The Butler County Regional Transit Authority unveiled its newest StreetSpark bus Thursday, May 22, during the four-day Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters biennial conference.
Jennifer Eickelberger’s 2021 StreetSpark design Charge the Line came off the wall and onto a BCRTA bus during the four-day Ohio Association of Professional Firefighters biennial conference.
“BCRTA is thrilled to honor our heroes in a truly innovative and dynamic way,” said Shawn Cowan, Director of Customer Care and Public Engagement at BCRTA. “Showcasing art on our buses through the StreetSpark art program provides a unique opportunity for all community members to experience and appreciate these inspiring artworks firsthand.”
This is the third collaboration between StreetSpark and the BCRTA in recent years.
In 2021, BCRTA turned a trio of existing murals into wraps for its buses.
In 2022, they commissioned original bus-specific wraps by StreetSpark artists, resulting in Evan Verilli’s City, Country, City, Amy Deal’s City of Sculpture and Brent Billingsley’s Transportation and the Games We Play.
Founded in 2016 in partnership between the Fitton Center, the City of Hamilton and the Hamilton Community Foundation, StreetSpark furthers the creative identity of the city through exciting murals and public art projects. The program creates engagement by producing high-quality art, providing opportunities for local artists and enhancing the visual appeal of the city.
“We’re incredibly proud to partner with BCRTA again for a project of this magnitude,” said Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, executive director at the Fitton Center, which oversees the StreetSpark mural program. “We have the utmost respect for our first responders. We want to help show our appreciation for all they do to help keep us safe every day.”
Since that first summer in 2016, StreetSpark artists designed and painted 19 murals and 17 utility boxes in a variety of styles. Plus the buses. StreetSpark recently announced the design for its 2024 project – Tourism Series: Hamilton - slated to begin painting work June 5.
See all the murals online here or download a map here to visit them in person.
Meantime, enjoy some photos from the May 22 unveiling of the bus below.
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