At first glance, it looks impossible to miss. Flames stretch across the body of the car. Storm clouds loom overhead. Bright colors burst through layers of texture and paint. But the closer you get to the Arts@302 Art Car, the more you realize this isn’t just a wild sculpture on wheels. It’s a story.
The Art Car was created by students in Kristin Chenoweth’s Artist of Promise, also known as K@P, a free afterschool arts program at Arts@302 for children with opportunity gaps. Thanks to a donation from First National Bank of Broken Arrow, students were given something few young artists ever get the chance to experience: a real, drivable car to completely transform into a collaborative work of art.
What followed was months of sanding, sculpting, painting, experimenting, problem-solving, and emotional storytelling.
What is Kristin Chenoweth’s Artist of Promise?
Kristin Chenoweth’s Artist of Promise is a free afterschool arts program designed to provide students with a judgement-free space to explore creativity, teamwork, and self-expression. Students are bused to Arts@302 three times a week from nearby elementary schools where they work alongside teaching artists, staff, and guest creatives on ambitious hands-on projects.
K@P students regularly dive into large-scale artistic experiences including filmmaking, screen printing, sculpture, installation work, and collaborative public art. This year also marked the launch of a new alumni program for middle school students who have aged out of the elementary program. Alumni students also contributed to the Art Car project.
The Art Car team included K@P coordinators Julian DeLesDernier and Khrysta Papalini, assistants Sadie Reynolds and Louden, and guest artist Mery McNett.
Building the Concept
The Art Car project began with two specific creative requests.
Greg Graham from First National Bank of Broken Arrow, who donated the vehicle, wanted flames incorporated into the design. At the same time, Arts@302 Executive Director Jennifer Deal asked for the project to connect to the gallery’s then current exhibition focused on mental health awareness. (Refracted Light) Those two ideas became the emotional foundation of the entire car.
Students developed a concept centered around flames fueled by negativity, while storms of positivity work to calm and tame them. Across the surface of the vehicle, words representing doubt, fear, anger, and hardship are overwhelmed by brighter imagery and uplifting messages.
The symbolism reflects something deeply human: the constant struggle to stay hopeful during difficult moments, and the importance of encouragement, kindness, and community support in overcoming darkness.
Rather than simply painting a cool design onto a car, students created something deeply personal.
The Process: From Ordinary Car to Giant Sculpture
Transforming a real car into an artwork required far more than paint brushes.
The process began with students sanding down the vehicle by hand using sandpaper while wearing protective gloves and goggles. Once the original finish was stripped away, the car received a full base coat of white latex paint to prepare it for the larger design.
Then came one of the project’s biggest engineering challenges: building the giant cloud structure mounted to the roof. Students and staff constructed a wooden frame, wrapped it in chicken wire, and covered the entire sculpture with an astonishing 50 cans of spray foam. Layer by layer, the cloud expanded into a massive sculptural centerpiece towering above the car itself.
From there, students added countless layers of acrylic paint and spray paint to create the final visual textures and imagery.
But some of the most meaningful parts of the process were hidden beneath the surface. Between paint layers, students wrote down personal negative thoughts, fears, and struggles directly onto the vehicle before covering them with brighter colors and imagery. The act became emotionally cathartic, transforming difficult emotions into part of the artwork itself.
In many ways, the process mirrored the car’s message: negativity may exist, but it does not have to be the final layer.
Once completed, the entire vehicle was sealed with automotive-grade sealant to protect the artwork and keep the car road-ready for public appearances.
A Community Artwork That Keeps Growing
The Art Car is not meant to sit quietly inside a gallery. The vehicle will appear at major ARTSOK events throughout the year including Tuesdays in the Park, Chalk It Up!, and additional community festivals and celebrations like the Rooster Days Parade.
And even now, the project is still evolving. Visitors at events will be invited to write their own “raindrops of positivity” onto the car’s windows using paint pens. After each event, the messages will be washed away, making room for the next group of community voices to leave their mark.
That means the Art Car never truly stays finished. It changes with every crowd, every message, and every person who contributes to it.
What began as a donated vehicle has become something much bigger: a moving reminder that art can transform ordinary objects, difficult emotions, and even entire communities.
