The
car you are driving today will be a good source of many recyclable materials
tomorrow. In fact, around 80 percent of a car can be recycled, and much of it
takes place while your car is still in service through aftermarket recycling.
The National Corvette Museum’s new exhibit, Car Part Art, teaches visitors not
only about car recycling – but also demonstrates how one man’s trash is another
man’s treasure.
Over
70 works of art have come together to fill the Museum’s Exhibit Hall, from
Corvette hood liners serving as a canvas, to old rotors painted or welded or
backlit to create interesting sculptures. Works have been created by artists,
young and old, including area elementary, middle and high school students, to
seasoned professionals from Nashville, TN; Philadelphia, PA; Paducah, KY, and
more.
Guest
Curator Andee Rudloff, a professional artist, consultant and educator, worked
with the Museum to bring the exhibition together. “We started in April,
officially announcing the exhibit on Earth Day, and since then we’ve worked to
secure scrap car parts for artists, cultivated relationships between the
artists and the Corvette Museum, and shared our enthusiasm and excitement about
this new exhibition.”
The
excitement was evident at the exhibit’s grand opening reception on Friday,
September 18 when more than 40 of the participating artists, joined by their
family, friends and Museum guests, gathered to celebrate the art. “We decided
to recognize some of the exceptional pieces with out-of-the-box awards,” Andee
said. “We invited some people from the community with unique but relevant
backgrounds to serve as judges, and they carefully selected their favorites in
categories like “Best Illumination,” “Precision Award,” and “Most Unique Use of
Car Parts.”
The
largest art piece, and perhaps the most eye-catching for a Corvette Museum
visitor, is a 1960 Corvette inspired by art cars of greats like Britto, Warhol,
Calder and Haring. “I chose a motif that was in concert with the car itself,
addressing the contours, historical context, and luxurious nature of the
‘Vette,” said artist Christopher Hayes. The car was transported all the way
from Colorado, courtesy of Intercity Lines, and certainly earned the “Biggest
Impact” award.
Rounding
out the exhibit are five pieces on loan from Michelin – all entries in their
InTIREnational competition which challenges participants to create a piece of
art with an international theme using up to four scrap tires donated by
Michelin.
The
exhibit was made possible with the help of sponsors Michelin, PPG Automotive Refinish, US
Bank and Intercity Lines. Additionally, car parts were graciously donated by:
Ace Auto Salvage of Nashville; A & S Auto Glass of Nashville; C&H Truck
and Equipment; Corvette Central; Falloway Auto Parts; Final Finish of
Morgantown, KY; Franklin Automotive Center; General Motors Bowling Green
Assembly; Holley Performance Products; J.D. British Car Service; Midas; Parrish
Auto Service; Barry & Jackie Passmore (Russell Springs, KY); Service Kind
Collision Repair of Nashville; and Simpson County Tire and Auto.
The
Car Part Art exhibit runs through January 8, 2016 at the National Corvette
Museum and visitors are encouraged to vote for their favorite piece to receive
the “People’s Choice Award” at the end of the exhibit period. Learn more at www.carpartart.org.
When deciding to donate a car to the National Corvette
Museum, each donor has their reasons. For some it is to make room in their
garage for the latest model, others it is because they would like to take
advantage of the tax write-off benefits. For Craig Conde it was a combination
of reasons, making his donation an emotional one.
After disability retiring seven years ago and due to
multiple surgeries and medical issues, it had become impossible for Craig to
enjoy riding in his Corvettes. “I had stopped showing them about two years ago
because I was not able to take care of them,” Craig recalled. “I couldn’t bring myself to sell them,
emotionally I couldn’t.”
Craig and wife Sharon, Lifetime Members of the Museum and
members of the Corvette Legends of Texas Club in the Dallas/Fort Worth area,
knew they needed to find a home for their prized 1978 25th Silver
Anniversary Corvette, and their 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette.
After a trip to Wisconsin, Craig decided on a whim to make a
detour and stop by the Corvette Museum to check out the restored Skydome after
the sinkhole construction was complete. There he saw the special Anniversary
and Special Edition Corvette display.
“I looked at the 25th and 50th that
were on loan to the Museum, and I thought – this just isn’t right,” Craig said.
“The Museum has been open 21 years, and somebody
should have already donated these cars to the Museum. So I felt this was
something that needed to be fixed.”
The cars were picked up in McKinney, Texas while Craig and
Sharon traveled in Sharon’s 2005 Daytona Sunset Orange Corvette Coupe to
Bowling Green on September 11 to officially turn the keys to their babies over.
With staff and visitors clapping and cheering, Sharon drove the 1978 in to the
Museum, followed by Craig in the 2003.
“These are their children, and now we’re responsible for
them,” Gary Cockriel, Museum Development Officer said during the ceremony. “They’ve
asked for visitation rights from now on, of course,” he joked “but it’s just a
great honor to help keep our museum and their museum going for future generations.
That’s what we’re all about. People like this are what keeps this museum alive.
They’re stepping up and doing it not only with their cars, but also a donation
to help keep up the cars,” Cockriel added.
“We want to thank Johnnie Downs, the NCM staff and
volunteers that came to our home on Labor Day and assisted in the appraisals
and transportation of the cars to the NCM,” Craig said. “I look forwarded to
continuing to support the Museum,” he added.
Thank you to Craig and Sharon for these wonderful additions
to the Museum, and for your contribution to ensure your children are taken care
of for years to come!
Milestone 1-Millionth Corvette Unveiled as Part of the Ceremony
It’s official! A year and a half after a large sinkhole formed in the Skydome of the National Corvette Museum, the 13 story iconic landmark is back, better than ever, with all eight “sinkhole Corvettes” returned to display. Though the Skydome re-opened to visitors on July 6, a ceremonial ribbon cutting (or rather, caution tape cutting) was held as part of the Museum’s 21st Anniversary Celebration.
