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First-ever Exhibition Celebrates Custom Car Culture and the First National Car Show Started in Peoria, Illinois
BUILT: American Custom Car Culture Opens February 1 at the Peoria Riverfront Museum
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Peoria, Illinois, hosted the first national custom car show, The Street Rod Nationals, from August 14 to 16, 1970. Organized by the Slo-Pokes, a local Peoria car club, nearly 600 vehicles from California to New York participated. A new Peoria Riverfront Museum exhibition opens on February 1, 2025, and is the first to celebrate Peoria’s milestone and the Midwest’s contribution to car culture.
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PEORIA, Ill., Jan. 27, 2025—In 1970, Peoria, Illinois, became the first city to stage a national custom car show. BUILT: American Custom Car Culture, opening February 1, 2025, at the Peoria Riverfront Museum, is the first museum exhibition to celebrate Peoria’s milestone and the diverse history, artistry, and mechanics of American custom cars, featuring nationally recognized vehicles from the Midwest.
Peoria Riverfront Museum guest curators Darius Donaldson and Farai Kasambira selected the prize-winning vehicles, grouped for the first time in a museum exhibition, to present the artistry of what many consider a utilitarian, everyday object. Each vehicle in the exhibition is a one-of-a-kind build featuring unique combinations of inventive engineering, polished chrome, and striking paint jobs.
“The custom-builds in BUILT: American Custom Car Culture push the bounds of form and function, resulting in stylistically and functionally superlative vehicles,” said Everley Davis, Peoria Riverfront Museum assistant curator and exhibition curator. “All exhibited cars, trucks, and motorcycles can be driven, demonstrating the utilitarian ideals ingrained in American culture, wherein an object can be both beautiful and work exceptionally for its purpose.”
“To participate in car culture, one must hit the streets with your creation to uplift and inspire your community,” said Davis.
The exhibition explores the historical span of car customization from the 1930s car body styles that survived World War II’s metal scrapping to the lowrider’s rise in popular culture due to their prominence in the 1990s West Coast rap culture.
Peoria, Illinois, hosted the first national custom car show, The Street Rod Nationals, from August 14 to 16, 1970, organized by the Slo-Pokes, a local Peoria car club. Considered the largest street rod event, nearly 600 vehicles from California to New York participated.
The new Peoria Riverfront Museum exhibition, BUILT: American Custom Car Culture, opens on February 1, 2025, and is the first to celebrate the show and the Midwest’s contribution to car culture.
Leading up to the celebration of the United States Semiquincentennial, America 250, with an exhibition guest curated by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, the Peoria Riverfront Museum is dedicated to telling the stories of how our community impacted the nation and the world.
BUILT: American Custom Car Culture is sponsored by SJ and Tammy Boyd, Visionary Society and Illinois Arts Council.
Visit www.peoriariverfrontmuseum.org for more information.
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Promo for BUILT: American Custom Car Culture, opening February 1, 2025, at the Peoria Riverfront Museum
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The Peoria Riverfront Museum is the only multidisciplinary institution of its kind in the nation combining art, science, history and achievement. The museum is dedicated to using its collections, exhibitions, film planetarium and programming to tell the stories that build confidence; create a culture of lifelong learning; and unleash the full talent and genius of every individual.
Contact Melody Konrad, Peoria Riverfront Museum assistant director of marketing and communications at MKonrad@peoriariverfrontmuseum.org.
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