Event TitleAutomotive Showplace: 1934 Chrysler Airflow Sedan
Event Date(s)Now through 2020 (Extended due to the Pandemic)
Event LocationDetroit Historical Museum, 5401 Woodward Ave, Detroit
Event DescriptionWidely criticized when it debuted for its bold snub-nosed look, the Airflow is now revered by historians as a quintessential representative of an entire movement in automotive styling: but it is not just a great body design. It also possesses a myriad of noteworthy engineering advances under its Art Deco façade. Completely restored by the Chrysler Corporation in 1952, this vehicle was donated to the Detroit Historical Museum in 1959, with 28,443 original miles on it. It recently underwent a cosmetic restoration with support from the MotorCities National Heritage Area.
Event LocationHenry Ford Museum of American Innovation
Event DescriptionPresented by General Motors, the first comprehensive exhibition covering various forms of American auto racing, including stock car, sports car, drag racing, Indy car, hill climb and land-speed racing, is now open in Dearborn. The 24,000 square-foot exhibit provides visitors an in-depth look at the people, the experiences, the culture, the spectacle, the risks and the innovations centered in the world of American auto sports.
Event LocationBroad Art Museum at Michigan State University
Event DescriptionInterStates of Mind: Rewriting the Map of the United States in the Age of the Automobile traces the development of the automotive industry and interstate highway system through artworks from the early 1900s to the present. Situated at a crossroads of cultural contradictions, the show unpacks our fascination with the automobile and the different—at times competing—ideals that continue to shape our visions of America today. To accomplish this, the exhibition focuses on artwork from the MSU Broad collection presented alongside archival and other documentary materials to position the works within historical context.
Event LocationBroad Art Museum at Michigan State University
Event DescriptionFrom an early age, Lansing native Michael Burton (1957–2016) was drawn to automobiles, literally and figuratively. He was fascinated by them and drew them night and day. By his adolescent years, he was a highly skilled draftsman and spent much of his time imagining the future of the automobile in colored pencils and markers. As the story goes, Burton even learned to read from reciting the letters and names of the cars rolling off the Oldsmobile production lines across from his childhood home. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Burton’s lifelong dream to become one of the industry’s top automotive designers not only came true, but he’d become the first Black designer to work for all three top US manufacturers: Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors (in that order). Burton’s career spanned nearly forty years, and the works in this exhibition present a focused selection of concept drawings from his time at Chrysler and GM, offering insight to the development of his signature designs. The show thus celebrates the incredible, groundbreaking career of this artist and visionary.
