ArtCar Fest Caravan Line Up (Photo by Ken Duffy.)

About ArtCar Fest

UPDATED 9/23/11

Thanks to all our fantastic donors we've reached the required Kickstarter goal of $1700.00! The ArtCar Caravan artists are deeply grateful for your support of their creative efforts.

When I set the amount I had to guess at the costs of lodging and fuel for the 12 artists attending. Of course we won't know the actual costs until afterwards, therefore I wanted to mention that we can still raise money up until Kickstarter's October 5th deadline.

I assure you that every single penny donated will go only to the care and needs of the artists as a group. So, please, do keep sharing the info about this special tour and let people know they can still be a part of the wonderful group of humans who support it! Thanks so very much!

Sincerely, Emily

(Want to know who/what/where/when of this tour? Scroll down and read the FAQ.)

Now in its 15th year, ArtCar Fest is a festival for and about ArtCars, which are “daily drivers” that artists have permanently altered in a decorative and sculptural fashion. We “exhibit” our art each time we drive our vehicles to work, to the store, and on the road.

ArtCar Fest is the only festival in California that focuses exclusively on this medium, and the only one created and run by ArtCar artists. The Fest was founded in 1997 by Philo Northrup and Harrod Blank and is directed by Emily Duffy - all of whom are ArtCar artists.

ArtCar Fest Co-Founders Philo Northrup and Harrod Blank, Director Emily Duffy, Jan Elftmann, and a Berkeley police officer. (Photo by Ken Duffy.)

About the ArtCar Caravan

This year ArtCar Fest is a two part event. The first part already occurred in San Jose this past August. The second part of ArtCar Fest 2011 is a mobile exhibition decorating the roads between San Francisco and Southern California. We've been invited to display our artcars at two, free, public events; one in Santa Ana and another in Joshua Tree this October.

ArtCar Fest at a school visit (Photo by Philo Northrup.)

As the ArtCar Caravan travels South, we will visit some of California's folk art sites and roadside attractions. Many of these strange and wonderful places are deteriorating. By bringing our rolling artwork to these special sites we pay homage to the artists who've created them and help bring public attention to their work. These sites are part of California's unique cultural heritage and need to be protected. We'll be photo-documenting the entire caravan tour.

VainVan & Candy Home at Elmer Long's Bottle Tree Forest (Photo by Emily Duffy.)

How You Can Help

Emily Duffy will lead the ArtCar Caravan from the San Francisco Bay Area to Southern California September 28th - October 9th. She has gathered 10 ArtCars for the caravan and, with Fest co-founder Harrod Blank's help, has already raised half the amount needed to pay for the artists' basic traveling expenses (gas, lodging, and food). We need help raising the other half to make this unique public art tour a success. Donations of any size are greatly appreciated. Thanks for your interest in this project.

Drala Dragon Wagon by Bruce Bjerke (Photo by Ken Duffy.)

Please consider joining our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/21581364123/