12 Great Junk Art Installations Throughout the Country
Photo credits are below. Travel Lists junk art
There is no truer example of the idiom “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” than junk art, where creative minds use discarded material to make something that inspires wonder or curiosity.
Around the United States, there are a number of large scale installations and sculpture parks created using scrap metal, empty glass bottles, and various other salvaged materials. They tend to be fun and quirky roadside stops that sit just off a highway, while some are hidden in urban areas. They’re often worth exploring, and the best part is that these artists typically stay true to the salvage art philosophy and keep these art gardens and sculpture parks free of charge (though donations are always appreciated). Here are 12 such junk art installations that you need to see.
Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park (Wisconsin)
Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park, located just off of Highway 12 in Sauk County, Wis., is the home of the Forevertron, the second largest scrap metal sculpture in the world. The 300-ton sculpture is the centerpiece of the sculpture park created by Tom Every, a former demolition operator who took on the persona of Dr. Evermor. He created the Forevertron to launch himself into heaven and the sculpture even incorporates two 19th century electrical generators called dynamos. There are a number of other fun sculptures to find in the park, including an orchestra of 70 metal birds. Dr. Evermor finally left permanently for heaven in 2020, but his family still keeps the park open for visitors to enjoy.
Lakenenland (Michigan)
Construction worker Tom Lakenen began welding scrap metal into sculptures in his garage as a hobby. He initially displayed these sculptures out in his yard before moving it to a plot of land along Highway M-28 near Lake Superior, and Lakenenland was born. Today Lakenenland has over 100 iron sculptures on its 37 acres of land. Lakenenland is open 24 hours and is free to visit (snowmobiles are also welcome during the winter months).
Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum (California)
This 10-acre outdoor museum in Joshua Tree was built by African-American artist Noah Purifoy who moved to the desert in 1989. In the next 15 years Purifoy created over a hundred sculptures and installations on the land, which at first glance look like a salvage yard. The installations were created using salvaged materials from tires to toilets and many address social justice issues such as racism. The museum is free to visit and is open to the public every day from sunrise to sundown.
Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch (California)
A popular Route 66 stop, Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is home to over 200 bottle trees. The project started when Elmer Long’s father passed away and left behind a collection of colorful glass bottles. Now the ranch has grown to a two acre plot filled with glass bottles hanging from metal pipe “trunks” and other vintage paraphernalia, including a broken-down jeep and a boat filled with bottles. Long passed away in 2019 but the ranch is still open to visitors.
Cadillac Ranch (Texas)
One of the most famous attractions in Amarillo, Texas is perhaps Cadillac Ranch. 10 Cadillacs (although only some of them were actually junk at the time) are buried nose-down in the dirt along I-40 (old Route 66). As it’s located along the historic Route 66, Cadillac Ranch attracts visitors from around the world. As many visitors come with a can of spray paint to leave their own mark on the cars, the graffiti details are ever changing and the Cadillacs certainly don’t look anything like they used to when they were first installed there in 1974. Cadillac Ranch is free to visit, but BYO spray can (or just leave the cars be).
International Car Forest of the Last Church (Nevada)
Cadillac Ranch may be more famous, but the International Car Forest of the Last Church in Goldfield, Nev., is actually the (self-proclaimed) largest car forest with over 40 cars. Founded by artist Mark Rippie (whose open-ended view of Christianity can be explored at the website for The Last Church), this installation’s ever-changing art is made by artists from around the world, and can be visited 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with free admission.
Robolights (California)
In the middle of a residential area of Palm Springs is Robolights, an apocalyptic wonderland built by Kevin Irwin, Jr. in the yard of his family home (just two blocks away from the Frank Sinatra House). From brightly colored robots to creepy, half-melted baby dolls, there are so many details here that would stop one in their tracks. Robolights is fun to visit any time, but it’s particularly worthwhile during Christmas, when everything is lit up with over 8 million lights. Robolights is free to visit but you must make a reservation at least two weeks before by texting the owner (phone number can be found on their Facebook page).
Isaiah Zagar Magic Gardens (Pennsylvania)
Isaiah Zagar is a Philadelphia-based mosaic artist who began creating Magic Gardens on South Street in Philadelphia in 1994. Magic Gardens is his largest work on South Street and it is a three-dimensional, immersive installation that incorporates broken bottles, discarded ceramics, and other found objects into the mosaics. Admission to the Magic Gardens cost $15 per person but they also host exhibitions by other local artists, ceramic and mosaic workshops, and more.
Cathedral of Junk (Texas)
The 60-feet tall Cathedral of Junk is a towering structure made up of various found objects—wheels, laser discs, toilets, you name it. It was built by Vince Hannemann in his backyard and eventually grew to approximately over 60 tons of material. There are steps that visitors can take to explore the three different stories of the cathedral and the sculpture is ever-evolving as Hannemann continuously adds to his work. Visits to the Cathedral are available by appointment only; call ahead to 512-299-7413.
Enchanted Highway (North Dakota)
Instead of a single plot of land, the Enchanted Highway is actually a 32-mile section of I-94 near the town of Gladstone, North Dakota that is lined with giant scrap metal sculptures. The first one titled “Geese in Flight” is actually the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture, standing at 110 feet tall. There are currently nine sculptures in total, inspired by local wildlife and historical figures. The sculptures are all created by Gary Greff, a local artist who wanted to revive his small town of Regent at the southern end of the Enchanted Highway.
East Jesus (California)
East Jesus is an experimental project in the middle of the California desert near the Salton Sea (the landlocked body of water that’s so salty it is lined with fish carcasses). It is an artistic community that has an art garden with works made from salvaged material. The art garden is open to the public daily, but keep in mind that people do live there so be respectful and mindful. The art garden is free to visit but the project runs on donations (they recently received some damage from Hurricane Hillary so donations are particularly appreciated right now).
School Bus Graveyard (Georgia)
The School Bus Graveyard, located about an hour outside of Atlanta in Alto, Ga., was created by Alonzo Wade, an auto parts shop owner who arranged his salvaged buses and trucks as a fence to deter thieves. First there were random graffiti tags, then a local artist asked to do large scale murals on some of the buses. The 120 buses attract muralists from around the world and the artwork on these buses get a refresh every year. The School Bus Graveyard is free to visit but the owner requests that all visitors ask for permission before entering the property.
Fiona Chandra has written for Thrillist, Fodor’s, and more. She recently wrote about Albuquerque for Paste.
Photo Credits:
Cadillac Ranch, Dr. Evermor’s Sculpture Park, Elmer’s Bottle Ranch, Noah Purifoy Desert Art Museum, and Robolights by Fiona Chandra
East Jesus, International Car Forest, and Lakenenland courtesy of Unsplash
Enchanted Highway courtesy of North Dakota Tourism
Cathedral of Junk photo by Jennifer Morrow, used under CC BY-SA 2.0
Other photos courtesy of courtesy of School Bus Graveyard and Philadelphia Magic Gardens
Main and mobile lead photo by Garrett Martin