YOU’RE WATCHING KOAT ACTION SEVEN NEWS AS WE CONTINUE OUR CELEBRATION OF THE ROUTE 66 CENTENNIAL. A NEW ROADSIDE ATTRACTION IS TURNING HEADS ALONG THE MOTHER ROAD, AND OUR ALYSSA MUNOZ CAUGHT UP WITH THE ARTIST BEHIND THE PIECE. TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT ITS. INSPIRATION. ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAVELERS OFF ROUTE 66 FOR NEARLY 100 YEARS. IT’S CARS, ITS SIGNAGE AND GALLUP’S NEWEST INSTALLATION, A SCULPTURE CALLED RUN, IS DOING JUST THAT. GET UP CLOSE. TAKE A LOOK AT IT. BEHIND THE PIECE IS LOCAL ARTIST ROBERT WILSON. I WAS OVERJOYED ONCE A DOCTOR, WILSON RETIRED IN 2016 TO PURSUE ART FULL TIME, WORKING IN A MEDIUM KNOWN AS RECYCLED ART, TRANSFORMING SALVAGED MATERIALS INTO DETAILED PIECES AND TRYING TO TAKE THAT SHAPE IT, CARVE IT, WELD IT, DO WHATEVER I CAN TO MAKE SOMETHING. MY TERM WOULD BE ELEGANT OUT OF IT. FOR RUN AN ENCOUNTER WITH JACKRABBITS ON THE WEST MESA SPARKED THIS IDEA. I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THAT’S A GREAT SYMBOL FOR ROUTE 66, BUILT FROM A 1953 CHEVY BEL AIR, THE CAR’S NATURAL SHAPE HELPED DEFINE THE PIECE. 53 CHEVY BEL AIR HAS CURVES AND KIND OF A MUSCULARITY THAT I THINK FIT WITH AN ANIMAL LIKE A JACKRABBIT. THE PROJECT PUSHING WILSON INTO NEW TERRITORY WHERE I’D NEVER USED A PLASMA TORCH BEFORE, BOUGHT A PLASMA TORCH, LEARNED HOW TO USE IT, AND I’VE NEVER TORN DOWN A CAR. THIS IS WHAT’S LEFT OF THE MATERIALS THAT I USED FOR RUN THE FINAL SCULPTURE TEN FEET TALL, 12FT WIDE, AND MORE THAN 1,200 POUNDS. IT’S BASICALLY THE SIZE OF A CAR. AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR OF WORK. IT WAS FUN AND IT WAS HARD AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO FIND THAT, TRYING IT ON, TURNING IT, FLIPPING IT ALL THE WAY AROUND AND FINALLY SAYING, THERE IT IS. YOU’LL EVEN FIND SOME HIDDEN SURPRISES. THE LEFT EYE IS THE SPEEDOMETER AND I TOOK IT APART AND I TACK WELDED THE NEEDLE AT 66MPH. YOU GET IT? IT’S MORE THAN JUST A SCULPTURE. LOOK FOR PARTS OF THE PAWS AND THE EARS AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT PART OF THE CAR WAS USED TO MAKE THAT PAW. THAT LEG. IT’S A PIECE THAT TURNS SCRAPS INTO A SYMBOL O
Gallup artist creates Route 66-inspired jackrabbit sculpture from salvaged car
A new roadside attraction in Gallup is turning heads as local artist Robert Wilson unveils “Run,” a massive jackrabbit sculpture inspired by Route 66 and crafted from salvaged materials. Wilson, who retired from medicine in 2016 to focus on art full-time, specializes in “recycled art,” transforming discarded items into detailed creations. “I was overjoyed,” Wilson said about the opportunity to create the sculpture. The idea for “Run” came from an encounter with jackrabbits on the West Mesa. “I thought, you know, that’s a great symbol for Route 66,” Wilson said. He used parts from a 1953 Chevy Bel Air, explaining how the car’s natural shape influenced the design. “The ’53 Chevy Bel Air has curves and a kind of a muscularity that I think fit with an animal like a jackrabbit,” he said. The project challenged Wilson to learn new techniques. “I’d never used a plasma torch before, but I got a plasma torch, learned how to use it. And I’ve never torn down a car,” he said. The finished sculpture stands 10 feet tall, spans 12 feet wide, and weighs over 1,200 pounds. “It’s basically the size of a car,” Wilson said. After more than a year of work, he described the process as both enjoyable and difficult. “It was fun and it was hard at the same time,” he said. The sculpture includes hidden details, such as a speedometer used as the left eye. “I took it apart and I tack welded the needle at 66 mph. You get it,” Wilson said. He also encouraged visitors to examine the piece closely. “Look for parts of the paws and the ears and try to figure out what part of the car was used to make that paw, that leg,” he said. “Run” transforms scraps into a symbol of motion and the spirit of the open road.
A new roadside attraction in Gallup is turning heads as local artist Robert Wilson unveils “Run,” a massive jackrabbit sculpture inspired by Route 66 and crafted from salvaged materials.
Wilson, who retired from medicine in 2016 to focus on art full-time, specializes in “recycled art,” transforming discarded items into detailed creations. “I was overjoyed,” Wilson said about the opportunity to create the sculpture.
The idea for “Run” came from an encounter with jackrabbits on the West Mesa. “I thought, you know, that’s a great symbol for Route 66,” Wilson said. He used parts from a 1953 Chevy Bel Air, explaining how the car’s natural shape influenced the design. “The ’53 Chevy Bel Air has curves and a kind of a muscularity that I think fit with an animal like a jackrabbit,” he said.
The project challenged Wilson to learn new techniques. “I’d never used a plasma torch before, but I got a plasma torch, learned how to use it. And I’ve never torn down a car,” he said.
The finished sculpture stands 10 feet tall, spans 12 feet wide, and weighs over 1,200 pounds. “It’s basically the size of a car,” Wilson said. After more than a year of work, he described the process as both enjoyable and difficult. “It was fun and it was hard at the same time,” he said.
The sculpture includes hidden details, such as a speedometer used as the left eye. “I took it apart and I tack welded the needle at 66 mph. You get it,” Wilson said. He also encouraged visitors to examine the piece closely. “Look for parts of the paws and the ears and try to figure out what part of the car was used to make that paw, that leg,” he said.
“Run” transforms scraps into a symbol of motion and the spirit of the open road.
