Cadillac Ranch
Encyclopedia
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
, and 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 early Cadillacs; the tail fin) 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
.
, in order to place it further from the limits of the growing city. Both sites belong to the local millionaire Stanley Marsh 3
, the patron of the project. Marsh is well known in the city for long time 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".
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 also 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. The cars were briefly "restored" to their original colors by the motel chain Hampton Inn
in a public relation sponsored series of Route 66 landmark restoration projects. The new paint jobs and even the plaque commemorating the project lasted less than 24 hours without fresh graffiti.
and Pixar
film Cars
. The fictional town of Radiator Springs sits at the edge of an area referenced on a map as the "Cadillac Range", and throughout the movie, rock formations shaped like the upended cars can be seen as a horizon backdrop. Much of the film's plot deals with the dying towns along Route 66
.
"Cadillac Ranch
" is the name of a Bruce Springsteen
song on his 1980 album The River. Cadillac Ranch is also the inspiration for a song performed by Christian Rock band Family Force 5
called "Cadillac Phunque". It can also be seen in King of the Hill
in the episode "Hank Gets Dusted". There is also a song called "Cadillac Ranch" by John Stewart, on his album Rough Sketches, which is about Route 66. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
also has a song called "Cadillac Ranch" in which the iconic Cadillac is praised. In addition there is a song by Chris Ledoux
called "Cadillac Ranch".
In 2008, Cadillac Ranch can be seen in the musical video for the song "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" by Cage The Elephant
. All outdoor shots in the 2009 video of Brooks & Dunn's
song "Honky Tonk Stomp
" were filmed at the Cadillac Ranch. The Cadillac Ranch was also featured on Oxygen
's reality show Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood as part of the family's cross-country road trip.
The cover of Supercharge album, by the band of the same name, depicts the Cadillac Ranch.
As a birthday present for Marsh, Stanley Marsh's brother had a Volkswagen Beetle
mounted on a skid with wheels in a manner similar to the cadillacs being buried in the ground and presented it as a "Volkswagen ranchette."
The ranch was featured on the television programme Billy Connolly's Route 66
, a travel documentary on the British ITV channel, in September-October 2011.
The band Atomic Tom
filmed a video at Cadillac Ranch in November 2011.
In No Sex Last Night, a 1996 film about a road trip across America, Sophie Calle
and Gregory Shepard visit Cadillac Ranch.
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
, U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
It was created in 1974 by Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez and Doug Michels, who were a part of the art group Ant Farm
Ant Farm (group)
Ant Farm was an avant-garde architecture, graphic arts, and environmental design practice, founded in San Francisco in 1968 by Chip Lord and Doug Michels.-The group:...
, and 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 early Cadillacs; the tail fin) from 1949 to 1963, half-buried nose-first in the ground, at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza
Great Pyramid of Giza
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the Giza Necropolis bordering what is now El Giza, Egypt. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact...
in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
.
Relocation
Cadillac Ranch is currently located at 35°11′14"N 101°59′13.4"W. It was originally located in a wheat field, but in 1997 the installation was quietly moved by a local contractor two miles (three kilometers) to the west, to a cow pasture along Interstate 40Interstate 40
Interstate 40 is the third-longest major east–west Interstate Highway in the United States, after I-90 and I-80. Its western end is at Interstate 15 in Barstow, California; its eastern end is at a concurrency of U.S. Route 117 and North Carolina Highway 132 in Wilmington, North Carolina...
, in order to place it further from the limits of the growing city. Both sites belong to the local millionaire Stanley Marsh 3
Stanley Marsh 3
Stanley Marsh 3 is an artist, philanthropist, and prankster from Amarillo, Texas, USA. He is perhaps best known as the sponsor of the Cadillac Ranch, an unusual public art exhibit west of Amarillo.-Art projects and pranks:...
, the patron of the project. Marsh is well known in the city for long time patronage of artistic endeavors including the "Cadillac Ranch", Floating Mesa, "Amarillo Ramp" a work of well known land artist Robert Smithson
Robert Smithson
Robert Smithson was an American artist famous for his land art.-Background and education:Smithson was born in Passaic, New Jersey and studied painting and drawing in New York City at the Art Students League of New York....
, and a series of fake traffic signs throughout the city known collectively as the "Dynamite Museum".
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 also 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. The cars were briefly "restored" to their original colors by the motel chain Hampton Inn
Hampton Inn
'Hampton Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Hampton by Hilton are the names of a brand of hotels trademarked by Hilton Worldwide. Most Hampton hotels are independently owned and operated by franchisees, though a few are owned and/or managed by the Hilton Hotels Corporation...
in a public relation sponsored series of Route 66 landmark restoration projects. The new paint jobs and even the plaque commemorating the project lasted less than 24 hours without fresh graffiti.
