Alien "Welcome to Roswell" Art
Roswell, New Mexico
John Cerney is known for his colorful, larger-than-life roadside artworks, made of painted plywood, paying tribute to everyone from George Harrison to a giant baby. In 2013 he was invited to America's space alien capital, and created "Welcome to Roswell," depicting the first meeting between a family of aliens and a family of Roswell ranchers.
The space aliens, whose saucer appears to have landed for repair, seem suspicious of the overly friendly New Mexicans: one recoils as apron-wearing Mom thrusts forward a home-baked pie, another seems confused by the rancher son's offer of jumper cables attached to his pickup truck.
Cerney added LEDs around the rim of the saucer, powered by a solar panel, to light it at night. This extra illumination hasn't discouraged thieves, who've abducted three of the aliens at various times since the artwork was completed on May 22, 2013. Cerney has dutifully replaced the space visitors each time.