News

Celebrate Earth Day by adding some color to the MetroBus fleet at the St. Louis Earth Day Festival this Sunday in Forest Park. Festival attendees of all ages are invited to help paint two specially designed Earth Day murals onto a MetroBus that will transform the bus into a rolling work of art. The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District is sponsoring the Metro Arts in Transit Bus painting, and St. Louis artist Genevieve Esson created the murals, one for each side of the bus.

What: Metro Arts in Transit Bus Painting

Where: St. Louis Earth Day Festival

The Muny Grounds at Forest Park (near intersection of McKinley and Theatre Drive) St. Louis, MO 63110

When: Sunday, April 26 – 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Cost: Free and open to participants of all ages

“The Metro transit system promotes sustainability and helps save resources and improve our region’s environment, which is why we’re a perfect fit for Earth Day,“ said David Allen, Metro Director of Arts in Transit. “Art is the perfect way to bring these benefits to life and share the Earth Day message with the community.”

Artist Genevieve Esson has previously designed several public art pieces featured in the St. Louis area, including a Metro Arts in Transit Bus painting for the Missouri Botanical Garden and four cake sculptures for last year’s STL250 celebration.

“I created the mural to represent the ideals of St. Louis Earth Day and Project Clear STL, an initiative of the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District that focuses on keeping our waterways clean,” said Esson. “The design uses movement and eye-catching colors to capture people’s attention and show how their choices affect the quality of water and surrounding areas of metropolitan St. Louis.”

The Arts in Transit Bus painting will take place from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday (April 26), and all ages are welcome to participate. In about two weeks, this bus will join the Art Bus Fleet, which is part of Metro’s Arts in Transit Program. The murals will stay on the MetroBus for one year as it travels along various routes throughout St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Bi-State Development Agency/Metro is one of the main sponsors of the St. Louis Earth Day Festival. In addition to the bus painting, Metro will showcase an all-electric bus the agency is currently testing and will have a booth with transit information, giveaways and details about the agency’s new mobile transit application, Metro On The Go. The information booth and art bus painting will be located on Theatre Drive near the Muny’s main entrance in Forest Park on Sunday. For more information about St. Louis Earth Day, visit www.stlouisearthday.org.

David Allen and Genevieve Esson will be available for interviews on Sunday at the Metro Arts in Transit Bus painting. Members of the media can contact Jerry Vallely, External Communications Manager, at 314-486-5553 for more information.

About Bi-State Development Agency

The Bi-State Development Agency (BSDA) is the operator of the Metro public transportation system for the St. Louis region, which includes the 87 vehicle, 46-mile MetroLink light rail system; 379 MetroBus vehicle fleet that operates on 77 MetroBus routes; and Metro Call‑A‑Ride, a paratransit fleet of 120 vans. BSDA also owns and operates St. Louis Downtown Airport and its surrounding industrial business park, and the Gateway Arch Riverboats, as well as operates the Gateway Arch Revenue Collections Center and Gateway Arch Transportation System. The region’s new freight district also will be operated by BSDA.