithas was an artist, collector and curator, who is credited with organizing one of the first public exhibitions of Art Cars in Houston in the early 1980s, resulting in a wave of Art Cars being seen on Houston streets.
Thirty-five years since it started in 1986 as a small gathering of 20 artists and a little over a thousand fans, Houston’s Art Car Parade maintains its place as one of the city’s largest free public events, drawing hundreds of thousands of curious spectators to see, hear and revel in the magic of Art Cars. This year, the annual Spring event will feature a large contingent of ‘slow, loud, & bangin’masterpieces – slab cars born out of Houston’s unique contribution to American car culture whose notoriety over the past decade has brought it to the forefront of popular culture – and more than 100 new and never-before-seen Art Cars from around the country like Riders, bike and skater groups, wheeled contraptions, bejeweled roadsters and custom-crafted classics along with the fur-covered, metal-modified, fire-breathing varieties.
Through the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art’s partnership with Houston Independent School District (HISD), Art Car Weekend will also continue its tradition of integrating Art Car-related programming into the curriculum of select schools throughout the district, resulting in dozens of participating schools and youth groups who have designed and built art cars under the instruction of their teachers or mentors.
The complete lineup of Art Cars will be available on the Houston Art Car Parade website – www.thehoustonartcarparade.com in advance of Houston Art Car Parade weekend. A few additional key points include:
- The 2022 Houston Art Car Parade Weekend presented by Team Gillman co-chairs are Libbie Masterson and Mark Sullivan.
- Thisyear’s Art Car “Icon” is the Hot Wheels Knight Draggin’TM, designed by Mattell, Inc’s Design Director of Hot Wheels & Matchbox Die-Cast Bryan Benedict. To learn more about Knight Draggin’TM visit https://www.thehoustonartcarparade.com/art-car-icon.
- The Orange Show Center for Visionary Art is hosting two pre-parade weekend Art Car / Art Bike Workshops led by expert art car artists and designed to offer skills training to individuals or groups that are interested in learning how to build amazing Art Cars or Art Bikes. The first day-long workshop will take place on February 26thwith opportunities to learn welding, foam sculpture, and LED light The second will take place on March 12th and is a BYOAC (bring your own Art Car) group build day. Information about both workshops can be found at www.thehoustonartcarparade.com/art-car-workshops.
- Participating Art Cars who wish to be entered into the judging portion of the Houston Art Car
2019 First Place Art Car Winner “Pride & Joy: A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan” by Heights High School and Rebecca Bass. Photo by Morris Malakoff.
Parade will be judged by Marilyn Oshman (Orange Show Center for Visionary Art Founder), Billy Cohn (Executive Director, Johnson & Johnson Center for Device Innovation), Pete Gershon (Author, Historian, and Curator of Programs at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art), Will Robinson (Builder, Furniture Designer, Car Restorer and Custom Carmaker), Bryan Benedict (Design Director of Hot Wheels & Matchbox Die-Cast, Mattell, Inc.), and others to be announced.
The four-day long celebration includes a variety of opportunities – both free and ticketed – to engage with art cars and their owners at locations across Houston. The following outlines each of the 35th Annual Houston Art Car Parade Weekend events.
THURSDAY, APRIL 7
The Main Street Drag – 9am
Designed to “bring the parade to the people,” the Main Street Drag is an opportunity for Art Cars and their artists to visit schools, hospitals, nursing homes, developmental facilities, and other locations where its residents or attendees may not be able to participate in Houston Art Car Parade Weekend events on their own. A series on “mini parades” will make their way to these locations and the artists will be able to spend time showing off their Art Car, answering questions, and giving guided tours.
Sneak Peek at Discovery Green – 6pm-10pm – Discovery Green, 1500 McKinney St., Houston, TX 77010
Officially kicking off the public viewing opportunities of this year’s Art Cars, the Sneak Peek at Discovery Green lines downtown Houston’s iconic park with nearly 100 art cars and encourages individuals and families to stroll through the promenade and get a first look at what’s new this year. Held in conjunction this year with Discovery Green’s UHD Thursday Night Concert Series, guests will enjoy music from American Idol contestant Ren Patrick on the Anheuser-Busch Stage, as well as some exciting Art Car-themed programming on the Grace Event Lawn. FREE to attend.
FRIDAY, APRIL 8
The Legendary Art Car Ball – 6pm-11pm – The Orange Show World Headquarters, 2401 Munger St., Houston, TX 77023
Often considered the wildest and most colorful party of the year, The Legendary Art Car Ball draws thousands of art and music- loving attendees on the eve of the parade to celebrate with a night of live performances, art installations, elaborate costumes, and hundreds of awe-inspiring illuminated art cars. This year’s Art Car Ball brings the festivities back to the incredible Orange Show World Headquarters, and will feature Austin’s avant-garde space Jazz ensemble Golden Dawn Arkestra, as well as the world premiere of The Suffers’ Kam Franklin’s newest project Bayou City Comeback Chorus. In addition, performance art from Ms. YET and the Renegade Carnies, immersive projection art from INPUT/OUTPUT, as well as sounds from DJ Boogie Soul and Houston’s A.S.S. will thrill and amaze. Tickets start at $35 and are available at www.thehoustonartcarparade.com
The Suffers perform at the 2021 Art Car Experience at the Orange Show World Headquarters. Photo by Emily Jaschke.
