As part of USC's Visions and Voices initiative, the USC Libraries present Cartopias: Southern California Car Culture, Hot Rods, and the Space Age on Wed., April 7 in front of Doheny Library. See a display of 10 rare, vintage automobiles--including space-age concept cars and classic hot rods from the golden era of California car culture--on Trousdale Parkway from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Nancy and Vic Edelbrock, Walter Karabian, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, and the Petersen Automotive Museum have generously loaned vehicles from their collections.
At 3:00 p.m., join us for a panel discussion in Alumni Park with Petersen Automotive Museum curator Leslie Kendall; Dr. Denise Sandoval, professor of Chicana/o studies at California State University, Northridge, and author of Arte y Estilo: The Lowriding Tradition; and Beth Werling, collections manager of material culture at the Museum of Natural History. The panelists will explore the roots of California car culture in the World War II aviation industry and the beginnings of hot-rod and lowrider automotive subcultures during the 1950s and 1960s.
In addition, the USC Libraries present The Space Age Hits the Road: Visionary Car Designs in America, an exhibition of historic photographs from the libraries' special collections showing the influence of futurist design on U.S. automakers during the 1950s and 1960s. The Space Age Hits the Road will be displayed through May 31 on the ground floor of Doheny Library. For a preview, tour the virtual exhibition.