Art in motion: Chicago had cows, Cincinnati had pigs, indy has race-car art all over town.

• Author: Kaelble, Steve
• Position: Opener

The people at the 500 Festival freely admit that it's not an entirely original idea, but they're thrilled at how well their massive display of public art has gone over. Of course it helps that, in a city not well known for public art on a big scale, their campaign focuses on race cars.

The non-profit 500 Festival organization--which coordinates events celebrating Indianapolis 500, including the annual parade and mini-marathon--this year launched Art in Motion, asking businesses to sponsor publicly displayed race-car replicas downtown and across the city, each decorated in a unique fashion by an artist.

Sound familiar? Think "Cows on Parade," the 1999 Chicago exhibit that featured hundreds of cow statues elaborately decorated by local artists. Or the "Big Pig Gig," in which more than 400 colorful pig statues herded in Cincinnati in 2000. Naples, Florida, did it last year with gators. Other cities have planned public art displays surrounding horses moose and lizards. "We got the idea from other cities," acknowledges Deborah Coons, chief marketing officer for the 500 Festival.

But so what if Indy's race-car art extravaganza isn't a new concept? It might, at least, be a pioneer in featuring something other than an animal. And it's been a rousing success, with 81 sponsored cars displayed across the city, many of which will be auctioned later this month to benefit the festival's foundation and the Herron School of Art. Organizers view the event both as a show of public support for the arts and a way to attract attention to the city.

Some of the entries are, indeed, attention-getting. One designed by cartoonist Jim Davis has Garfield in the driver's seat. One called "Lettermanlapolis" has a New York Yankees cap, a driver with prominent gap teeth and wheels decked out as pies (baked by Dave's mom?). Former driver Johnny Rutherford designed a car, and there's one created by renowned pop artist Peter Max, though most are done by local artists.

"We have one done by two artists who went to school here in Indiana and met here in 1968. They wanted to do a car depicting themselves," says Coons. The result, "Brickyard Bug," shows two hippies in a race car disguised as a Volkswagen.

Art in Motion already has made the American Automobile Association's travel magazine, and Coons says USA Today has expressed interest. She also expects the "Lettermanlapolis" car to get some notice. "Letterman's TV show producers are very interested in featuring it on the show,"...