Along the side of Route 66 in Lexington, Illinois, is an 11-foot-tall elephant sculpture made of scrap metal, titled “American Standard.”
It’s become a photo-op, as it’s listed on the Roadside America website and the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway site.
According to a recent profile by NPR affiliate WGLT Radio, the artist behind the sculpture is Kasey Wells, who ran for president as a write-in candidate in 2020.
Wells created the piece with Chicago artist Kyle Riley and carted it thousands of miles on a trailer during his campaign.
“I thought, I can’t just sit around and wait for some other politician to voice all the things I’m seeing that I’m concerned about,” Wells said. “I decided to be the change I want to see in the world.” […]
If you get up close, you can see his campaign promises written on hubcaps and oil tanks.
The elephant wears a gold crown with “Standard Oil” painted in red, white and blue. Wells ran as a left-leaning independent interested in divesting from the oil and gas industry, transforming the Federal Reserve and putting an end to war, among other things.
The sculpture now sits across from a Freedom gas station, near a historical marker pointing out Standard Oil filling stations that once dotted Route 66.
The City of Lexington gave permission for “American Standard” to sit there, though Wells still owns the statue and can move or sell it at any time. It’s one of several sculptures Wells has created in Lexington.
(Image of the “American Standard” sculpture in Lexington, Illinois, via Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway)