My Papi Has a Motorcycle Exhibit
On view at the Harley-Davidson Museum, December 17, 2022 – November 24, 2024
“Let’s go for a ride” is such a simple invitation. When said by a parent to their child the result can be exhilarating.
As pictured in the children’s book My Papi Has a Motorcycle, when Daisy and her father zip around their hometown on his blue bike, their changing neighborhood whipping past, the thrill of the ride and the love between father and daughter is obvious.
Who Wrote My Papi Has a Motorcycle?
The book was written by Isabel Quintero and illustrated by Zeke Peña and is now an exhibit at the Harley-Davidson Museum.
Quintero created the story from her own past. The simple outings she took with her father around the Corona, California of her childhood were powerful experiences that inspired her award-winning book.
My Papi Has a Motorcycle Harley-Davidson Museum Exhibit
To turn the book into a museum exhibit, the Museum added interviews of four families who live and ride in Southern California. They represent the many children, Papis, and Mamis who have motorcycles and share their love of the open road.
The families in the exhibit include:
The Estrada Family
Abram’s love of motorcycles began when he was a kid riding on the back of his dad’s bike. It was an experience he makes sure to share with his own children.
Today, his bike gives him the opportunity to have one-on-one time with his wife Anny and each of his three kids.
The Jaime Family
Esmi’s love for motorcycling began on dirt bikes in her family’s yard in Corona, California.
That passion only grew when she moved north to San Luis Obispo, a town along the famed Pacific Coast Highway. For over a year now, she’s been carving twisting coastal roads with her twin daughters.
Between them, they have covered more than 8,000 miles with their mom.
The Morales Family
As kids, both Roger and Anabel were entranced by motorcycles. She remembers visiting family and seeing her cousins riding with their friends. In her memory, they floated along the road. Now they are both excited about sharing their passion with their daughters.
The Panameno Family
Rudy was excited when his daughter expressed an interest in building a motorcycle. This, however, was a learning experience: he’d never built one, and she was just 10 years old. Together they finished her show bike, “Scarlett.”
Like other parents and kids, they cruise together. Unlike others, she has her own ride for their trips around the neighborhood.
Wrapping Up
Created in collaboration with the author and the illustrator, the exhibit celebrates the joy of riding a motorcycle, the love families share for each other, and their pride in the communities they live in.
With a special focus on motorcycling families, the story, artwork, and video interviews in the exhibit explore how riding can bring parents and their kids closer through shared memories and experiences.
My Papi Has a Motorcycle at the Harley-Davidson Museum could not have been possible without the invaluable assistance of the following people: Isabel Quintero wrote the book My Papi Has a Motorcycle and assisted us as we expanded her story into this exhibit; Zeke Peña brought Isabel’s words to life through his illustrations which are on display.
A special thanks to the Estrada Family, Panameno Family, Jaime Family, and the Morales Family who gave their time, photographs, and most importantly their stories, to make this exhibit a reality.
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