ACS Discovery Ball
Eastern Market, Detroit, MI
October 2021
I created artwork for this 2021 Corvette Stingray in honor of my mother who beat breast cancer twice. The car was wrapped and auctioned for cancer research.
Chris Phelps of the American Cancer Society (ACS) and I had been talking for a little while and getting to know each other as he appreciated my artwork. He got to know my family and very quickly decided he wanted to help us tell our story, and help me achieve a goal of mine to create an art car.
Mom, who I call mOma (like the museum), is the strongest woman I know. She's also the kindest person I know. Seems a bit contradictory, but anyone who meets her will tell you she's amazing. I'm so grateful and lucky to have her, and she may not be here with us if not for the advances in cancer research and treatment.
Cancer is the reason her family immigrated to America from South Korea. This is all in the video (huge shout out to Taylor Smith who shot and edited this and all the ACS videos in the series), so I'll just stop now. Scroll up and watch it if you haven't already.
This is the freakin car I did. Holy crap. Every time I see it, it stuns me. I'm so grateful.
I had no idea Chris would be able to deliver on this promise within several months of dreaming, and my jaw hit the floor when I found out the car I would design artwork for would be a new Corvette Stingray.
The art car was to be auctioned to raise money for cancer research, and 100% of the proceeds were donated to ACS Michigan from the auction. Chevy donated the car, and I lended my artwork to the project. It was incredible to experience the live auction and all the festivities at the ACS Discovery Ball in Eastern Market.
I even had the honor of live painting during the event. The work was purchased by Huntington Bank for their Detroit office, and like the Corvette, 100% of the proceeds went to ACS Michigan for cancer research.
It was incredible to be a part of helping raise over $500,000 that evening with the American Cancer Society, and I even got to meet Fran of Lucido Fine Jewelry who purchased the vehicle. More recently, I we did a wrap video with ACS for Chevy and she even took me for a spin. It was amazing.
She even offered to let me drive, but there was no way I was gonna F up her car.
I got to meet the incredible Nicole Curtis, the host of Rehab Addict on HGTV, who's an all around bad ass. She famously restored a victorian home in Brush Park before all the development, and I love how driven she is to preserve, restore, and renovate architectural treasures in Detroit.
Made another lil appearance in SEEN again (thanks for the magazine Doug!).
And this is just after the interview with Fran, and pre joy ride with Fran. I want the car, and I want to live at The Stash. Grateful for Chris Davis for letting us shoot there. And sorry for never wanting to leave.
It's really weird how much of the art I make I can't afford. I got to interview Ron English at his home in NY a decade ago, and I thought it was so crazy when he told me he couldn't afford his own work.
I get it now.
Thankfully paper and canvas are affordable, but one day, I'll own a crazy art car, and a special place to store it.