2019 MetroScapes Draws Record Number of Entries from Local Artists

The winning artists selected for the 2019 MetroScapes program include amateurs and professionals from across the St. Louis region ranging in age from 12 to 72, highlighting that people of all ages have the ability to create art that inspires. Their work was selected from 471 submissions, a record for the art program.

The public was invited to meet the 10 artists and see their winning artwork at a special exhibition and reception on November 14. The event drew the artists, their friends and families and other at lovers who got to preview the art that will be installed at up to 100 MetroBus shelters across the area.

Tim Boyle, chairman of the Arts in Transit, Inc. Board of Directors, said the winning artworks will be viewed thousands of times by thousands of people using the Metro Transit system or who travel past the bus stops. He said their work is a win for the community too.

“We’re all winners, because we all get to revel in your creativity,” Boyle said.

That creativity took many shapes and forms this year, with mediums ranging from photographs, digital and mixed media to oil pastels, acrylic painting and ink on paper. The inspiration for each piece was just as varied.

For Diawly, a 6th grader at Barack Obama Elementary in Pine Lawn, Mo., that inspiration came from Manal Ali-Sharif, the women’s rights activist from Saudi Arabia who helped start a women’s right-to-drive campaign in 2011. Diawly actually created the artwork when she was a 5th grade student at Jefferson Elementary School, and her colorful depiction of the activist behind the wheel was intended to motivate others the way that she herself was inspired by Ali-Sharif.

“My painting wasn’t just about winning. I put kind and heart into it,” said Diawly. “You should just go out and express yourself.”

The ink on paper drawing titled (ECAEP EVAH SU TEL) depicts two linked hands of different shades reaching out from two clusters of multiple hands of varying shades. It represents peace on earth to Quinton Davis, the artist who created it and creatively named it “let us have peace” spelled backwards. The 17-year old high school senior from Belleville, Ill., said his original inspiration stemmed from the fact that there is so much unrest in the country, racial and otherwise.

“What I saw is that there is such a need for peace in our world,” Davis said. “The image represents people from all backgrounds, races and stretches of life reaching out to each other. I want people who see it to be able to think of a future where people would have a kind of Utopia, where people have gotten past a lot of the things that keep us from coming together and loving each other.”

Rainbow Trail is a colorful photograph captured by Taylor McIntosh of St. Peters, Mo., during the Pride STL parade this summer. It shows the legs of a group of people walking during the parade as the shadow of a falling rainbow flag hits the ground behind them, creating the illusion that the people are leaving a rainbow trail. She says she expected most people would be focused on capturing the image of the flag falling, so she was shooting for something different.

“I like how the flag draping from the top of the image gives it movement, and the people walking creates movement too,” McIntosh said.

For Jason Hoeing of Shrewsbury, Mo., the inspiration for his mixed media entry Lotus Folds came from his desire to repurpose pieces of approximately 20 other prior projects that he cut up and mixed with other elements, whether from one of his children’s old paintings or a map from his mother’s house or something else from one of his bins of scraps. The end result is a collage effect where the different elements create shadows, giving the piece depth. Having earned degrees in art and now working as a teacher, he notes that creating this type of work reflects his profession turning into a passion.

“My work before was too serious,” said Hoeing. “I had kids and suddenly I wanted to play; I reconnected to the playful aspect.”

2019 MetroScapes Exhibition and Reception

The 2019 MetroScapes program is supported by funding from the Gateway Foundation. There was no fee for artists to submit up to three original entries for the MetroScapes competition, making it rather unique among art contests and helping to attract 471 submissions from 224 artists who all who live within a 50 mile radius of St. Louis. For more information about MetroScapes, and to view this year’s winning works of art and artwork from previous MetroScapes, visit artsintransit.org.

Metro Arts In Transit Selects 2019 MetroScapes Artists

2019 MetroScapes
A collage of the 2018 MetroScapes winning submissions.

The next time you’re waiting at a bus shelter, look around you. There’s new artwork on the way.

Metro Arts in Transit (AIT) is proud to announce the 10 winners of this year’s MetroScapes program, which showcases local art at MetroBus stops and Metro Transit Centers around the St. Louis region. Artwork of all types of mediums were submitted and reviewed by a panel of artists before the 10 winning art pieces were finally selected.

You’re Invited – MetroScapes Exhibition and Reception

You’ll have a chance to see the artwork as well as meet the winning artists at the .ZACK arts facility in Grand Center on Thursday, November 14. The event — which will go from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. — is free and open to the public.


