Anita Dugat-Greene, Kelly Israel and Dennis Dillow are like any other artists — except their canvases get roughly 25 miles per gallon.
Saturday, local and out-of-state car enthusiasts and artists paraded their art cars downtown. The parade began at the State Capitol building and ended in front of the Shaw Center for the Arts.
According to the parade’s Web site, the main difference between an art car parade and most of the other parades in Baton Rouge is the beads aren’t thrown to the crowd, they’re glued to the car.
Anita Dugat-Greene, freshman composition teacher at Central Texas College and former LSU professor, has been working on her car, “The Lady,” since March 2002.
“I was inspired by the events of 9/11,” Dugat-Greene said. “On TV, all you heard were the voices of men. I was driving to campus one day and had this epiphany that we need to listen to women.”
Pointing to the lips on the hood of the car below the painted words “Listen to the Lady,” Dugat-Greene explained her main inspiration in the artistic creation on the car.
“The Virgin Mary is my muse,” she said. “She represents people of a mixed race and really speaks for the oppressed.”
Dugat-Greene also makes dolls with her daughter to sell and raise money to send to the women and children suffering in Africa.
While her work aims to promote activism in political issues, Dugat-Greene said she most enjoys people’s response to her car.
“I have people come talk to me when they see my car and tell me their life stories,” she said. “That wouldn’t happen if I was driving in a normal car.”
The people Dugat-Greene meets inspire the poetry decorating the side of her car. One of the poems titled “Thinking of Cora” describes a woman Dugat-Greene had met, who described her life as a puzzle, which has been picked up and shattered.
“I want people to see that anyone could do this,” Dugat-Greene said. “I want this car to be fun and make people smile. They can do this too.”
Down the row from “The Lady” art car, a green-bearded man with elf ears waited in his “Lord of the Rings” JRR Tolkien-themed car for the parade to begin.
“I’m either Elrond or a hobbit with a thyroid problem,” Dennis Dillow, millwright from Stafford, Texas said, explaining his look.
Dillow said his fascination with the literature of Tolkien started when he was in a book club in high school. He said he hopes to promote his love of literature to the parade spectators.
“I am out here today to wave to kids and show them that there are books out there,” Dillow said. “You don’t have to watch the movies, you can read the stories.”
Kelly Israel, roofing materials delivery man from Marrero, said he decorated his plain yellow Volkswagen bug with buttons, seashells and other knickknacks to give it a much-needed makeover.
“The car got bored,” Israel said. “Every time someone gives me something besides money, I put it on the car.”
Israel said he turned his car into art to express himself in a way that is different from others. He also said he wants to challenge people to see things in a way they are not accustomed to.
“The basic theme of this car is ‘There are two sides to every story,'” Israel said.
 
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