“Head Out on the Highway: A Love Embrace”
Athens Cultural Center
24 Second Street, Athens, NY 12015
July 3rd — Aug. 22nd, 2021
Gallery Hours for Opening Day: July 3rd, 2021; 1PM to 7PM
Classic motorcycles, artwork, film, ephemera, and more!

Athens, NY, June 20, 2021 – The Athens Cultural Center will be burning rubber through the summer with “Head Out on the Highway: A Love Embrace,” a celebration of motorcycles, bikers, and the art they inspire. Rare and collectible bikes on loan from Newburgh, New York’s Tedd Cycles, Inc., will be displayed alongside motorcycle ephemera, photography, and paintings (some by local artists). Of particular note: The exhibit will feature an extensive women’s section, “Joy. Ride. A Century of Women Bikers,” by special guest curator, author Ann Ferrar, a historian of women in motorcycling.
Gallery exhibit highlights: Various short films, illustrations, b&w historical motorcycle racing photographs, photographic prints from Danny Lyon’s “The Bikeriders” series (1963-67), and vintage Schott NYC Perfecto® leather jackets.
But the motorcycle mania doesn’t stop at the gallery doors! The Athens Cultural Center has multiple events planned, and there’s something for everyone:
On July 3, opening day, parking on Second Street (between NY-385 and Warren St.) will be reserved for “motorcycles only,” encouraging motorcycling visitors to display their own bikes as part of the opening festivities. We’ll get into gear with a 1PM robotics team presentation by D.R. Evarts Library before live musical performances begin at 2PM with local band, The Wallpapers—led by Athens village mayor Amy Serrago and husband, Yves Gerard. Later in the evening, a 7:30PM free public outdoor film screening of Dennis Hopper’s Easy Rider (1969, R-rated) will be on view at the Athens Riverfront Park—bring your outdoor chairs and beverages of choice.
The children’s book Patrick Wants to Ride by motorcycle historian Cristine Sommer-Simmons will be displayed around the Athens Riverfront Park in partnership with D.R. Evarts Library.
Later in July, we’ll gather for a motorcycle story slam at The Stewart House’s River Grill. (The Stewart House, 2 North Water Street, Athens, NY 12015)
August highlights include a talk/book signing with Matias Corea, author of Two Wheels South: A Motorcycle Adventure from Brooklyn to Ushuaia and designer of the customized BMW R 80 G/S adventure motorcycle, the MYTH 001.

August 22, we’ll close out the festivities with an Athens Cultural Center fundraising raffle of motorcycle-themed prizes from the exhibition itself and an additional free public outdoor film screening of Bruce Brown’s 50-years-old On Any Sunday (1971, G-rated) at the Athens Riverfront Park—once again, bring your outdoor chairs and beverages of choice.

Print-ready photography with caption information is available at this link.

The 2021 Motorcycle Show was made possible with funding from the Athens Community Foundation.

The 2021 Motorcycle Show was made possible with funding from New York State Council on the Arts.
“This project is made possible with funds from the Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered in Greene County by the Greene County Council on the Arts dba CREATE Council for Resources to Enrich the Arts, Technology & Education.”

Curators Contact:
Annika Vogt – [email protected]
Tim Watkins – [email protected]

Poster Artwork Credit:
Michael Cuiccio