Cadillac Ranch
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| - | '''''Cadillac Ranch''''' is a public art installation and sculpture in [[Amarillo, Texas]], [[United States|U.S.]] It was created in 1974 by [[Chip Lord]], [[Hudson Marquez]] and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group [[Ant Farm (group)|Ant Farm]]. It consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of mid twentieth century Cadillacs; the [[Car tailfin|tailfins]]) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] in [[Egypt]].<ref name="pyramid">{{cite news |first= |last= |author=McBride, Jim|title=American Monument to the Dream |publisher=[[Amarillo Globe-News]]|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/062004/new_cadillacranch.shtml}}</ref> | + | '''''Cadillac Ranch''''' is a public [[art installation]] and sculpture in [[Amarillo, Texas]], [[United States|U.S.]] It was created in 1974 by [[Chip Lord]], [[Hudson Marquez]] and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group [[Ant Farm (group)|Ant Farm]]. It consists of what were (when originally installed during [[1974]]) either older running used or [[junk]] [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of mid twentieth century Cadillacs; the [[Car tailfin|tailfins]]) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]] in [[Egypt]]. |
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| - | ==Relocation== | + | |
| - | ''Cadillac Ranch'' is currently located at {{coord|35|11|14|N|101|59|13.4|W}}. It was originally located at {{coord|35|11|6.6|N|101|56|58.6|W}} in a wheat field, but in 1997 the installation was quietly moved by a local contractor to a location two miles (three kilometers) to the west, to a cow pasture along [[Interstate 40]], in order to place it farther from the limits of the growing city.<ref name="moving">{{cite news |first= |last= |author=Curry, Kerry|title=Cars make 2-mile trip to new site |publisher=Amarillo Globe-News|url=http://www.amarillo.com/stories/082197/cars.html}}</ref> Both sites belonged to the local millionaire [[Stanley Marsh 3]], the patron of the project.<ref name="supporter">{{cite news |first= |last= |author=Abbey, Kris|title=Cadillacs all turn to black in memory of artist |publisher=Amarillo Globe-News|url=http://amarillo.com/stories/062303/new_news062303-1.shtml}}</ref> Marsh was well known in the city for his longtime patronage of artistic endeavors including the "Cadillac Ranch", ''Floating Mesa'', "Amarillo Ramp" a work of well known land artist [[Robert Smithson]], and a series of fake traffic signs throughout the city known collectively as the "Dynamite Museum". As of 2013, Stanley Marsh 3 does not own the Cadillac Ranch.<ref>{{cite web|last=McBride |first=Jim |url=http://amarillo.com/news/local-news/2013-02-16/stanley-marsh-3-family-associate-settle-teen-sex-lawsuits |title=Marsh 3, family, associate settle teen sex lawsuits |publisher=Amarillo Globe-News |date=2013-02-16 |accessdate=2013-02-17}}</ref> | + | |
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| - | ''Cadillac Ranch'' is visible from the highway, and though it is located on private land, visiting it (by driving along a frontage road and entering the pasture by walking through an unlocked gate) is tacitly encouraged. In addition, writing graffiti on or otherwise spray-painting the vehicles is now encouraged, and the vehicles, which have long since lost their original colors, are wildly decorated. The cars are periodically repainted various colors (once white for the filming of a television commercial, another time pink in honor of Stanley's wife Wendy's birthday, and yet another time all 10 cars were painted flat black to mark the passing of Ant Farm artist Doug Michels or simply to provide a fresh canvas for future visitors. In 2012 they were painted rainbow colors to commemorate gay pride day. The cars were briefly "restored" to their original colors by the motel chain [[Hampton Inn]] in a public relations-sponsored series of [[U.S. Route 66|Route 66]] landmark restoration projects. The new paint jobs and even the plaque commemorating the project lasted less than 24 hours without fresh graffiti. | + | |
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| - | ==In popular culture== | + | |
| - | "[[Cadillac Ranch (Bruce Springsteen song)|Cadillac Ranch]]" is the name of a [[Bruce Springsteen]] song on his 1980 album ''[[The River (Bruce Springsteen album)|The River]]'', later covered by the [[Nitty Gritty Dirt Band]].<ref name="pyramid" /> | + | |
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| - | The cover of ''Supercharge'' album, by the band of the same name, depicts the Cadillac Ranch.<ref>[[Michael Ochs|Ochs, Michael]]. ''1000 Record Covers''. Taschen. ISBN 3-8228-4085-8</ref> | + | |
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| - | The band [[Atomic Tom]] filmed a video at Cadillac Ranch in November 2011.<ref> Atomic Tom. "YouTube: The Moment by Atomic Tom LIVE from Cadillac Ranch."</ref> | + | |
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| - | [[Pixar]]'s 2006 [[computer animation|animated film]] ''[[Cars (film)|Cars]]'' depicts a ''Cadillac Range'' as a [[mountain]] formation; the film's credits directly acknowledge the Ant Farm collective and the Cadillac Ranch. In a case of art-imitating-art-imitating-art, that image from the film ''Cars'' has been constructed as a centerpiece of [[Cars Land]] at [[Disney California Adventure Park]]. | + | |
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| - | In the final scene of the ''[[King of the Hill]]'' episode "Hank Gets Dusted," [[Hank Hill]] has his father's Cadillac, which he cherished growing up, pushed front first into a hole along with other Cadillacs to reference the Cadillac Ranch.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0995437/trivia</ref> | + | |
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| - | It also serves as the setting for the video of [[Honky Tonk Stomp]] by [[country music|country duo]] [[Brooks & Dunn]], which was the duo's last video. | + | |
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| - | A song by the same name by country music artist [[Chris LeDoux]]. Written by Chuck Jones and Chris Waters, off of his album ''Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy''. Duet with Garth Brooks. The song reached #18 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart and #16 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks. | + | |
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| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| + | * [[U.S. Route 66]] | ||
| * ''[[Carhenge]]'' | * ''[[Carhenge]]'' | ||
| * [[Spindle (sculpture)|''Spindle'' (sculpture)]] | * [[Spindle (sculpture)|''Spindle'' (sculpture)]] | ||
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Cadillac Ranch is a public art installation and sculpture in Amarillo, Texas, U.S. It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm. It consists of what were (when originally installed during 1974) either older running used or junk Cadillac automobiles, representing a number of evolutions of the car line (most notably the birth and death of the defining feature of mid twentieth century Cadillacs; the tailfins) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.
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