Art Car artist, HISD teacher Rickey Polidore gave us an exclusive look at his winning creations

by Ruth Nasrullah / Contributing writer, Houston Landing
April 10, 2024

The street where champion art car artist Rickey Polidore lives looks like most other blocks in his Hiram Clarke neighborhood in southwest Houston. That is, until you near his driveway and see the two extravagantly decorated art cars parked under a canopy – and Polidore himself in a zebra-striped buggy, zooming down the block, around the corner and back, then parking on his front lawn. 

The cars in the driveway – a low-riding 1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham and a 1991 Chevy 2500 Deluxe pickup truck – have been transformed into art cars – fantastical, imaginative, drivable works of art. 

Polidore’s Cadillac and Chevy will be part of The Orange Show’s 37th Annual Art Car Parade, happening on Saturday, April 13 at 2 p.m. along a 3-mile route starting at Sam Houston Park downtown and following Allen Parkway west.

The event has become an iconic celebration of Houston’s creative community. Organizers expect over 200,000 spectators to turn out to view 250 cars from 23 states at what is, in essence, a celebration of an H-Town art form.

“The Art Car Parade is a new American folk-art tradition happening in one of the most diverse cities in America,” said Tommy Pace, executive director of the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the nonprofit organization that hosts the annual parade.

Polidore’s cars are legends of the Art Car Parade. Last year, his white-all-over pickup truck won the Grand Trophy (and Polidore won the accompanying $1500 prize) in the Art Car category. In 2019, his Cadillac, named “HERMESillac, the Golden Nugget” for its winged appearance, took home the same prize. 

Since he’s already experienced Art Car glory, Polidore opted not to enter a car in this year’s contest. Instead, his cousin and son will drive the two cars in Saturday’s parade simply to join in the weird fun.

A teacher and a “Cartist”

Polidore, 47, is a Houston Independent School District elementary school art teacher and has been a “Cartist” for 12 years. His involvement in the Art Car world goes beyond being a creator – he’s known as a mentor for young creators. 

“He has true dedication to this unique form of art, as well as engaging young minds and really helping them to find their inner artist,” said Jonathan Beitler, Director of Communications and Special Events for the Orange Show.   

Polidore became a teacher 20 years ago, after serving in the Navy and earning a graduate degree from the University of St. Thomas. He tried out a few artistic disciplines before identifying sculpture as his favorite, and metal as his material of choice.

“I really enjoy making metal, cutting it, adding little touches and details,” he explained, adding that he loves “the juxtaposition of finding things that kind of don’t look like they match or should work right, but they actually do.”

On the side of his house, Polidore has a pile of discarded or found items: a well-used tricycle, lamps, assorted metal objects and so forth. If something catches his eye, he’ll find a way to integrate it into the design. He picks up one or two pieces of junk, turning them over in his hands, before pointing to a vacuum cleaner laying in pieces against the wall. “That’s a really nice vacuum,” he said, already plotting a future design.

The cars in Polidore’s driveway are both works of art, but with very different profiles. The Chevy truck is all white, made with materials from metal to resin to foam in a filigree-type pattern all around it that recalls papel picado, the ornately cut tissue paper flags seen at Mexican fiestas. The only pops of color are the red lanterns affixed to the rear.

The Cadillac, which is coated in a textured paint colored in gradients of a reddish-brown, has strings of ornamental crystals gracing the exterior on all sides. A closer look reveals an owl, some doorknobs or sconces, chains, colored stones, hubcaps and more affixed to the car. Those details are an integral part of his work.

“I like adding little touches and details,” he said. “Finding things that kind of don’t look like they match but actually work together. That’s the fun part.”

“A neighborhood project”

Neighbors also donate items for his cars, like the red lanterns on the Chevy. 

“I really don’t know where any of this stuff is going to end up,” he says of the various items he has at hand. The art speaks to him, as he puts it. The process of finishing the car can take as long as three years. 

He gets a mixed reaction from the general public. 

“Reactions run the gamut,” he said. “Some people are just like, ‘Why did you do that to that car?’ or ‘Why do you waste all your money?’  But I think it’s about the creative process.” 

By educating the folks who have those initial reactions, Polidore has found a way to become an ambassador for both Art Cars and future generations. 

“He is one of those people that you can always call up and ask for some help – I hear that from the artists a lot,” said Beitler, of The Orange Show. “He’ll come at a moment’s notice to help fix your car or glue something onto it.”

On a recent afternoon, as Polidore and his buddies Sheldon Murray and Joe Haden admired the cars and chatted about the parade, a woman driving by stopped, parked in front of the driveway and got out of the car to admire the Cadillac. “It’s art!” she said. Polidore gave her a tour of his work and a brochure with information about the Art Car Parade. 

Shortly after, Freddie Phillips, a neighbor from across the street, came over and took a seat in the zebra buggy. Polidore says his neighbors don’t mind the noise. Quite the opposite. He grew up in that house and moved back in a decade ago. His roots in the neighborhood ensure he is welcome on the block, even when he revs up the engines and blasts old-school soul from the cars’ powerful speakers. His neighbors are also glad to add to his store of various objects to decorate the cars with. 

“It’s a neighborhood project,” he said.

As the afternoon grew late, the scent of barbecue wafted from the smoker in the side yard. 

“I always cook when everyone comes over,” said Polidore. “That way we can eat and work.”

That day, the tasks at hand were checking electrical connections and water levels, along with final touches like wiping down windows. The four days that comprise the art car celebration are a special time for them all. As Joe Haden says, “The parade weekend is like a family reunion. It’s my favorite time of the year.”

This article first appeared on Houston Landing and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.