SATURDAY, APRIL 9
The Starting Line Party – 11am – Allen Parkway @ Heiner St.
Live music, food, drinks, and some great sponsor activations are in store for guests attending The Starting Line Party. Sponsored by Splice Records, it’s a great opportunity to see some up-and-coming musical acts and grab a prime spot on the parade route, and enjoy a selection of beverages and food trucks. FREE TO ATTEND.
The Kids Zone at Sam Houston Park – 11am – Sam Houston Park, 1000 Bagby St., Houston, TX 77002
Located in beautiful Sam Houston Park on the edge of downtown Houston and at the very front of the parade’s starting cars, the Kids Zone features an array of creative activities for both kids and adults alike from community partners .
Whether its designing and creating your own miniature art car, participating in a community mural project, learning how an art car is made, or enjoying some family-friendly entertainment, the Kids Zone is a perfect spot to start off parade day! In addition, reserved bleacher seats adjacent to Sam Houston Park with great views of the parade are available for purchase in advance or on site. FREE TO ATTEND.
The VIPit Experience at Hermann Square – 12pm – Hermann Square at City Hall
Join the 2022 Houston Art Car Parade Weekend presented by Team Gillman co-chairs Libbie Masterson and Mark Sullivan for the ultimate viewing party and the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art’s largest fundraiser during parade weekend, The VIPit Experience. Centered on the grounds of Hermann Square in the shadow of City Hall, the VIPit Experience offers guests incredible views of the Houston Art Car Parade as it rolls through Downtown. Included in tickets is a gourmet lunch from some of Houston’s best restaurants, delicious cocktails, pre-parade entertainment, a kids creative area, live parade commentating from notable Houston personalities, and nearby reserved parking. Individual tickets start at $175, reserved tables start at $1,500, and reserved grandstand sections start at $2,000 and are available at www.thehoustonartcarparade.com.
The 35th Annual Houston Art Car Parade presented by Team Gillman – 2pm – Allen Parkway and downtown Houston
For the 35th year, the Houston Art Car Parade will roll through the city’s streets, greeted by thousands of eager fans cheering on the close to 250 entries. The parade’s official start is at Dallas St. (inbound Allen Parkway) & Bagby St., where it will head into downtown, taking a left onto Smith St., circling around City Hall onto Walker St., then cutting a left onto Bagby St., and finally taking a right onto Lamar St. (outbound Allen Parkway). The parade will continue along Allen Parkway until dispersing at Waugh Drive. As always, the parade is FREE TO ATTEND.
Mayor Sylvester Turner rides in the 2019 Houston Art Car Parade. Photo by Morris Malakoff.
Attendees are encouraged to get to the parade route early to grab their spot, and take part in beverage and merchandise stations dotted along the route, as well as food trucks, sponsor activations, entertainment, and more. The checkered flag is waved at 2pm, and the parade will last approximated two hours, with Allen Parkway and downtown streets opening back up at 5pm. Parking can be found in parking garages downtown (visit www.downtownhouston.org/parking for a list of nearby garages), or on side streets along Allen Parkway.
SUNDAY APRIL 10
The Houston Art Car Parade Awards Ceremony – 12pm-2pm – The Orange Show World Headquarters
Over $15,000 in prizes, as well as an elaborate display of hand-made trophies, are distributed to Art Car artists in various categories whose entries received the highest marks from the team of judges. The Ann Harithas Legacy Award, the most prestigious award of the year, will be given out for the first time this year and will continue to be an annual award for years to come. The public is invited to join the 2022 Art Car artists for the Awards Ceremony and see if their favorite entry is a winner!
Joining the 2022 Houston Art Car Parade judges team are Orange Show Center for Visionary Art founder and Chairman Emeritus Marilyn Oshman, famed cardiac surgeon and Executive Director of the Johnson & Johnson Center for Device Innocation Billy Cohn; author, historian and Curator of Programs at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art Pete Gershon; builder, furniture designer, car restorer and custom carmaker Will Robinson, Design Director of Hot Wheels & Matchbox Die-Cast for Mattell, Inc Bryan Benedict, and more. FREE TO ATTEND.
For photos of previous Houston Art Car Parades, visit https://bit.ly/34msNtI
For up-to-date information includes schedules, announcements, photos, and opportunities for volunteering, sponsorships, and more, visit www.thehoustonartcarparade.com