Public Transit Bus will become the 3rd mobile mural seen by 200,000+ commuters
Charlottesville, VA – Tom Tom Founders Festival and Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) have opened the public voting process for finalists of the City Art Bus Competition. The 3rd annual Art Bus will transform a 35’ clean diesel bus into a mobile mural that will be seen by more than 200,000 commuters.
Public voting opens today and closes November 25 at 11:59pm. The winner will be chosen from among the 13 designs by combining the results of the public vote, a vote from CAT Bus Drivers, and a juried panel. All the designs will be featured in a public art installation this spring as part of the Tom Tom Founders Festival in CAT bus shelters throughout the City.
More details and the public voting form are available at: tomtomfest.com
2017 Finalists:
The competition invited artists throughout Virginia to participate in Tom Tom Founders Festival’s ‘City as Canvas’ initiative, which transforms public spaces through murals, public performance, art installations, and innovative collaborations with local organizations during the Founders Festival, this April 10-16, 2017.
“Each year, Tom Tom invites the community to build on Charlottesville’s history of founding and to reimagine the city as a creative stage,” said Festival Director Paul Beyer. “Competitions are one way we engage hundreds of artists in the process of transforming public spaces. The artwork chosen will be rewarded with cash prizes and an opportunity to impact hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors.”
“In the two years that CAT has participated, we’ve seen a lot of positive public engagement,” said CAT Marketing Coordinator Westley Kern. “Not only does our bus stand out, but it brings smiles to the faces of our passengers both young and old. With the new twist on this year’s creative source, we look forward to seeing what our local community artists have to offer.” Charlottesville Area Transit provides more than 2.3 million passenger trips each year throughout 12 routes in Charlottesville and Albemarle.
The inaugural Art Bus, completed in 2015 by prolific Richmond muralist Mickael Broth, had 28,000 riders and reached an estimated 300,000 viewers. The 2016 Art Bus, which can still be seen driving on various CAT routes today, was designed by Paul “Swank” Nandee, of Los Angeles’ ICU Art. Swank has produced artwork for Gatorade, Verizon, RayBan, Powerade, Chevy, Converse, and Nike. To date, the 2016 Art Bus has carried 23,230 passengers and has traveled 25,745 miles.
Find more information regarding ways to support Tom Tom and sign up for email newsletters to keep an eye out for next year’s nomination announcement.
