The Arts Commission celebrates the Ninth Year of the Art in TARTA program

Six new bus wraps were unveiled during the Art in TARTA gallery event on December 9, 2012.  The buses are newly wrapped with original and locally created graphic designs and poetry inspired by the theme of “Restore Planet Earth: Innovation,” the fifth year of the “Restore Planet Earth” initiative. 

The Art in TARTA gallery event was held at the Parkwood Gallery (1838 Parkwood Ave).  The event included a gallery exhibition of the awarded poetry and designs in addition to music, refreshments, and an award recognition ceremony.

Six graphic design majors from Bowling Green State University’s School of Art / Department of Graphic Design were selected to create visual interpretations inspired by the first award poem.  The designers were paired into three design teams to conceptualize, create and present a cohesive design vision for the 2012 buses to the client – the Art in TARTA committee.  This approach is unique from prior years, since the committee requested that the fleet of six buses be recognized as a related group of designs.

After each team’s presentation of visuals and an explanation of a creative solution, the Art in TARTA committee selected the designs that best encapsulated the mission of TARTA and this year’s theme of “Restore Planet Earth: Innovation.”  The six graphic designers from the various concept teams were then given a word that related to the overall theme. 

Each artist created a design in his/her own personal style, inspired by a word and the first award poem. Each artist created a design in his/her own personal style as inspired by the poem and their word in particular.  The resulting bus wraps are unique, yet cohesive in expressing an artistic image of the poem’s “Innovation” theme.

The designers worked under the creative direction of Mary Dawson/Dawson Design with Lori Young / BGSUGD Instructor and Off Contact Productions to produce the outstanding new 2012 Art in TARTA bus wraps.

The Art in TARTA program began in the summer of 2004.  Over the past 8 seasons the Art in TARTA competitions have encouraged an exploration of various themes:  Bridges (The Veterans' Glass City Skyway), Jazz (the famous Art Tatum), Glass (The Glass Pavilion), and Restore Planet Earth. 

The Art in TARTA gallery event is free and open to the public.  The gallery exhibition will be on display in the Parkwood Gallery through December 21.  The Parkwood Gallery is open 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday thru Friday and is located at 1838 Parkwood Avenue, on the corner of Parkwood and Monroe. 

For more information about the Art in TARTA program or this year’s gallery event, please contact Programs Coordinator, Michelle Carlson at [email protected].

The Arts Commission is the longest standing arts commission in the state of Ohio that develops and promotes the arts in the community, serving Northwest Ohio since 1959 and managing the City of Toledo’s 1% for Art program since 1977.
The Arts Commission is supported in part by the Ohio Arts Council

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Revised: 12/11/12 20:25:07 -0800.