Remember to glance at the pavement the next time you’re waiting for a bus or light rail train in the rain. You might be pleasantly surprised.
The work of four Minneapolis artists was recently applied with rain-activated invisible spray at more than a dozen bus stops and light rail stations. For the next several months, the work will become visible whenever the pavement gets wet.
Elissa Erickson, a graphic design supervisor overseeing the project, said the goal is to "surprise and delight" those who find themselves out in soggy conditions. "The thought of waiting for a bus or train in the rain is anything but joyful," Erickson said. "Hopefully, seeing a beautiful piece of art on the pavement will bring a little bit of sunshine to an otherwise cloudy day."
Local artists Eric Garcia, Andres Guzman, Leeya Jackson and Violeta Rotstein created the nature-themed designs.
In one of Garcia's six pieces, he depicts his wife with the silhouette of their son in her belly, sun rays radiating from behind her and the words "El Futuro," Spanish for the future, above them. Other installations speak to the medium itself -- one is a puddle of water that says "agua es vida," Spanish for water is life, and another is a cloud with the word "lluvia," the Spanish word for rain.
Guzman’s work depicts the cosmos, sunflowers and eyes that symbolize looking above and below and the geometry found in nature. "It’s like an infinity ratio,’’ he said.
Rotstein’s designs show a monarch butterfly, a robin feeding a baby bird, and two foxes playing, with all of them going about their lives in the rain.
Jackson describes her art as a "celebration of Mother Nature creating and wielding the elements of air, water and earth." She is the creative founder and head designer of Noisemakers Design Shop, which is aimed at providing equitable and unique design for BIPOC small businesses and initiatives.
Spot this artwork? Share photos on social media using #RainDropArtStop
Stations where rain art can be found:
Downtown Minneapolis
- Target Field
- Nicollet
- US Bank
Green Line
- East Bank
- Prospect Park
- Snelling
- Western
- Central
- Union Depot
Blue Line
- Franklin
- 46th Street
- Fort Snelling
- 28th
Other
Learn more about public art at Metro Transit