MOVER OF VEHICLES WITH LIMITED ACCESS FROM DRIVEWAYS. A NEW ROADSIDE ATTRACTION IS TURNING HEADS ALONG ROUTE 66. ALYSSA MUNOZ CAUGHT UP WITH ARTISTS BEHIND THE PIECE. ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS HAVE BEEN PULLING TRAVELERS OFF ROUTE 66 FOR NEARLY 100 YEARS. IT’S CARS, ITS SIGNAGE AND GALLUP’S NEWEST INSTALLATION, A SCULPTURE CALLED RUN, IS DOING JUST THAT. GET UP CLOSE. TAKE A LOOK AT IT. BEHIND THE PIECE IS LOCAL ARTIST ROBERT WILSON. I WAS OVERJOYED ONCE A DOCTOR, WILSON RETIRED IN 2016 TO PURSUE ART FULL TIME, WORKING IN A MEDIUM KNOWN AS RECYCLED ART, TRANSFORMING SALVAGED MATERIALS INTO DETAILED PIECES AND TRYING TO TAKE THAT SHAPE IT, CARVE IT, WELD IT, DO WHATEVER I CAN TO MAKE SOMETHING. MY TERM WOULD BE ELEGANT OUT OF IT. FOR RUN AN ENCOUNTER WITH JACKRABBITS ON THE WEST MESA SPARKED THIS IDEA. I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THAT’S A GREAT SYMBOL FOR ROUTE 66, BUILT FROM A 1953 CHEVY BEL AIR, THE CAR’S NATURAL SHAPE HELPED DEFINE THE PIECE. 53 CHEVY BEL AIR HAS CURVES, AND IT KIND OF A MUSCULARITY THAT I THINK FIT WITH AN ANIMAL LIKE A JACKRABBIT. THE PROJECT PUSHING WILSON INTO NEW TERRITORY. I NEVER USED A PLASMA TORCH BEFORE. BOUGHT A PLASMA TORCH, LEARNED HOW TO USE IT, AND I’VE NEVER TORN DOWN A CAR. THIS IS WHAT’S LEFT OF THE MATERIALS THAT I USED FOR RUN. THE FINAL SCULPTURE TEN FEET TALL, 12FT WIDE, AND MORE THAN 1,200 POUNDS. IT’S BASICALLY THE SIZE OF A CAR. AFTER MORE THAN A YEAR OF WORK. IT WAS FUN AND IT WAS HARD AT THE SAME TIME TRYING TO FIND THAT, TRYING IT ON, TURNING IT, FLIPPING IT ALL THE WAY AROUND AND FINALLY SEEING THERE IT IS. YOU’LL EVEN FIND SOME HIDDEN SURPRISES. THE LEFT EYE IS THE SPEEDOMETER AND I TOOK IT APART AND I TACK WELDED THE NEEDLE AT 66MPH. YOU GET IT? IT’S MORE THAN JUST A SCULPTURE. LOOK FOR PARTS OF THE PAWS AND THE EARS AND TRY TO FIGURE OUT WHAT PART OF THE CAR WAS USED TO MAKE THAT PAW. THAT LEG. IT’S A PIECE THAT TURNS SCRAPS INTO A SYMBOL OF MOTION AND THE SPIRIT OF THE OPEN ROAD. ALYSSA MUNOZ KOAT.
Gallup artist creates massive jackrabbit sculpture from salvaged car
A retired doctor in Gallup has crafted a 10-foot-tall jackrabbit sculpture from a 1953 Chevy Bel Air
Updated: 9:19 AM MDT Apr 19, 2026
A new sculpture titled “Run” is drawing attention along Route 66 in Gallup, New Mexico, continuing the tradition of roadside attractions that have captivated travelers for nearly a century. Local artist Robert Wilson, who retired as a doctor in 2016 to focus on art full-time, created the piece using salvaged materials in a style known as “recycled art.” “I was overjoyed,” Wilson said about the opportunity to work on the project. Wilson described his artistic process, saying, “Trying to take that, shape it, carve it, weld it, do whatever I can to make something. My term would be elegant out of it.” The idea for “Run” came from an encounter with jackrabbits on the West Mesa.”I thought, you know, that’s a great symbol for Route 66,” Wilson said. The sculpture was built using parts from a 1953 Chevy Bel Air, with the car’s design influencing the final creation.”The ’53 Chevy Bel Air has curves and a kind of muscularity that I think fit with an animal like a jackrabbit,” Wilson said. Wilson said the project pushed him into unfamiliar territory.”I’d never used a plasma torch before, but I got a plasma torch, learned how to use it. And I’ve never torn down a car,” he said. He also shared that remnants of the car were repurposed for the sculpture. “This is what’s left of the materials that I used for ‘Run,'” Wilson said. The finished sculpture stands 10 feet tall, spans 12 feet wide, and weighs over 1,200 pounds. “It’s basically the size of a car,” Wilson said. Reflecting on the year-long process, Wilson said, “It was fun, and it was hard at the same time. Trying to find that, trying it on, turning it, flipping it all the way around, and finally saying, there it is.” The sculpture includes hidden details, such as a speedometer integrated into the left eye. “I took it apart and I tack-welded the needle at 66 mph. You get it,” Wilson said. Wilson encouraged visitors to examine the sculpture closely. “Look for parts of the paws and the ears and try to figure out what part of the car was used to make that paw, that leg,” he said. “Run” transforms salvaged materials into a symbol of motion and the spirit of the open road. A dedication ceremony for the sculpture was held in Gallup on April 17th at noon.
A new sculpture titled “Run” is drawing attention along Route 66 in Gallup, New Mexico, continuing the tradition of roadside attractions that have captivated travelers for nearly a century.
Local artist Robert Wilson, who retired as a doctor in 2016 to focus on art full-time, created the piece using salvaged materials in a style known as “recycled art.”
“I was overjoyed,” Wilson said about the opportunity to work on the project. Wilson described his artistic process, saying, “Trying to take that, shape it, carve it, weld it, do whatever I can to make something. My term would be elegant out of it.”
The idea for “Run” came from an encounter with jackrabbits on the West Mesa.”I thought, you know, that’s a great symbol for Route 66,” Wilson said. The sculpture was built using parts from a 1953 Chevy Bel Air, with the car’s design influencing the final creation.
“The ’53 Chevy Bel Air has curves and a kind of muscularity that I think fit with an animal like a jackrabbit,” Wilson said. Wilson said the project pushed him into unfamiliar territory.
“I’d never used a plasma torch before, but I got a plasma torch, learned how to use it. And I’ve never torn down a car,” he said. He also shared that remnants of the car were repurposed for the sculpture. “This is what’s left of the materials that I used for ‘Run,'” Wilson said.
The finished sculpture stands 10 feet tall, spans 12 feet wide, and weighs over 1,200 pounds. “It’s basically the size of a car,” Wilson said. Reflecting on the year-long process, Wilson said, “It was fun, and it was hard at the same time. Trying to find that, trying it on, turning it, flipping it all the way around, and finally saying, there it is.”
The sculpture includes hidden details, such as a speedometer integrated into the left eye. “I took it apart and I tack-welded the needle at 66 mph. You get it,” Wilson said.
Wilson encouraged visitors to examine the sculpture closely. “Look for parts of the paws and the ears and try to figure out what part of the car was used to make that paw, that leg,” he said.
“Run” transforms salvaged materials into a symbol of motion and the spirit of the open road. A dedication ceremony for the sculpture was held in Gallup on April 17th at noon.