Louisville Slugger and Fender team up for All-Star art exhibit

CLEVELAND (WDRB) -- Two unlikely brands are teaming up to create an art exhibit featuring Louisville Slugger bats and Fender Guitars.

The exhibit will showcase 31 unique Fender Stratocasters and Louisville Slugger bats representing the individuality and history behind the popular pastimes and the cities that host them.

The unique bats and guitars will be custom-designed and hand-painted by popular artists from every Major League Baseball city. The artists will find inspiration in the historical, musical and baseball-based roots of each MLB team as well as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

"Almost everyone has been influenced by either sports or music in their lives," Fender Chief Marketing Officer Evan Jones said. "I'm excited to be a part of a collaboration that unifies these two passion and brings life to these artist creations in one of America's most beloved places, the All-Star Game."

Some of the design inspirations include St. Louis' Chuck Berry, Denver's Rocky Mountains and Fenway Park's famous Green Monster.

The bats and guitars will be displayed at Cleveland Public Square's Midsummer Village and is free to the public.

The pairs will then be auctioned off to raise money for MLB Charities and Fender Charities. Auctions will be held from July 5-29 on MLB Auctions.

Additionally, Louisville Slugger and Fender continued to collaborate to design the Supra Sunburst bat that features both logos, a three-tone finish and decals. The bats will be displayed at the Cleveland event and can be bought on the Slugger website.

"Louisville Slugger looks for a unique way to honor the All-Star Game host city every year," Louisville Slugger Brand Manager Joey Nowak said. "With Cleveland being the home of rock 'n' roll, we sought a partner to help us make the music connection. Since both Fender and Louisville Slugger have many parallels, such as the use of ash and maple and their craftsmanship, they have enormous legacies within their industries as well as partnerships with legendary performers who've delighted hundreds of millions, if not billions, of fans."

The event will kick off during All-Star Game Week, which begins Saturday.