NSU Art Car ‘Bubble Gum River’ makes statement about breast cancer

  • Nelson Tamez is designer of the 2024 Mazda art car, which he and a team of students executed. From left are Tamez, Harlee Manry, Tatum VanderHey, Koda Shoemake and Cameron Murphy.
    Nelson Tamez is designer of the 2024 Mazda art car, which he and a team of students executed. From left are Tamez, Harlee Manry, Tatum VanderHey, Koda Shoemake and Cameron Murphy.

    The 2024 Mazda Miata art car, a design project for students in Northwestern State University’s Department of Fine and Graphic Art, made a statement about breast cancer awareness while also incorporating themes of motion and color.

    Nelson Tamez of DeRidder created the design for the vehicle, beginning with the prompt Jinba Attai, a Japanese phrase that translates as “person and horse as one body,” o…