Placemaking

Attention artists: Placemaking/community identity opportunity

As part of the Better Bus Stops and Public Art in Transit programs, Metro Transit is seeking proposals from local artists to design bus shelter glass clings to add placemaking/community identity to bus stops in their neighborhood. Artists will engage their neighborhood community to design and create digital images for the shelter clings. Metro Transit will coordinate fabrication and installation.

Eligible bus stops 

Metro Transit has identified bus stops that are eligible for this program. All eligible stops are within the boundaries of the Ladders of Opportunity grant, which is defined by areas of concentrated poverty where at least 50% of residents are people of color. 

To focus improvements at stops with high ridership, eligible stops are used by an average of 30 or more bus riders daily. All eligible stops have bus shelters.  

Proposed projects must be implemented at one of these bus stops listed in this Excel spreadsheet.  

Goals

To activate common bus stops by adding placemaking and community identity elements, developed by a process that engages the community the bus stop serves. 

Develop a framework for working with artists to add placemaking elements at bus stops in the communities that Metro Transit serves. 

Engagement report 

Artist will provide Metro Transit with an engagement report, detailing the outcomes of the engagement process. 

Final design

Artist will propose a final design for a shelter cling project based on the outcomes of the community engagement process.

Approval of the final design will consist of a meeting between Metro Transit and the artist. After meeting, images for final design will be delivered to Metro Transit. Images must be in a .pdf or .eps document 150 dpi at-size or 300 dpi at half-size. 

Fabrication and installation 

Metro Transit will fabricate and install shelter mural design based on approved fabrication and installation plan. 

Evaluation and assessment after implementation

This will consist of a follow-up meeting with Metro Transit staff to review project successes and opportunities for improvement, as well as suggestions for future community-initiated projects to create placemaking and community identity elements at bus stops. 

Requirements 

Artist must: 

• Define their connection to the community in which the stop selected is located. This could include aspects of proximity or previous work done with that community.
• Implement project at one of the bus stops identified by Metro Transit.
• Prioritize community input in project. Understand that final project plans and design will adhere to this criteria: 
  • Art to be installed at Metro Transit bus stops should not be political, religious, or a promotion of a local business
  • Artists should work with their local community district or council to create awareness of the project
  • Project cannot interfere with transit operations or block the sidewalk for pedestrian traffic
  • Design must work with the available shelter space
  • Final images must be applied with a template at 150 dpi at-size or 300 dpi at half-size

For more information or to apply, contact Metro Transit’s Public Art Administrator, Mark Granlund at [email protected] or 612-349-7499.