Finalist (1 of 6), Kansas City Area Transportation Authority, Kansas City, MO. Art in Transit project, artwork on glass of bus shelters, 18′ x 21″ total per shelter. Graphic interlayer laminated safety glass. Proposal to shoot imagery from the neighborhoods along the transit route. January, 2010. Budget: $90,000.

Presentation Boards

From the Proposal

I am proposing the application of transparent photographic imagery to the walls of the bus shelters for the proposed sites. The imagery chosen would ideally come from the immediate environs of that station and help give an identity to that location. I visited Kansas City in December and shot generic pictures of the city as well as wandered the streets around the three designated sites along Troost Ave. The images presented could be the final artwork, or more visits to the city could be made and additional imagery created for final design selection.

My primary site of interest is the 31st Street station. What spoke to me most about this location is the existing piece of public art occupying the wall to the rear of the proposed site. It became clear to me that this mural has to be a beloved neighborhood treasure and that whatever artwork we now propose should honor this painting and treat it respectfully. So I began to photograph this mural and then the other Alexander Austin murals around the city. These murals have already begun to decay (hopefully there will be restoration efforts), and my pictures could in part act as a record of what these murals looked like should circumstances cause them to further crumble or even disappear. I would want to credit Mr. Austin on any plaque included at the site. In addition to the 31st Street mural, I photographed the Martin Luther King mural one block away on Linwood Boulevard and the other large one near 18th and Vine. I also learned about the Disney connection to the site and included images of his old studio around the corner.