The Bicycle As Art

Way back in 2010, I mentioned the impending construction of a new building for the Museum of Wisconsin Art. Sitting right next to the Eisenbahn State Trail, MOWA would have some impact on bicycle traffic in West Bend, I assumed, but I didn’t imagine that it ever would host an exhibit to celebrate the bicycle as art.

Beginning next Saturday and continuing through August 5, MOWA will host “Joy Ride: Designing Trek,” and the exhibit isn’t the only bike-friendly event in the museum’s plans this year. MOWA explains things better than I can, and I hope that it won’t mind if I reprint the text from its website verbatim:

From its humble beginning in 1976, hand building steel bike frames in a Wisconsin barn, to becoming one of the dominant players in a multi-billion dollar global cycling market with its state-of-the-art headquarters based in Waterloo, Trek Bicycles offers more than just a vehicle of sport or transport, but an integral part of people’s lifestyles and a display of extraordinary artistry.

Joy Ride: Designing Trek highlights the company’s dedication to superior craftsmanship and innovation over the last 40 years. From an original steel 1976 road bike to many of the seventeen categories of bicycle produced today, Joy Ride traces the history and evolution of this global leader in bicycle design, acknowledging not just the diversity of people who ride, but the drive for performance and cutting-edge innovation. 

A selection of bikes from some of Trek’s most famous professional riders will be on view: Rachel Atherton’s 2017 season downhill bike, Alberto Contador’s 2007 Champs-Elysées Tour de France bike, and Jens Voigt’s ‘hour record bicycle’ in which he recorded the longest distance traveled in a single hour from a dead start in 2014, to name a few. Other notable bicycles include polar adventurer and Cedarburg native Eric Larsen’s South Pole fat bike, and a 1995 Y33 mountain bike from the collection of late actor and avid cyclist Robin Williams. Trek’s playful side takes full reign in a psychedelic Grateful Dead-inspired mountain bike made for biking legend Gary Fisher and a collection of personal “art bikes” by Trek’s in-house designers that will be paired with works in the permanent collection galleries. 

Exhibition Activities

Opening Party
Saturday, April 14 | 2:00–5:00

• Meet Trek designers and artists from all three opening exhibitions. Enjoy printmaking with bike tires, live music by the Latchkeys, light bites and a cash bar.

Trek Designer Panel
Thursday, April 19 | 6:30–7:30

• Trek designers give a behind-the-scenes look at their work and share what it’s like to work for an organization dedicated to making the world a more bike-friendly place.

Summer of Cycling
April 14–August 5

• To celebrate the Joy Ride: Designing Trek exhibition, a collaboration of community partners present a Summer of Cycling. View a full list of activities, rides, and programs at wisconsinart.org/bike.

Pretty cool! This is "big city" stuff right here in little ol' West Bend!