2023 Art by Bus!

After a pandemic hiatus, Ride Solutions, the City of Roanoke Arts Commission, and the Greater Roanoke Transit Authority are once again partnering to present a unique suite of public art projects celebrating the role of transit and artists in our community. Check out our September events and Join us to celebrate Art By Bus

WRITER BY BUS Eva Lynch-Comer reading at Book No Further in partnership with Latinas Network

Thursday, September 21, 6:30 PM, 112 Market St. SE

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Book No Further with Latinas Network and poet Eva Lynch-Comer. Eva will rean from Sonder, her chapbook of poetry created for Roanoke Arts Commission. The cover of the Chapbook is from WE ARE ART, the Roanoke Self Portrait Project, and is a detail of Let your Mind Be Creative, by J.C. Stallings

 

Art By Bus Celebration

Wednesday, September 27, 10:30 AM, Third Street Transit Station

RIDE Solutions will hold a joint press conference with Valley Metro and the City of Roanoke’s Arts Commission to commemorate the 6th Annual Art by Bus Campaign. Organizers will reveal the work of art selected from the City’s art collection and installed on a Valley Metro bus, and Eva Lynch Comer, the 2023 Writer by Bus recipient, will be introduced. The limited edition 2023 – Writer By Bus Chapbook – Sonder by Eva Lynch Comer will be available for the public.
Writer by Bus Q&A with Eva on the Bus
Following the press conference attendants can choose to take a bus ride accompanied by Eva Lynch to talk about her experience and inspiration. The Bus ride will take place from 11 AM to 12 PM.

WRITER BY BUS Project Goals:
• Draw attention to the important role public transportation plays in connecting our neighborhoods and communities,
• Reflect on the role of transit in creating a just, healthy, and welcoming community that works for all residents,
• Encourage transit ridership and celebrate riders,
• Share the work of artists and the arts in making Roanoke a better place, and
• Encourage riders, residents, and Roanoke visitors to explore and participate in the community around them.

Applications for 2023 Writer By Bus are closed.  A Roanoke Arts Commission panel selected Eva Lynch as the 2023 Writer by Bus Artist, see a profile of the artist here.

Application for 2024 Writer By Bus will be announced soon!
Timeline:
February 28, 2023, midnight:            Applications due
March 18, 2023                                   Selected writer notified
April 1, 2023                                        Project onset
June 30. 2023                                     Deliverables finalized and submitted by author
September 2023                                 Transit Month celebrations and public reading

Putting Art on the Bus, and Bringing it to our Community

Check out the Visual Arts, Music, and Literature sections of the Art by Bus pages to learn more about each part of the program.  And be sure to follow our Writer by Bus on Facebook to participate in creative writing programs, collaborative writing projects, and more.

Why Art by Bus?

Public transportation is one of the few features of our region that touches every part of a community.  Buses travel through every neighborhood; get people from home, to work, to the doctor, to the grocery store; they serve every age, every race, ever income level.  A bus trip will take you through parts of your community you may have never seen before, and introduce you to people you never would have the opportunity to meet.

By putting art on the buses, we want to remind people that taking public transportation is making a choice about how you spend your time.  You can fight with traffic, or you can close your eyes and listen to music.  You can spend money on gas, or you can pay your fare and enjoy a book.  Public transportation is an opportunity to have experiences, not just an alternative way to commute.

Plus, it’s a way to bring art into all of our neighborhoods, for people who may not otherwise have a chance to experience all the culture the region has to offer.