The first of a series of classic Indiana car sculptures planned for the 96th Street corridor between White River and Keystone Parkway will be displayed for the first time on Saturday during the 15th annual Artomobilia in the Carmel Arts & Design District. The Marmon Wasp sculpture, designed by artist Arlon Bayliss and built by bo-mar Industries, honors the car that won the first Indianapolis 500 in 1911.
Photo provided / artomobilia.org
Artomobilia will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and will feature more than 500 collector cars and enthusiast cars lining Main Street and Range Line Road. The event is free and open to the public. Among the highlights are: Special feature – 75 Years of Ferrari, Porsche-Palooza, Lotus-Palooza and BMW-Palooza. Lotus-Palooza will feature the Lotus 56, a turbine-powered model that ran at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Owners have entered their cars into one of 25 Collector Car Classes and will be judged by event organizers. Awards will be presented for Best in Class, Penultimate (runner-up) and Best in Show, in addition to awards recognizing excellence in presentation, history, and ownership. Awards will be presented at 3:30 p.m. at the Indiana Design Center parking lot.
The Marmon Wasp sculpture will be the public’s first opportunity to see the sculpture that was recently completed. The art piece was inspired in part by the well-known, artfully distorted photo and U.S. stamp that celebrates this priceless car. The abstracted sculpture slants dynamically forward. The open-framed artwork appears to sit only on one rear wheel; its front wheels rise off a pedestal to emphasize speed. The rectangular base features original IMS Brickyard bricks and Indiana limestone, which frames custom signage on each side.
Additional sculptures along 96th Street in Carmel will feature vintage automobiles. One sculpture focuses on the Auburn, Cord and Duesenberg brands. Representatives from the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Museum in Auburn, Ind., will have an information booth set up near the sculpture at Artomobilia for attendees who want to learn more about these cars.
Learn more at artomobilia.org/artoweekend.