Studebaker as art

[mapman]

We took the Avanti to an Art Walk in town today. As a new display area they had a few cars as art. It was a totally different venue than the usual car show with a lot of young families and a lot of people that wouldn't go to a car show. It was a very good way to expose the car to new people. The businesses each highlighted an artist or 2 and offered finger
foods.

[STEWDI]

Not sure what collector cars Moscow ID has in residence that could be construed as art, and the Lincoln Continental and Avanti are proper examples - BUT a '54 Chev? and a mid- sixties Falcon ?!?!

Congrats on the good Stude exposure!

[mapman]

Not sure what collector cars Moscow ID has in residence that could be construed as art, and the Lincoln Continental and Avanti are proper examples - BUT a '54 Chev? and a mid- sixties Falcon ?!?!

Congrats on the good Stude exposure!

We aren't exactly a hotbed of car collecting here so getting anything out and into the public eye is good. There are some amazing cars that have been hidden away and it would be nice to eventually see them come out, but general interest is pretty low here. Being a small university town we do have a lot of artists to display in a lot of different media.
Rob

[jclary]

All autos are someone's art. In fact, just about every product mankind has ever produced, takes on someone's idea of "artistic expression." For example, stone age tools. Simple items, devised for subsistence, very alike in their "function," but reflecting differences in the talent and individual tastes of their maker. In my garden, I discovered a stone age knife. For centuries, plowed over, trampled on, and ignored by generations. Unlike later versions, and what society now sees as a knife, this piece of rock blends into the red clay stained rocks of the region. Quite by accident, my eyes focused on it one evening. Noticing three distinct knapped cutting edges, and a thumb hold, I realized what I was looking at. A very dirty, mundane small rock, fashioned into a tool for removing skin from meat, and meat from bone. For many, nothing to appreciate, but to me, a tiny work of art.

Back to our cars...from the early horseless carriages, function superseded art. But, as they evolved from curious invention to marketable product, "art" became as important as function to present the product as "desirable" to potential buyers. Just as varied as conflicts within our personalities, the same is true within the products we manufacture. Design engineers, mechanical engineers, accountants, production managers, etc., all have an input as to what comprises a desirable (art) functioning product. Take a look at auto design sketches. Long before alloys, tooling, and technology were available, the designers were drawing beautiful creations, that were artistically beautiful, but impractical given the technology available. A good example of "art" vs "function," is to take certain vehicles and strip off the "functional" bumpers, grilles, etc., and see the pure lines of the base drawing.

Once the base art is designed, the mechanical engineers, production managers, and accountants have their turn at what is practical, and affordable. Depending on the strength of the personalities, leadership judgement, and monetary resources, the final product, is usually a compromise. (A group design.) Always, art is involved. As we know...some hits...many misses.

I believe if I were a designer, I would want to present my art to eight to eleven year old children for review. In my experience, vehicles I didn't like at that age...most people didn't like either. A few, have gained in what I call "redemptive appreciation" as I have gotten older, but still lag in collector desirability. I'll reserve citing examples for the sake of not offending some of you who own one.

[studegary]

We took the Avanti to an Art Walk in town today. As a new display area they had a few cars as art. It was a totally different venue than the usual car show with a lot of young families and a lot of people that wouldn't go to a car show. It was a very good way to expose the car to new people. The businesses each highlighted an artist or 2 and offered finger
foods. [ATTACH=CONFIG]64847[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]64848[/ATTACH]

The way that the text is broken, by the pictures, gave me a chuckle. At first, it looked like they offered the finger <G> (rather than finger foods).

[studegary]

All autos are someone's art.
Back to our cars...from the early horseless carriages, function superseded art. But, as they evolved from curious invention to marketable product, "art" became as important as function to present the product as "desirable" to potential buyers. Just as varied as conflicts within our personalities, the same is true within the products we manufacture. Design engineers, mechanical engineers, accountants, production managers, etc., all have an input as to what comprises a desirable (art) functioning product. Take a look at auto design sketches. Long before alloys, tooling, and technology were available, the designers were drawing beautiful creations, that were artistically beautiful, but impractical given the technology available. A good example of "art" vs "function," is to take certain vehicles and strip off the "functional" bumpers, grilles, etc., and see the pure lines of the base drawing.

Once the base art is designed, the mechanical engineers, production managers, and accountants have their turn at what is practical, and affordable. Depending on the strength of the personalities, leadership judgement, and monetary resources, the final product, is usually a compromise. (A group design.) Always, art is involved. As we know...some hits...many misses.

This reminds me of many conversations that I had with Bob Bourke about how his original designs were altered by management, manufacturing and/or accounting.