Six Curators and a Collection Never Before Seen in One Place. Motorcycles As Art™ Exhibition

Sturgis, SD (May 12, 2026): The Sturgis Buffalo Chip® just released a roster of celebrated builders, artists and show promoters who will serve as curators for its 2026 Motorcycles As Art Exhibition. The exhibition, first curated by renowned moto photographer Michael Lichter, will be curated by six of the industry’s most respected members for its 18^th year. This unique motorcycle and art installation, which exists nowhere else in the world, will be held at the Buffalo Chip’s Event Center for seven days only during the 86^th Sturgis Rally. The exhibit will officially kick off with David Mann Chopperfest Sturgis Saturday, Aug. 8. Motorcycle fanatics and art lovers can explore it daily from 3 to 11 p.m. through Friday, Aug. 14. The 2026 exhibition is free to the public.

Motorcycles As Art is the place for the public to see newly unveiled custom motorcycles and artwork for the first time.

Motorcycles As Art kicks off Saturday, Aug. 8, as part of Chopper Day at the Chip. Chopper lovers can kick off the day at the Schools Out Chopper Show Presented by Stoopid Chopper Show at the free access CrossRoads, then migrate down to the Progressive Gardens for the inaugural David Mann Chopperfest Sturgis presented by Cary Brobeck. The works of David Mann will be on display at Chopperfest and in Motorcycles As Art. Get a sneak peak of the David Mann art that will be on display right here. Chopper fans are invited to stick around after for fight night with Bare Knuckle Fighting Championships and Megadeth.

Featured Curators

Each Curator will Showcase a Collection of Bikes or Artwork

In Alphabetical Order

Cary Brobeck

Mann Made Archive Exhibit and Motorcycle Curator

Choppers Magazine owner and editor-in-chief Cary Brobeck is bringing MANN MADE – a David Mann archive, as well as six hand-picked custom choppers to exhibit. The works of David Mann defined motorcycle culture for decades, and this unique collection of David Mann pieces and choppers will be paired together in one place for the first time.

Kevin Dunworth

Motorcycle Curator

As founder of Dunworth Machines, fourth year curator of the Motorcycles as Art Exhibit, and one of the most recognizable names in the global custom motorcycle scene, Kevin Dunworth’s signature style pairs vintage soul with modern precision, producing machines and exhibits that feel simultaneously timeless and entirely of the moment.

Jason Mook

“The Best of the Black Hills Six” Motorcycle Curator

Jason Mook builds motorcycles the way a sculptor approaches stone, with total commitment and zero compromise. A decorated U.S. Marine veteran and former SWAT officer, Mook brought the same relentless precision from his military career into the shop. He founded Deadwood Custom Cycles in the heart of the Black Hills, where his 14,000 square-foot facility runs 50 to 90 active projects at any given time. In 2024, Jason brought the Black Hills Motorcycle Show to Deadwood. Mook’s 2026 Motorcycles as Art custom selection will consist of six of the best custom motorcycles from the Black Hills area.

Randall Noldge

Cycle Showcase Motorcycle Curator

Randall Noldge began building bikes in 2000. Frustrated by the lack of quality shows in his area, he launched Cycle Showcase in 2013, bringing a theatrical edge to the event with immersive lighting, a powerful soundtrack and an atmosphere that feels more like a sensory experience than a traditional show. Noldge is grateful to share some of his favorite machines through the Buffalo Chip Motorcycles as Art experience.

Ted Smith

Rat’s Hole Art and Motorcycle Curator

Ted “Teddy” Smith has spent decades creating the stage on which the world’s finest builders showcase their craft. As the torchbearer of his father Karl “Big Daddy Rat” Smith’s legendary Rat’s Hole Custom Bike Shows, founded in Daytona in 1973, Teddy Smith has expanded the shows across the U.S., Canada, and Europe, cementing their status as the most prestigious platform in the custom bike world. One of Smith’s most personal artistic contributions is the hand-sculpted Big Daddy Rat Trophy, a one-of-a-kind keepsake he produces roughly 60 times per show, each one a labor of love. These trophies are so coveted in the builder community that recipients have been known to cry upon receiving them. Smith will curate a selection of his motorcycles and 50 years of motorcycle art for the 2026 Motorcycles as Art Exhibit.

Chad Turner

Art Curator

Chad Turner works daily as an artist, creating works for massive companies including Harley-Davidson and Netflix. As an artist with talents across the board, from digital illustration to physical media like paint and sculpture, he combines rebellious lowbrow energy with fine art skills to create works that embrace and express the raw intensity of the human experience. For 2026, Turner will curate a never-before-seen selection of art from multiple artists across many mediums to display to the rally crowd.

The 2026 Motorcycles As Art Exhibit Kicks Off with the First Ever

David Mann Chopperfest Sturgis

Featuring Cary Brobeck of Choppers Magazine

Founded to honor the legend David Mann, whose artwork helped define biker culture for decades, Chopperfest is one of the most respected custom motorcycle shows in the U.S. with events in Ventura, Kansas City and now Sturgis. This show is less about mainstream bikes and more about hand-built, artistic, old-school choppers. The inaugural David Mann Chopperfest Sturgis will follow the Schools Out Chopper Show and kick off Motorcycles As Art featuring “MANN MADE” a David Mann Archive Exhibit.

This year’s exhibition is sponsored by Progressive, Arlen Ness, Crazy Al’s, Gates Belt Drive, HardDrive, Kraus, Milagro, Sailor Jerry, Scorpion, Tullamore Dew, and Yuasa. More information is available at MotorcyclesAsArt.com.

The Buffalo Chip festival runs Aug. 7-16, 2026. For a full list of Sturgis Buffalo Chip events, see BuffaloChip.com/EVENTS. The Buffalo Chip is home to the Sturgis Rally Information Center™ and is the official sponsor of Sturgis.com’s free OfficialSturgis Rally Registration Program.