Connecting the Community Through Art: GCRTA and CIA Bus Shelter Project

Young talent from the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA) utilize their artistic abilities to showcase the diverse aspects of public transportation offered by the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA), as well as provide a depiction of how each individual may use public transit in their daily routines.

The process began in October 2023, when 40 talented students at CIA, guided by Associate Professor Steven Gutierrez, were set on the path by GCRTA Marketing to transform bus shelters on Euclid Avenue at Stearns Road and Stokes Boulevard into stunning works of public art. This project gave the budding artists the opportunity to learn what comes with collaborating and creating for a public entity and space, blending creativity with real-world applications. They learned the constraints and efforts that come with such a project, including the nature of the display request, collaboration of efforts and design, space limitations, challenges in juxtaposition of the number of pieces to display, and much more.

Here are some personal insights from the students on the project:

• Alex Drusky: "It was a very fun opportunity to get this real-world experience working with a client, and the creative liberty we were allowed was very nice. We were inspired to represent places located in Cleveland, so I decided to represent downtown Cleveland by doing one of the Guardian of Transportation statues but with an RTA bus."
  
  
• Teddy Church: "When we were initially told about this assignment, I was already really excited. As a first year, you don't expect to have your work displayed in a public space outside of school. So, to have this opportunity in your first semester is amazing."
  
  
• Hope Mocadlo: "Being part of this project was an amazing experience. One of my main goals with my art is to give back to the community. I chose to depict Wade Park in my piece because the museum, and the park itself, is my favorite place to be in Cleveland, especially during the spring. I just wanted to share a piece of that with the city."
  
  
• Annelise Abruzzi: "As we were starting to work on the project, most of my peers focused on the places of entertainment the RTA travels to or the aspects of community. For me, I wanted to shed a light on the people who use the RTA more for commuting to work and give a little shoutout to our healthcare workers in the process.”

The bus shelter artwork was installed in late April 2024 and can be seen by riders on GCRTA’s HealthLine. The vibrant designs, applied with an adhesive vinyl wrap produced in-house via the GCRTA Sign Shop, enhance the waiting environment for transit users, making every day commutes a little brighter. The bus shelters on Euclid Avenue at Stearns Road and Stokes Boulevard in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood now stand as a testament to what can be achieved when community and creativity come together.

This project not only beautifies public spaces but also provides valuable learning experiences for the students and strengthens the relationship between CIA and GCRTA. It exemplifies how art can connect and inspire communities, fulfilling GCRTA’s mission to connect the community in a visually impactful way.

For more information on this collaboration or to see the artwork, visit the bus shelters at Euclid Avenue at Stearns Road and Stokes Boulevard in Cleveland’s University Circle neighborhood, or scroll through the photos below.