By: Chris Perkins, writer and editor, GM News
By: Chris Perkins, writer and editor, GM News
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt offers buyers tons of great features – an EPA-estimated 262 miles of range1, more than 20 standard safety and driver assistance features, an 11.3-inch diagonal infotainment screen, and a postcard. Yes, really.
Art by Kansas City-based muralist Marianne Cascone graces the front of the postcard, and on the back, the signatures of leadership from Fairfax Assembly, the Kansas plant where Bolts are built. Stashed away in the glovebox, the postcard is a little gift from the people of Fairfax to 2027 Bolt owners.
Cascone, a Kansas City native, grew up drawing and painting. Then she studied art in college. Life took Cascone another direction, but she always kept up with her art, finding ways to incorporate her passion into her career. Eventually her mural work took off, and with her kids getting older, Cascone went all in.
“I decided to quit my job and paint full-time, and that’s when my mural work boomed,” Cascone tells GM News. “I didn’t even know there was that much work, and the next thing you know, I was busy all the time.”
Cascone’s murals came to the attention of leadership at the Fairfax Assembly plant, who commissioned her to create a large-scale artwork for the plant with the imminent arrival of the Bolt. They wanted to not only celebrate the car, but the employees at the plant.
To create something worthy, Cascone toured the plant to learn about the manufacturing process, from stamping to final assembly. Armed with that knowledge and reference photos, she sketched an initial design, going back and forth with plant leadership to make sure the piece hit all the right notes.
Once everyone agreed on the artwork, Cascone took a high-tech approach to making it a reality.
“I used VR goggles to project a sketch of the mural onto the wall,” she says. “It was the first time I’ve done this, and I sketched it out in an hour.”
Without VR technology, the mural might not have been possible. Automotive plants are densely packed with people and equipment, so Cascone wasn’t able to stand back far enough to see the whole piece. “I had to do everything two inches from my face.”
INSTAGRAM REEL EMBED: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQp9kSkjHvP/
Outline in place, and armed with paint and a scissor lift, Cascone brought the mural to life. Plant leadership said she could use any colors she wanted, so Cascone chose vibrant purples, blues, and pinks.
“I wanted it to pop and be seen everywhere,”
Painting the piece took a couple days, with Cascone taking pictures home each night to check her work in progress. Once complete, plant leadership decided more people should see the mural, so Cascone created a new artwork inspired by the plant mural for postcards that come with every 2027 Bolt.
The Bolt is a vehicle that inspires huge love and enthusiasm from customers, which is why Chevrolet brought it back. This postcard is a thank you to those customers.
“I wanted to find a way to really honor our Fairfax team and mark the launch of the 2027 Bolt,” says Fairfax Assembly Plant Director Michael Youngs. “My dad was a GM plant director, and I grew up hearing about how he did something similar. That memory inspired me to do something special for our plant. As a team, we felt there was no better way than to invite our local community into the process. Those postcards inside the Bolts are our way of telling customers that they are at the heart of what we do. Building their vehicles isn’t just our job, it’s part of who we are and the communities we’re proud to be part of.”
“This is from us, to you,” Cascone adds.
For Cascone, it’s hard to process what it means to have her art spread so far and wide.
“You can go into stores and see murals all the time, but never think of the person behind them,” she says. “This is different, I got to sign my name on it. I’ve never had that big of a reach before, and I think that’s neat.”
1 On a full charge. Actual range will vary based on several factors, including ambient temperature, terrain, battery age and condition, loading, and how you use and maintain your vehicle.
The 2027 Chevrolet Bolt offers buyers tons of great features – an EPA-estimated 262 miles of range1, more than 20 standard safety and driver assistance features, an 11.3-inch diagonal infotainment screen, and a postcard. Yes, really.
Art by Kansas City-based muralist Marianne Cascone graces the front of the postcard, and on the back, the signatures of leadership from Fairfax Assembly, the Kansas plant where Bolts are built. Stashed away in the glovebox, the postcard is a little gift from the people of Fairfax to 2027 Bolt owners.
Cascone, a Kansas City native, grew up drawing and painting. Then she studied art in college. Life took Cascone another direction, but she always kept up with her art, finding ways to incorporate her passion into her career. Eventually her mural work took off, and with her kids getting older, Cascone went all in.
“I decided to quit my job and paint full-time, and that’s when my mural work boomed,” Cascone tells GM News. “I didn’t even know there was that much work, and the next thing you know, I was busy all the time.”
Cascone’s murals came to the attention of leadership at the Fairfax Assembly plant, who commissioned her to create a large-scale artwork for the plant with the imminent arrival of the Bolt. They wanted to not only celebrate the car, but the employees at the plant.
To create something worthy, Cascone toured the plant to learn about the manufacturing process, from stamping to final assembly. Armed with that knowledge and reference photos, she sketched an initial design, going back and forth with plant leadership to make sure the piece hit all the right notes.
Once everyone agreed on the artwork, Cascone took a high-tech approach to making it a reality.
“I used VR goggles to project a sketch of the mural onto the wall,” she says. “It was the first time I’ve done this, and I sketched it out in an hour.”
Without VR technology, the mural might not have been possible. Automotive plants are densely packed with people and equipment, so Cascone wasn’t able to stand back far enough to see the whole piece. “I had to do everything two inches from my face.”
Outline in place, and armed with paint and a scissor lift, Cascone brought the mural to life. Plant leadership said she could use any colors she wanted, so Cascone chose vibrant purples, blues, and pinks.
“I wanted it to pop and be seen everywhere,”
Painting the piece took a couple days, with Cascone taking pictures home each night to check her work in progress. Once complete, plant leadership decided more people should see the mural, so Cascone created a new artwork inspired by the plant mural for postcards that come with every 2027 Bolt.
The Bolt is a vehicle that inspires huge love and enthusiasm from customers, which is why Chevrolet brought it back. This postcard is a thank you to those customers.
“I wanted to find a way to really honor our Fairfax team and mark the launch of the 2027 Bolt,” says Fairfax Assembly Plant Director Michael Youngs. “My dad was a GM plant director, and I grew up hearing about how he did something similar. That memory inspired me to do something special for our plant. As a team, we felt there was no better way than to invite our local community into the process. Those postcards inside the Bolts are our way of telling customers that they are at the heart of what we do. Building their vehicles isn’t just our job, it’s part of who we are and the communities we’re proud to be part of.”
“This is from us, to you,” Cascone adds.
For Cascone, it’s hard to process what it means to have her art spread so far and wide.
“You can go into stores and see murals all the time, but never think of the person behind them,” she says. “This is different, I got to sign my name on it. I’ve never had that big of a reach before, and I think that’s neat.”
1On a full charge. Actual range will vary based on several factors, including ambient temperature, terrain, battery age and condition, loading, and how you use and maintain your vehicle.