Movin' and Cruisin': CarTunes Now on Display

A CarTune in front of the Hazen Pingree statue in Detroit's Grand Circus Park

Chicago had cows. Cleveland had guitars. And now, Detroit has cars.

CarTunes on Parade, the MotorCity's take on the public art display that caught fire in a number of U.S. cities during the past decade, took to the streets of Detroit and Windsor last week.

Aptly called Movin' and Groovin', this year's sculptures are based upon Detroit's rich automotive history and its Motown roots.

Compromised of more than 115 sculptures with names like the Respectobile and Motown Gold, the idea for the dual-city art display is credited to the Windsor Endowment for the Arts, a public Canadian agency created to maintain and promote the arts in Canada's southernmost city.

Designed to beautify and enrich the streets of Detroit and Windsor, as well as to increase tourism amongst them, this year's CarTunes event is the first of its kind between two international cities.


A CarTune that was on display at the 2005 Auto Show

Scattered throughout downtown Detroit on its riverfront, throughout Campus Martius Park, and in the Midtown area, each CarTune's end-design is the product of one or more local artists, including a few that were designed by Detroit-area art students.

CarTunes on Parade lasts through the end of September. On October 26, the Tunes will be auctioned off at a special event hosted at GM's Wintergarden. Proceeds will be split amongst the designing artist(s), charities of the winner's choice, and either the Windsor Endowment for the Arts or the YMCA of Metro Detroit's YArts program.

For more information on CarTunes, check out my February 15 post on this topic, or visit the Parade Company's website.