Sensational artistic interpretations of Route 66 "The Mother Road" a world past and present

[June 08, 2016]   LINCOLN - Logan County Arts celebrated Route 66 with their latest themed art show opening at the Lincoln Art Institute Thursday evening, “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.” What was once a highway that connected Illinois to California and was used every day for commerce and travel by an American public in love with travel and the automobile has now become a world class tourist destination.

Route 66 began in the late 1920’s and knitted together communities from Chicago through the southwest and on to the Pacific Ocean. The age of the interstates made this old road obsolete and much of it was cast aside. The Mother Road as it began to be known has now begun a second life as the best way to see the United States just as it was during the heyday of this highway. Instead of bypassing towns large and small as do the interstates, Route 66 passed through these pieces of America. Now, the highway has become a must travel route for visitors to America from all over the world.

The artists of Logan County Arts had much to say about the highway. Photography, paintings, and sculpture were in abundance during the show. Poet Vern Phillips spoke about his own personal experience with Route 66. His poem “The Road No Longer Traveled” evoked road trips his family used to take each summer. “I grew up three houses from Route 66. I could lie in my bedroom at night and hear the trucks leave the Tropics Restaurant and grind through their gears as they sped up on their way to Chicago,” he said. “It was a different time and I wanted to try to recapture that in my poetry. We used to leave each summer on a three week family road trip on Route 66 and never lock the doors at our house,” he added.

Moses Pinkerton, owner of the Lincoln Art Institute, wants to travel the road to the Santa Monica pier one day taking in the whole of America west of Illinois. His public art installation on Sangamon Street in Lincoln “Cow in Corn” pays tribute to the old road. Pinkerton also created a piece of sculpture for the show with arrows and distances to world class art museums around the world with Lincoln serving as the center.

One unique art work actually includes a piece of pavement from Route 66. Bev Noble created a compilation of media for her work “Still Get My Kicks.” The border of her construction is a highway map of Illinois surrounding the asphalt.

Several artists chose to showcase Logan County in their art work including the piece of the old highway that passes through Atlanta.

Geoff Ladd from “Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway” stopped by to support the Lincoln Art Institute and its Route 66 theme. The organization placed on loan one of their Route 66 signs in the manner of the original shield signs that graced U.S. Route 66.

 Ladd said, “Logan County Arts and the Lincoln Art Institute have already made a significant contribution to Route 66 and to Logan County and Lincoln with the ‘Cow in Corn’ sculpture. We are happy to be here to support this latest gathering of art to showcase Route 66.”

Ladd is also in the forefront of the restoration of The Mill in Lincoln, a historic structure that served as a popular restaurant from Route 66 days.

One of the works in the show by artist and photographer Kira Jackson was taken at The Mill.

The Route 66 art show will be on display during the day on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. as an added attraction to the “Up in Smoke” event on the square in downtown Lincoln.

The Lincoln Art Institute is located across from the Logan County Courthouse between the Post Office and Farm Bureau at 112 S. McLean Street, Lincoln.

The show will be available for viewing for the rest of June. Contact Moses Pinkerton at 217-651-8355 for information.

[Curtis Fox]