MetroScapes Exhibition and Reception
Thursday, November 14 | 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

.ZACK
3224 Locust Street, Suite 303

St. Louis, MO 63103


The winning artists and the titles of their works are:

  1. Diawly Diop – Manal Ali-Sharif
  2. Morgan Hill – Rome’s Chicken
  3. Quinton Davis – (ECAEP EVAH SU TEL)
  4. Patricia Brewer – Red Window
  5. Angela Vories – Querencia
  6. Taylor McIntosh – Rainbow Trail
  7. Irek Szelag – Saint Louis Art Museum with Monument
  8. B. Nearsy Wright – Positive Valence
  9. Cary Horton – Carr School
  10. Jason Hoeing – Lotus Folds

“This year, we received the highest recorded participation since the MetroScapes program began back in 2015,” said Thad Duhigg, Arts in Transit Board Member. “The 10 winning submissions elevate the St. Louis region using mediums ranging from photography and computer-generated imagery to acrylic, spray and oil painting. St. Louis riders are in for a treat.”

Major funding for MetroScapes is generously provided by the Gateway Foundation.


More: Check out the winning 2018 MetroScapes artists.


Metro AIT launched the MetroScapes program as a way to support the local arts community while adding color and beauty to the neighborhoods Metro Transit serves by featuring winning artworks at MetroBus stops and Metro Transit Centers.

Help Paint a St. Louis Cardinals-Themed Bus on Saturday

Stop by Busch Stadium a little early on Saturday and help us paint a bus!

Fans of all ages are invited to paint two murals that celebrate the hometown St. Louis Cardinals. The bus painting begins at 4 p.m., and the event is free and open to the public. Join us right outside Busch Stadium, at the intersection of 8th and Clark Streets.


Video: Watch this bus turn into a Metro masterpiece. 


This bus will join the Art in Motion fleet and operate in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County for about a year.

The bus painting is sponsored by the St. Louis Cardinals.

MetroBus Painting

Paint A Bus At The Ferguson Farmers Market

Help us add some color to the MetroBus fleet during an Art in Motion bus painting on August 10 at the Ferguson Farmers Market.

We’ll begin painting at 9 a.m. at Plaza 501, near the corner of Suburban and South Florissant Road. The event is free and open to the public.


Video: Watch our newest Art in Motion bus turn into a moving masterpiece.


The murals were designed by artist Crystal Stevens of Grow Create Inspire, and include images of fields, fruits and vegetables, to highlight the benefits of farming and the importance of ensuring everyone has access to farm-fresh produce.

The bus will join the Art in Motion Bus Fleet and operate throughout the St. Louis region for one year.

MetroBus Painting

Enter Your Work For The 2019 MetroLines Poetry Contest

Does your written work need a bit of exposure? We can help.

Metro Arts in Transit wants to share your work with the tens of thousands of transit riders who travel the St. Louis region each day. The MetroLines Poetry Contest allows poets the chance to have their original works displayed on MetroBus vehicles and MetroLink trains for up to one year.

You must live within a 50-mile radius of the city of St. Louis. Up to 15 winning poems will be reproduced on posters and displayed on the Metro Transit system.

You’ll receive a copy of your poem and a $200 prize. Winners will also be invited to read their poetry at a special event held early next year.


Submit Your Poems Here


All entries must be submitted online. You may submit up to three poems with each poem being 15 lines or less, and all work submitted for consideration must be suitable for public display. The deadline to enter 5 p.m. on September 30.

MetroLines is open to both published and non-published work by bi-state residents of all ages, however previously published work must be provided with permission to reproduce. A panel of literary professionals from the St. Louis region will judge the entries.

MetroLines is generously supported by the Missouri Arts Council and the Regional Arts Commission.

Submit Your Artwork for the 2019 MetroScapes

2019 MetroScapes

Ever wanted your artwork displayed across St. Louis? Now’s your chance.

Metro Arts in Transit is accepting submissions for the 2019 MetroScapes, a public art program that showcases local art at Metro Transit locations.

The original work of 10 local artists will be selected for the 2019 MetroScapes program. The artwork will also be reproduced as smaller, limited-edition posters available for purchase.


Submit your artwork: Upload your entries for free


Artists may submit up to three images for consideration and all images must be high-resolution with a minimum 300 dpi. Artists must reside within 50 miles of St. Louis to be eligible for the program.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, September 13, 2019, at 11:59 p.m.

Each artist selected for MetroScapes will receive a copy of the limited-edition poster and $1,000 for the use of their original work. An exhibition and reception for the winning artists will be held later this year.

