Seattle has been associated for quite some time with outsider art of differing sorts. The grunge movement is a specific example of this, with the city throwing up some of the most influential, successful bands of the 90s, among which the obvious kingpin would have to be Nirvana. While other cities may have been homes to movements that were a little more “middle of the road”, Seattle has successfully nurtured an artistic tendency in its young that probes the outer edges of aesthetic and audible expression.

An annual art car parade is something that seems to be becoming the fashion among some of the United States’ biggest cities. While Houston is an obvious one – perhaps the true home of the Art Car movement – and Minnesota and the Bay Area are also home to some prominent parades themselves, the movement is growing inside the US and out. This year, Seattle’s Art Car Blowout will be taking place between June 19 and 21, and is set to be the biggest yet.

Scott Wade is one of the latest names booked to feature at the Blowout – bringing his popular Dirty Car Art along with him. For Scott, a dusty car window is not an opportunity to write “WASH ME” but a fresh, blank canvas. The Parade has a blog (see it at http://www.seattleartcars.org/) and the patronage of the father of the Art Car, Harrod Blank. It promises to be a huge event and another demonstration of art cars’ power to impress and amaze.