ART CARS TO WATCH OUT FOR
A sneak peek at two unforgettable builds rolling in the 39th Annual Orange Show's 39th Houston Art Car Parade presented by Team Gillman
Every year, the Houston Art Car Parade turns ordinary vehicles into extraordinary works of moving art. With more than 250 art cars rolling through downtown and hundreds of thousands of spectators lining the streets, there’s always something new to discover. This year, two standout builds share something special: both were created by first-time Art Car participants. Keep an eye out for these standout builds when the parade rolls through Houston on April 11, 2026.
Renaissance
on Wheels
Interview with Wendy Bejarano, Art Teacher at Westbury High School
"Our Westbury Art Car is called Renaissance on Wheels, a nod to both car wheels and pottery wheels. In past years, while collaborating with my former coworkers, we represented a different artist with each car. Before transferring to my new school, I told Mrs. Clabaugh that they could continue the artist tradition, and I would shift the focus to an art time period instead. With my new classes at Westbury, students worked in groups to research different historical periods, develop ideas, and present their concepts. After thoughtful discussion and a class vote, the Renaissance emerged as the clear winner. If someone only saw our car for 5 seconds, we hope they would recognize the Renaissance theme and the “Pennies.” We wanted to use the penny as a way to celebrate and recognize it as its last year being made."
What part of the build are you most proud of?
The part of the build I am most proud of is The Pietà. We used one of my sculpture students and my son as the models. My son was covered in petroleum jelly, posed in a chair, and then wrapped in plaster gauze strips in a single sitting.
A group in my sculpture class wrapped their peer in plastic wrap and layered her with plaster-soaked drapery. After many revisions and careful adjustments, we merged the two pieces together to create the final sculpture.
Looksy
Interview with first-time participant Alice Garcia-Gordon
Say hello to Looksy, the Art Car created by first-time participant Alice Garcia-Gordon!
Alice spent countless hours shaping, layering, and perfecting every face, turning challenges into triumphs as her vision came to life. Come see Looksy in action Saturday, April 11, as it rolls through the Orange Show's 39th Houston Art Car Parade presented by Team Gillman!
What inspired the design, and what materials and methods were used to create it?
I started by making leather books with creature faces, and I loved the process of crafting each one so much that I wanted an excuse to make even more. That’s when I came up with the idea for my first art car, covering it with these faces so they seemed to be morphing right out of the car itself. I wanted it to feel otherworldly and to enjoy the journey of creating each face, watching them “birth” their own unique personalities.
My goal was to get into the flow and prove to myself that I could commit to a project fully and see my vision through to the end. The process mirrors how I build my books: each face starts on a cardboard base, with foil and hot glue forming the features. I then cover them with fabric, mostly leftover leather scraps I had on hand. Once the faces are complete, I coat them in caulking to weatherproof them and add a fun, textured finish.