What could have been a major road block for the Museum became more of a speed bump as the sinkhole is credited with the 67% increase in visitors for 2014. Instead of immediately filling the sinkhole and restoring the Corvettes, the Museum “made lemonade” and embraced the international news-making occurrence, putting nature’s handiwork on display for most of 2014.
“The success of the sinkhole saga could not have been possible without the help and support of several key players,” said Katie Frassinelli, Museum spokesperson, at the dedication event. Frassinelli stressed how fortunate the Museum was that no one was in the building when the collapse occurred while thanking the construction crew and insurance company for also embracing the new attraction. “They have entertained our crazy requests – from saving sinkhole boulders for our landscaping, to salvaging dirt and rock that we bottled for sale in the Corvette Store,” she said. Frassinelli also commented that much of the Museum’s positive outcome from the sinkhole collapse is a result of being able to release video footage of the collapse as it occurred, and later allowing visitors to stand mere feet from the sinkhole to get an up close view.
“There is one chapter left to our story,” Frassinelli said. “Late this fall we are excited to welcome a special exhibit called Corvette Cave-In: The Skydome Sinkhole Experience. Visitors will learn the particulars of sinkholes, karst landscapes, and caves as well as what happened, why it happened, details on the eight Corvettes and how they were recovered and restored, and how the building was structurally repaired. The tour ends as the cave they are visiting virtually collapses over their heads to reveal their location underneath the Museum.”
The ceremony concluded with the caution tape cutting before rolling into a seminar on the restoration of the 1992 “1-millionth” Corvette. After more than four months and 1,200 man-hours of painstaking craftsmanship by the GM team, the restoration of the milestone car is complete, and the Corvette was unveiled in the Skydome.
The 1-millionth Corvette was one of the eight cars that fell victim to the February 12, 2014 sinkhole. And Chevrolet quickly came forward and pledged to restore it. After being rescued from the sinkhole, the 1-millionth Corvette was moved from the Museum to the Design Center on GM’s Technical Center campus in Warren, Mich., for restoration.
“As the one and only 1-millionth Corvette, its preservation was important to us as the designers of the vehicle – and as Corvette enthusiasts,” said Ed Welburn, vice president of GM Global Design. “The damage was significant in many ways; however we have one of the most highly skilled specialty shops and team of people in the industry, so they were fully prepared to take on the challenge.”
“Chevrolet is proud to have helped restore this extremely significant car in Corvette's long, storied history," said Mark Reuss, GM executive vice president, Global Product Development, Purchasing and Supply Chain. "When we disassembled it, we found that each employee involved in building it had signed a part of the car, which was fantastic and moving to see. It brought the history to life, and reinforced the importance of the project."
Despite extensive damage, GM’s team vowed to preserve and repair as many original components as possible – a decision that involved posterity as much as history, in order to preserve those signatures of the Bowling Green Assembly workers who built the car.
Only two signed components couldn’t be saved, so the team had the autographs scanned, reproduced as transfers and placed on the replacement parts.
One component with a single signature from Bowling Green Assembly employee Angela Lamb was too damaged to save or even accurately scan for her autograph. Lamb joined event attendees for the big reveal, signing her name on the replacement part. The 1-millionth Corvette is now historically accurate down to the last signature.
Among the parts replaced were the hood, front fascia and the lower panels between the front wheels and doors, as well as a number of ancillary supporting components under the hood. The replacements came from a vehicle of the same vintage and color, ensuring authenticity of the parts and materials involved with the restoration.
A few other components, such as the rear fascia and front exhaust system, would have probably been replaced in almost any other restoration project, but the team repaired them because they were also covered in signatures.
Additional highlights from the restoration:
The front sub-frame was damaged in the fall into the sinkhole and required straightening
The wheels were damaged, but reconditioned, with the original Goodyear Eagle GS-C tires
Rather than replace the scuffed and scratched pad on the instrument panel, its soft cover was carefully removed and replaced to preserve the employee-signed structure beneath it
The red leather seats, featuring one-off “1,000,000th Corvette” embroidery on the headrests were damaged but deemed irreplaceable, so they were restored, including a few replacement patches of carefully matched hide
The 5.7L LT1 engine, transmission and other drivetrain components were inspected and found to be damage-free
Surprisingly, the one component the team didn’t have to replace was the crushed windshield header. When the car first rolled into the shop, an overhead crane was used to raise it enough to make the car drivable, but the frame pulled up surprisingly close to the original position, encouraging the team to save it.
“The header restoration was a wonderful surprise for what everyone assumed would be the toughest aspect of the restoration,” said Bolognino. “With access to the original specifications, we got it spot-on – and even the new windshield glass dropped in perfectly.”
The final touch was replacing the unique “1,000,000th” windshield banner it wore when it rolled off the assembly line 23 years ago. The computer graphic file used for the original was still available, allowing creation of an identical banner.
The 1-millionth Corvette is the second sinkhole-damaged Corvette that Chevrolet has restored. The first, a 2009 Corvette ZR1 prototype known as the Blue Devil, was only lightly damaged and was returned to its original condition last fall.
The National Corvette Museum’s new Maintenance and Preservation Department will restore the third car, a 1962 Corvette. The five additional Corvettes swallowed by the sinkhole will remain in their as-recovered state to preserve the historical significance of the cars.
FAST FACT: The 1-Millionth Corvette rolled off the assembly line as a convertible with a white exterior and a red interior - just like the first Corvette produced in 1953.
