Drive-by culture: ‘Art on the Go’ allows community to enjoy art from their cars

Artists all over Spokane will join forces Saturday to present “Art on the Go,” a citywide drive-up art show.

It all started when Dennis Carman, a local artist and former Spokane Arts commissioner, started seeing photos online of neighbors placing teddy bears in their windows to cheer up their friends during quarantine. A lightbulb went off, and Carman logged into Facebook to ask his artist friends to start hanging up their recent artworks in their front windows.

Alice Harmon, a fellow artist fed up with being stuck inside, saw Carman’s post and decided it was time to get the works of fellow local artists seen and sold again, quarantine or not. “We’re cooped up,” Harmon told her friends. “Let’s all get out and see some art.”

So Harmon reached out to Carman suggesting that instead of windows, artists should start showing their work from their front yards. “As soon as she (said) that, my mind started twirling,” Carman said. He immediately set to work gathering interest online.

Since launching the event invitation on Facebook, Carman has had more than 50 artists sign up to participate. “It’s blowing up like crazy. I’ve got artists all over the community – Cheney, Coeur d’Alene, up north. It’s spread out quite a bit,” Carman said. “I’ve had artists contact me from New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas – they all want to do it in their areas.”

The initial list of artists includes Carman, Harmon, Tea Kurtz, Ryker Murdock, Robbin R. Thrasher, Cindy Parker, Ildiko Kalapacs, Ali James, Jessie Scoggin, Lynne Morris, Jesse Pierpoint, Renee Raidt, Patty Murphy, Janie Edwards, Tom Quinn, Dan Thesignpainter Martin, Ginny Brennan, Sean Kubes, Cameo Townsend, Max Marvel, Anne Marie King, Becca Osburn, Debbie Rhodes, Beth Heart, Jill Smith, Judy Harrell, Aaron Tesch, Karen Mobley, Christina Oss LaBang, Brandy Seistrup, Pete Canfield, Joe Snyder, James Bell and Karen Sutula. There also are several businesses participating, including New Moon Gallery and La Resistance.

As artists continue to pour in, the developing list could break 60. Check the “Art on the Go – Art Show” Facebook page for an updated list of artists and addresses and maps of suggested routes for each area.

Sign-ups have been so enthusiastic Carman is considering making “Art on the Go” an annual event. “If it really turns out Saturday, there’s a good chance that I might do this again in a week or two as long as we’re still in lockdown because everyone’s sure enjoying it,” he said.

“When I started to put the word out on this, I wasn’t sure if it was OK with the lockdown in place, but so far I’ve had no backlash on it,” Carman said. “We want people to see the art, but we also want people to stay in their cars.”

The artists have been asked to make their displays visible from the street, and visitors are encouraged to refrain from leaving their cars. Contact information for each of the participating artists will be available online.

As quarantine continues, many artists, local and otherwise, are struggling. In a sense, Carman said, “That’s why they’re artists. But this is a way to pep everybody up and make them enjoy themselves” while continuing to abide by social distance guidelines.