Historical Summer 2017 article. Dates, prices, services and contacts describe the source period; current availability has not been established.
The Missouri History Museum’s “Show Me 66” Exhibit runs through July 16, 2017. It’s free and really fun. Among the special features are several original artworks by our neighbor Andy Cross.
On April 30, at the request of museum staff who had worked with him on the exhibit, Andy gave a presentation in the Desmond Lee Auditorium to give some background insights into his artistic process.
It was a unique opportunity to understand all that goes into the creation of such exhibits.
To create wall murals to surround a screen for the “66 Drive-In Movies,” Andy created an entire drive-in full of classic cars. Describing how he researched a wide variety of body styles and types that might have been cruising to the drive-in movies back in the day was fascinating. Hundreds of hours were spent in research and photography before his paint brush touched the canvas. Andy explained how his appreciation of the sculptural details of the various cars piqued his interest.
He also created several “close-up” paintings of some of the car details.
These paintings were displayed in the museum’s lobby. For those familiar with Andy’s fine line drawings, the bold car colors and large images might be surprising revelations.
His experience painting for the Muny Opera include many other examples of his large-scale work. And his 23 foot moon was a stunner at the Shakespeare Festival! For the Show Me 66 Exhibit at MOHIS, he also created “touchable models” for the sight-impaired to enjoy the exhibit: the entry markers of the Coral Courts, an oldstyle gas pump, and Ted Drewes original ice cream machine. At the Drive-in Movies, Andy created benches painted like car rears and grills. There’s so much to see and enjoy at this special exhibit: don’t miss seeing the great work of your artist-neighbor Andy Cross!
Original photograph caption
Andy Cross with his Route 66 exhibit artwork.
Originally published in The Times of Skinker-DeBaliviere, Summer 2017.
Read this article in the original newspaper issue.
Original source: SD_Times2017_06.pdf, printed page(s) 6; PDF page(s) 6.
