NextStop Blog

A new gigantic work of art with a “green and healthy living” theme is now rolling along on MetroBus routes in St. Louis City and St. Louis County and you may see it anywhere at any time over the next year. The artwork is featured on the newest Arts in Transit MetroBus vehicle and children and adults helped paint the two eco-murals on the MetroBus vehicle on Saturday (Sept. 28) at the Green Homes and Great Health Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden. The artwork was designed by the Screwed Arts Collective.

The bus painting was one of the highlights of the annual festival which celebrates sustainable living and featured booths that offered information and activities about the many ways that plants, air, water, soil, and energy sustain our homes, our health, and the Earth.

“The Missouri Botanical Garden is pleased to continue our relationship with local artists and Metro Arts in Transit in the Green Homes and Great Health Festival. The opportunity to engage children of all ages, in the production of a positive sustainability message for the MetroBus mural project, and then, share it on the streets of our community for a year is a meaningful part of our outreach work,” said Richard Reilly, Energy Programs Manager and Coordinator of the Bus Mural Project at Missouri Botanical Garden.

“This is the first time we worked with artists from the Screwed Arts Collective,” said David Allen, Director of the Metro Arts in Transit Program. “We are excited about the designs they created and think the community will not only enjoy helping bring the design to life on the MetroBus but will also enjoy seeing it on MetroBus routes over the next 12 months.”

Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden

Two different murals designed by the Collective in St. Louis were painted on the MetroBus vehicle — one on each side featuring the same rich colors. One side focuses on urban farming, backyard gardening, planting and growing fruits and vegetables at home and the other side focuses on the renewable energy of the sun and the wind and alternative modes of transportation.

“When people see the artwork on the MetroBus, we hope that it affects them in a positive way, injecting public art and creativity into a context which is generally dominated by advertising,” said Bryan Walsh, Screwed Arts Collective. “The importance of locally grown (organic, hormone-free, etc.) food is growing daily and we are glad to be a part of efforts by the Missouri Botanical Garden to increase awareness and we are thankful to Metro for providing the opportunity.”

Click here to view our full slideshow.

Daniel Burnett, Stan Chisholm, Kris Mosby, Jason Spencer, Justin Tolentino, and Bryan Walsh from the Screwed Arts Collective worked on the bus painting project. The Screwed Arts Collective, established in 2010, is a group of thinkers, visual artists, musicians, and storytellers. They are committed to the evolution of participatory culture through various collaborative projects spanning a variety of traditional and non-traditional mediums including drawing, painting, music, video, print and installation.

The Art Bus Fleet Program partners Metro with non-profit organizations in the community to raise awareness for their organizations. The bus painting activity at the Green Homes and Great Health Festival was sponsored by Sheet Metal Workers Local 36 and SMACNA St. Louis (Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association). The presenting sponsor of the festival was Ameren Missouri.