In Africa, folk artists are well-known for creating sculptural art from discarded wire, including functional toy cars that can be pushed down the street with a handle. Artist Chido Johnson, who grew up in Zimbabwe and Zambia, has brought the art form to Detroit and holds wire car workshops as the WAWAD, or the Wire-car Auto Workers Association Detroit.
Car aficionados looking for a quirky alternative to the Woodward Dream Cruise should note that the WAWAD has a couple of cruises planned in the coming weeks. On Saturday, May 2, the group’s wire cars will be on display at a miniature parking garage as part of Detroit Boom City, curated by the Atlanta-based arts commissioning agency Dashboard. On Sunday, May 3, there will be a Cinco de mayo cruise hosted by Garage Cultural. And on Sunday, May 17, there will be a cruise as part of the Porous Border Festival organized by the Hinterlands.
Additionally, the WAWAD will be headquartered at Popps Packing in Hamtramck during the month of May.
Watch a promo video below:
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2015.
