Nebraska: Alliance – Car Henge art installation

Travelling by car across the mid-west plains on the United States does require some level of endurance, with mile after mile of largely flat, underwhelming agricultural pasture lands. Plenty of coffee and the occasional comfort break keeps you going.

So, it does help that some creative individuals have tried to break up the monotony with some creative attempts to make up for the lack of nature’s wonders. One such example is Carhenge near the small town of Alliance in Nebraska.

The 10-acre site is home to a number of art installations using wrecked cars. The original car sculpture was created by Jim Reinders. For a while, he lived in England and had the opportunity to study the design and purpose of Stonehenge. He wanted to create an artistic replica of Stonehenge in its full glory – both in terms of size and layout. It is  Rather than use the huge stone monoliths of the original he opted to use thirty-nine automobiles, all painted grey to represent the stones of Stonehenge. Wishing to capture the exact dimensions of the original, around 96 feet (29m), his design measures approximately the same in diameter.

Carhenge was built as a memorial to Reinders’ father. While relatives were gathered following the funeral in 1982, the discussion turned to a memorial and the idea of a Stonehenge replica was developed. Carhenge was dedicated at the Summer Solstice in 1987.

Additional sculptures have been erected at the site, now known as the Car Art Reserve.

So, if you are passing through Nebraska and are interested in art installation then certainly put Carhenge on your schedule.