The Elephant on 66: A Roadside Symbol of Art and Action

Just off Old Route 66, as you roll into Lexington, Illinois, something unusual greets you—a towering 11-foot elephant made of scrap metal, crowned in red, white, and blue. This isn't your average roadside curiosity. It's American Standard, a monumental sculpture-turned-political-platform created by artist and 2020 presidential write-in candidate, Kasey Wells.

With its rusted textures, golden crown, and campaign slogans scrawled across salvaged hubcaps and oil tanks, American Standard stands as a bold statement: part political protest, part public art, part local legend.

From Sculpture to Symbol

Wells built American Standard with fellow artist Kyle Riley in Chicago and towed it thousands of miles across the country during his unconventional presidential run. Tired of waiting for politicians to speak his mind, Wells decided to become one himself.

“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,” he said. “I decided to be the change I want to see in the world.”

And so, with nothing but determination and Google to guide him, Wells launched a campaign with American Standard as both soapbox and sculpture. Its crown, painted with “Standard Oil,” was a not-so-subtle critique of corporate power and fossil fuel dependency—two pillars he pledged to dismantle.

Political Sculpture on the Move

Before its permanent parking place at the corner of Route 66 and Main Street in Lexington, the elephant traveled the nation as a mobile monument. It sparked conversations at gas stations, rallies, and roadside stops, inviting passersby to engage with Wells’ ideas on divesting from oil, reforming the Federal Reserve, and ending America’s endless wars.

Wells didn’t expect to win, but he wanted to spread awareness, and art was his method.

The sculpture itself helped fund part of his journey. In Lenoir, North Carolina, American Standard won both Best in Show and People’s Choice in a sculpture competition, earning $3,500. After the election, the elephant rested in Wells’ yard until the city of Lexington helped it find a permanent public home on Route 66.

See It for Yourself

You can visit American Standard at the intersection of Old Route 66 and Main Street in Lexington, Illinois. It’s not just a photo-op—it’s a story. Of one man’s bold experiment in democracy, of rust and rebellion, and of a small-town artist who dared to make his voice heard.