Last year's contest winners standing in front of a bus displaying their art.
Art and nature are often combined with beautiful results. The 16th Annual Art Takes a Bus Ride contest, hosted by SamTrans and the San Mateo County Office of Education, leans on this pairing. This year's theme, "Exploring Nature with SamTrans," promises to inspire students to create stunning paintings and drawings that celebrate the wonder of the natural world as seen through the lens of public transportation.
Students of all grade levels get a chance to display their artistic talents as they pick up their brushes, pencils, chalk, or markers to embark on this creative adventure and explore the natural world that surrounds us. The canvas is blank, and the possibilities are endless – and that's the beauty of art and nature, waiting to be discovered with each bus ride.
“Students who participate in Art Takes a Bus Ride not only paint their dreams on canvas, but also etch their love for nature onto the heart of our communities,” said Allison Gamlen, the visual and performing arts coordinator for the Office. “They show us that in answering the question, 'Where do you love to go in nature?' we find not just destinations but journeys of boundless creativity and inspiration.”
Once the contest is complete in December and the selections have been made, the winners will then be invited to visit our North Base maintenance facility in South San Francisco to receive their awards and see their artwork displayed on a canvas that wraps around two SamTrans buses. The artwork will also be displayed on advertisement cards along the inside of our buses in the spring. SamTrans is excited to host this fun event to promote creativity and thought-provoking artwork from the next generation of renowned artists.
Some students create their works of art on their own time, while others get involved as part of a class project. In a typical year, we receive 100 to 150 entries from talented students throughout the county. Year after year they impress us with their creativity (see past winners here), and we expect the same this year. So, let’s get those creative minds working!