Arts n Motion
Youth-designed bus stop bench art
We are partnering with WeGo Public Transit and Metro Nashville Public Schools on a city-wide youth placemaking project that will strengthen the identity of Nashville’s neighborhoods and improve the public transit experience.
Student art work displayed at bus stop
Student art bus bench design specifically for the Edgehill Community
Advertising often preys on vulnerable community members
Typical bus stop bench advertisements have a negative tone
Since the rise of the automobile, Nashville has not prioritized funding public transportation, leaving our most vulnerable residents severely lacking an essential and accessible resource. Until recently, many of Nashville’s buses have been wrapped in ads for bail bonds and fast cash loans, preying on the most vulnerable, especially showing the city’s youth that riding the bus is a negative reflection on them. The Metro Transit Authority recognized the importance of rebranding public transit in order to bring dignity to riders and to visually show that public transit is a service worth investing in. The Metro Transit Authority rebranded to WeGo Public Transit and is in the process of replacing graphics on buses and other transit infrastructure. As a part of this process, WeGo hired local artists to design artwork for wrapping buses and is partnering with our Design Your Neighborhood program to display youth artwork on public transit infrastructure.
WeGo’s priority of displaying local art on public transit aligns well with our established youth education program, Design Your Neighborhood. The project presented the perfect opportunity for a partnership that will bring youth voice and neighborhood identity into Nashville’s public transit system through art.
Rose Park Middle School Pilots the Program
Melody Gibson, Civic Desing Center’s Education Director, sitting on one of the middle school student’s designed bus stop benches.
Rose Park Magnet Math and Science Middle School students designed art that will be featured in WeGo Transit’s bus cards and on bus stop benches. The designs were meant to showcase the identity of the community they wanted to represent because we believe that public transit should embody the neighborhoods it serves. We are excited to share the winners below along with the students’ perspectives. The students told us about their experiences participating in the project as well as their inspiration for their winning designs.
Designed by Fatima
“The part of the project that made me feel empowered to make change in our community is that we got complete control over our project and we got to show our own ideas about what this community represents.”
Designed by Ibtihal and Kiera
“The way that I think this would help my community is because like we had a bunch of different symbols on our artwork, so people might be curious about what they mean and look them up. And then that will raise awareness to certain issues, and those communities, and I also think that it would be good for marginalized groups to see themselves represented or something. To make people feel welcome.”
Designed by Emma and Josiah
“With covid and the tornado hitting we just wanted to make something that would make our community smile.”
Keep an eye out for these creative community visualizations when you are passing a bus bench or riding WeGo transit! As funding opportunities open up for this particular placemaking project, this could develop into a major opportunity for Design Your Neighborhood students. We hope to welcome professional artists to the classroom, so they may share their advice on using art and design as a tool for showcasing community identity.
Designed by Sloan and Nora