In popular culture
Cadillac Ranch has appeared in American popular culture media. A tribute to the Cadillac Ranch was featured in the Walt DisneyWalt Disney Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Walt Disney Pictures and Television, a subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios and the main production company for live-action feature films within the Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group, based at the Walt Disney...
and Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
film Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
. The fictional town of Radiator Springs sits at the edge of an area referenced on a map as the "Cadillac Range", and throughout the movie, rock formations shaped like the upended cars can be seen as a horizon backdrop. Much of the film's plot deals with the dying towns along Route 66
U.S. Route 66
U.S. Route 66 was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 -- with road signs erected the following year...
.
"Cadillac Ranch
Cadillac Ranch (Bruce Springsteen song)
"Cadillac Ranch" is a song written by Bruce Springsteen that was first released on Springsteen's 1980 album The River. In 1981 it was released as single in Europe, backed by "Be True" in France and by "Wreck on the Highway" in the UK. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it did...
" is the name of a Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
song on his 1980 album The River. Cadillac Ranch is also the inspiration for a song performed by Christian Rock band Family Force 5
Family Force 5
Family Force 5 is a Christian crunk rock band from Atlanta, Georgia. They consist of Solomon "Soul Glow Activatur" Olds, Jacob "Crouton" Olds, Joshua "Fatty" Olds, Nathan "Nadaddy" Currin, and Derek "Chap Stique" Mount...
called "Cadillac Phunque". It can also be seen in King of the Hill
King of the Hill
King of the Hill is an American animated dramedy series created by Mike Judge and Greg Daniels, that ran from January 12, 1997, to May 6, 2010, on Fox network. It centers on the Hills, a working-class Methodist family in the fictional small town of Arlen, Texas...
in the episode "Hank Gets Dusted". There is also a song called "Cadillac Ranch" by John Stewart, on his album Rough Sketches, which is about Route 66. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country-folk-rock band that has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California in 1966. The group's membership has had at least a dozen changes over the years, including a period from 1976 to 1981 when the band performed and recorded...
also has a song called "Cadillac Ranch" in which the iconic Cadillac is praised. In addition there is a song by Chris Ledoux
Chris LeDoux
Chris Ledoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor and rodeo champion.During his career LeDoux recorded 36 albums which have sold more than six million units in the United States as of January 2007...
called "Cadillac Ranch".
In 2008, Cadillac Ranch can be seen in the musical video for the song "Ain't No Rest For The Wicked" by Cage The Elephant
Cage the Elephant
Cage the Elephant is an American rock band from Bowling Green, Kentucky, that formed in mid-2006. Since their formation, the band has gained a large following in the US as well as the UK and Canada for their sound and their high-energy live performances. The band released their self-titled debut...
. All outdoor shots in the 2009 video of Brooks & Dunn's
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
song "Honky Tonk Stomp
Honky Tonk Stomp
"Honky Tonk Stomp" is the title of a song recorded by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It was written by duo member Ronnie Dunn along with Terry McBride and Bobby Pinson. It is the 50th overall single for the duo, the second and final single from their greatest hits package #1s… and Then...
" were filmed at the Cadillac Ranch. The Cadillac Ranch was also featured on Oxygen
Oxygen (TV channel)
Oxygen is an American cable television specialty channel with television programming marketed towards women, with a format similar to Lifetime.- History :...
's reality show Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood as part of the family's cross-country road trip.
The cover of Supercharge album, by the band of the same name, depicts the Cadillac Ranch.
As a birthday present for Marsh, Stanley Marsh's brother had a Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
mounted on a skid with wheels in a manner similar to the cadillacs being buried in the ground and presented it as a "Volkswagen ranchette."
The ranch was featured on the television programme Billy Connolly's Route 66
Billy Connolly
William "Billy" Connolly, Jr., CBE is a Scottish comedian, musician, presenter and actor. He is sometimes known, especially in his native Scotland, by the nickname The Big Yin...
, a travel documentary on the British ITV channel, in September-October 2011.
The band Atomic Tom
Atomic Tom
Atomic Tom is a rock band from Brooklyn, New York, consisting of Luke White , Eric Espiritu , Philip Galitzine , and Tobias Smith .-History:...
filmed a video at Cadillac Ranch in November 2011.
In No Sex Last Night, a 1996 film about a road trip across America, Sophie Calle
Sophie Calle
Sophie Calle is a French writer, photographer, installation artist, and conceptual artist. Calle's work is distinguished by its use of arbitrary sets of constraints, and evokes the French literary movement of the 1960s known as Oulipo. Her work frequently depicts human vulnerability, and examines...
and Gregory Shepard visit Cadillac Ranch.
External links
- Cadillac Ranch - Information about Journey across America through The Mother Road - Route 66, Route 395, Cadillac Ranch and Americas National Park. Maps, Articles, Local weather, Event calendar, News, Pictures and important information for travellers like itinerary, Identity papers and travel cost.
- Unofficial Ant Farm Cadillac Ranch website
- Audio interview with co-creator Chip Lord on The Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young AmericaThe Sound of Young America is a public radio program and podcast based in Los Angeles, California and distributed by Public Radio International...
: MP3 Link