Major funding for the MetroScapes program is generously provided by the Gateway Foundation.

Check out last year’s selected artists and learn more about the MetroScapes program.

Help us Paint a Bus at Art on the Square

people painting bus

Help us create a moving masterpiece at Art on the Square in downtown Belleville on Saturday (May 18).

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., painters of all ages are invited to participate in a special Art in Motion bus painting to help transform a St. Clair County Transit District MetroBus into a rolling work of art. The murals on the bus will feature the “Schtick People” sculptures created by architect-artist Gary Karasek, which have been installed along the MetroBikeLink trails in Illinois.

The free bus painting event will take place at the intersection of East Main Street and High Street.

Once completed, the art bus will go into regular service and travel along a variety of bus routes in St. Clair County for the next year. This bus painting event is sponsored by the St. Clair County Transit District.

Ride MetroLink for Free in Illinois Saturday

Art Sculpture

Take a free ride on MetroLink and enjoy the newest art installations along the MetroBikeLink trail in St. Clair County.

This Saturday (May 11) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., MetroLink will be free to ride in Illinois, from the East Riverfront to Shiloh-Scott MetroLink Stations. This free ride zone is sponsored by the St. Clair County Transit District (SCCTD) as they host celebration of the new “Rails, Trails and Art” installation, which features ten, moving Shtick People sculptures created by local architect-artist Gary Karasek. The free, community event kicks off at 9 a.m. at the Belleville MetroLink Station.

The free ride zone is only for MetroLink service in Illinois. Valid fare is required for riders using MetroLink in Missouri and for all MetroBus routes.

The installation of the sculptures along the MetroBikeLink Trail was made possible through a collaboration between St. Clair County Transit District, Art on the Square, UMB Bank and local architectartist Gary Karasek.

St. Clair County Art Dedication

Art Sculpture Finds New Home at North County Transit Center

Art work showing person walking dog.

An art sculpture that you may have seen displayed at a couple of different Metro Transit locations over the years now has a new home in Ferguson at the North County Transit Center.

The “I Want” Arts In Transit sculpture, which showcases a person walking a dog with various consumer goods inside, was recently moved from the Maplewood-Manchester Transit Center to the North County Transit Center.

The artwork was created by Chicago artist Victoria Fuller and commissioned into the Arts In Transit program in 2001. At that time, the artwork was temporarily installed on Delmar Boulevard near The Pageant. About seven years ago, the sculpture was officially integrated into the Metro Transit system and relocated to the Maplewood-Manchester Transit Center.

The artwork was initially installed in the plaza area north of Manchester Road before being moved a short time later to the south side of Manchester Road. Extreme weather conditions over the years took a toll on the sculpture.

“The sun faded a lot of the materials,” said David Allen, Director of Arts in Transit. “The tennis balls inside the dog had to be replaced and some of the consumer goods as well.”

While the artwork has been restored several times since it was commissioned, its location at the Maplewood-Manchester Transit Center wasn’t the best fit. The better fit turned out to be the North County Transit Center, which opened in March 2016. In addition to the sculpture, the transit center also features an art gallery inside that showcases local artists year round.

There are nearly 40 Metro Arts In Transit artworks installed across the transit system that were created by artists not only from the bi-state area but from other cities in the United States and Canada. Several of the artists have received global attention.

Arts in Transit was established in 1986 to connect the community and public transit through art and art education. Since then, it has supported numerous public art programs throughout the St. Louis region.

Arts in Transit Awarded $25,000 Grant From Gateway Foundation

collage

Arts in Transit, a non-profit subsidiary of Bi-State Development, has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Gateway Foundation.

The Gateway Foundation, best known for its work to develop Citygarden in downtown St. Louis, supports cultural and artistic activities to improve the quality of life in the St. Louis region.

The $25,000 grant will be used to support the 2019 MetroScapes, an annual public art program that reproduces the original work of local artists on large posters and features them at more than 200 Metro Transit locations throughout the St. Louis region. Since its launch in 2016, the program has featured the work of 30 local artists, representing a variety of ages and experience – from elementary school students to retirees.

“We are extremely grateful for the generous contribution of the Gateway Foundation and their support of the MetroScapes program,” said David Allen, Director of Arts in Transit. “With their help, we will be able to support some of the region’s most talented and exciting artists, and share their original work with transit riders and the neighborhoods served by the Metro Transit system.”

Arts in Transit was established in 1986 to connect the community and public transit through art and art education. Since then, it has supported numerous public art programs and commissioned more than 150 temporary and permanent public art installations throughout the St. Louis region.