Gigantar Sculpture Headed to Joliet

The Illinois Rock and Roll Museum on Route 66 is about to get a gigantic delivery!

As part of the $1.5 million IL DCEO Route 66 Grant that Heritage Corridor Destinations was awarded last year, a giant guitar sculpture was commissioned from the artist Shannon MacDonald. The sculpture, nicknamed Gigantar, is the largest hand-made guitar sculpture ever created, measuring 24 feet tall.

Gigantar was crafted in New Jersey and will begin a nearly week-long trek to the Joliet on Saturday, January 14th. The sculpture will be unveiled at the legendary Stone Pony in Asbury Park and will then be loaded up onto a truck to make the journey west.

Gigantar will make its first major IL stop on Monday, January 16th at Motorheads Bar & Grill in Springfield and then head north on Route 66. The sculpture will stop in Lincoln, Atlanta, Bloomington, Normal, Lexington, and Chenoa before entering the Heritage Corridor region. Stops in the Heritage Corridor are scheduled to include: the large Route 66 mural in Pontiac, the Standard Oil Gas Station in Odell, the Ambler/Becker Texaco Station in Dwight, the Two Cell Jail and The Shop on Route 66 in Gardner, the Gemini Giant in Wilmington, and the Rialto Square Theatre, Old Joliet Prison, and Rich & Creamy in Joliet before installation at the IL Rock & Roll Museum.

There will be a lighting ceremony at the museum at 5:00pm on Friday, January 20th that is open to the public. Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick will flip the switch to light up Gigantar for the first time!

“GIGANTAR will be the museum’s icon,” said Ron Romero, Executive Director of the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum. “We are thrilled with the work Shannon has done and we can’t wait to show it to music lovers throughout Illinois and the world.”

“I am proud to bring this amazing sculpture to life,” Shannon MacDonald said. “From New Jersey to Joliet, everyone involved has worked very hard.”

Follow along with Gigantar's journey on the Heritage Corridor Destinations Facebook and Instagram pages, and the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum's Facebook and Twitter.

Planning to spot Gigantar during its trip? Post any pictures and videos using the hashtag #ilrr66gigantar