WATSONVILLE >> Vintage vehicles and the creativity of local artists will be on full display in downtown Watsonville July 26 when Arte del Corazón brings its third annual Art on Wheels festival to town.

The festival will host a variety of lowriders and other vehicles as well as local artists of different media. While these might seem like different audiences, event organizer Jessica Carrasco said they were very similar.

“As an artist, it was very difficult to have spaces and opportunities to showcase my art,” she said. “(The car clubs) had a similar story where they found it really hard to do car shows here in Watsonville because there was all of these things that were put upon them — fees, security — and even once they had that, there was more, or the answer was no.”

For Carrasco, the youth creative development lead at Arte del Corazón and founder of Carrasco Concepts, it was one of those difficulties in getting her art approved that led to the creation of Art on Wheels. When the city of Watsonville issued a proposal for artists to submit designs to be displayed on utility boxes, she submitted a colorful design of a pair of lowriders cruising down Main Street with St. Patrick’s Catholic Parish and a shining sun in the background. This art was approved by a local committee, but when it went before the Parks and Recreation Commission, some commissioners raised concerns about the lowriders and asked that they be removed.“The image was to celebrate our lowriding community in Watsonville,” she said. “Growing up, every time I would go to the Fourth of July parade or when I would go to Streetlow in Salinas, I would see a lot of lowriders.”

Carrasco refused to remove the lowriders from her design and instead posted it to her social media where she said she got a lot of support and even connected with local lowrider groups. Meeting with the presidents of two of those groups, Moe Haro of Watsonville Riders and Israel Garcia of Watsonville Impalas, they decided to partner for a show that would highlight art, vehicles and vendors.

Another major impetus, Carrasco said, was that while the lowrider groups had done shows throughout the state, they did not have many opportunities to do something locally.

“All of our car clubs here in Watsonville win so many awards in Los Angeles (at) the Convention Center, in San Jose and Sacramento,” she said. “They haven’t had the chance to show their cars here.”

Carrasco reached out to Monica Galvan, the executive director of Arte del Corazón, and was able to get the first Art on Wheels approved for the blacktop at Lakeview Middle School in 2023. The event did well, but Carrasco wanted to take it even further.

“I knew that it had a lot of potential to grow,” she said.

The following year, Arte del Corazón partnered with the Watsonville Film Festival and Pajaro Valley Arts for a project where educational workshops and programs were brought to schools like Lakeview, Cabrillo College, Pajaro Valley High School and Freedom Elementary School to educate people about lowriders and the culture that is a major part of the Chicano community.

“It’s not just something that’s connected to gangsters or violence, but it’s a very family-oriented community,” said Carrasco. “It takes a lot of time and dedication to put these cars together, and they have a lot of history and a lot of art.”

The program even brought the Barrio Bus, a vehicle created by University of San Diego ethnic studies professor Alberto Pulido with murals and community and cultural resources, to schools.

“We showed them the Barrio Bus, which had all of the history of Chicano Park and murals and lowriders and all of these things that were so amazing in Chicano Park, and yet here in Watsonville, we were still trying to nudge our way to create that same space to be able to showcase art and lowriders,” said Carrasco.

However, that same year, Art on Wheels moved to downtown Watsonville for an expanded event. It even led to the city closing off Main, Union and Peck streets to accommodate it, which Carrasco said is rare for local events.

“The only other event that they close down like that is the Strawberry Festival,” she said.

The event featured not only lowriders but different forms of art, including music, dancers, live painters and craft stations. It ended up drawing approximately 3,000 people and had 100 cars on display. This year will see a return to downtown, and Carrasco is expecting more than 40 vendors.

“We’re hoping to have more cars, more vendors and also nonprofits,” she said.

It will not just be lowrider cars on display but also bicycles, motorcycles, electric cars and even a vintage firetruck from the Watsonville Fire Department.

“It’s kinds of interesting to see the old school cars and then where the automobiles are going,” said Carrasco. “If you like cars, there’s a little bit of everything.”

Carrasco said high schoolers will also have opportunities for community service hours and will get an understanding of what it takes to build and maintain cars, including paint jobs and body work.

“If they really like cars, maybe this is a career that they can get into,” she said.

In terms of art, the event will feature live paintings from the likes of Nessa Ledesma and Jaime Sanchez, and local art vendors like Soy Tank Candle Co. and ShuggaBee Kre8tions.

“We’re trying to celebrate our history, our culture, our creativeness and our community,” said Carrasco.

The event has a family focus, so alcohol will not be sold, and there will be a bounce house and arts and crafts for the kids.

“It’s really beautiful to see the next generation of people who are gonna take over those cars and that legacy and those car clubs,” said Carrasco.

One major member of the lowrider family is Lily Haro. She is a paid intern at Arte del Corazón’s summer art camp, and her father is president of Watsonville Riders, so she grew up around vintage cars. Her family had a 1962 Chevy Impala that her father would take to shows, and some Watsonville Riders members attended her Quinceañera.

“It’s a really fun community to grow up in,” she said. “In the car club, it’s kind of like a family.”

Carrasco is happy with how the event has grown over time, especially since it all started from one of her art pieces being denied.

“I’m really happy that we met,” she said of meeting lowrider club presidents. “We were able to take something negative and make it into something positive and educational.”

Overall, Carrasco said the event is a great showcase for the creativity of Watsonville.

“There’s a lot of beauty in this town, and there’s a lot of talent and a lot of creative people,” she said.

Art on Wheels is noon to 5 p.m. July 26 at City Plaza, 350 Main St., Watsonville. It is free for the public, but there are entrance fees for those exhibiting vehicles, including $40 for cars, $30 for motorcycles and $25 for lowrider bikes and special interest vehicles. Move-in time for vehicles is 8 to 11 a.m. For information, go to ArteDelCorazon.com.