Reason #4298 that we love Portland? Amazing public art. And we can thank the folks at Creative Portland for a new public art initiative for three Bus Stop Shelters.  The art celebrates Portland's racially diverse community and two of the three shelters are done by immigrant artists. The bus shelter art installation is funded in part by a $25,000 matching grant from the National Endowment for the Arts as part of the NEA’s "Our Town" initiative.

Creative Portland is the City's non-profit arts agency and they continue to do amazing things. The bus shelter art installation is just one of the many cool things they have going on. 

Check out the three installations:

  • This bus shelter art is by the artist Pigeon and is on St John Street by Dunkin'.

 

From the Creative Portland press release:

“Launching this unique public art initiative from inception to installation has been an incredible experience because of our amazing partners, artists, curatorial team, sponsors and City support. The effort promotes the creative economy via public transit and “Creative Placemaking,” a fairly new term recognized by arts communities as an intentional endeavor for building community and for providing a place of wonder to evoke joy and a sense of belonging,” enthused Ms Minot, Executive Director of Creative Portland, the City’s nonprofit arts agency.

 

The second shelter art going up today is on the USM campus. It's called Glacial Retreat by USM alum Justin Levesque. Glacial Retreat is about climate change issues in the Gulf of Maine

 

Herb Ivy
Herb Ivy
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The third shelter will be on Congress Street by Mechanics Hall. It's called Hope and Friendship by Ebenezer Akakpo, BFA in Metalsmithing and Jewelry Design, MECA.

 

Creative Portland
Creative Portland
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Celebrations at each shelter will be on Sept 10th, from 2-4 pm in the
afternoon with details announced in late August.

Way to go Creative Portland!

 

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