22 on 29: A New Journey for BRT Riders
Our collaboration with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) dates as far back as 2015 when we were commissioned to create mosaics for several bus stop knee and seat walls. In 2017, PYAO youth were contracted to create thirteen mosaic medallions for stops along the RideOn ExtRa service on 355/Rockville Pike. Since then, this partnership has not only transported thousands of daily bus riders into the world of art, but it has also given our PYAO apprentices a glimpse into otherwise unknown design-related career options such as transportation planning, public art design and community engagement, and environmental design.
The newest MCDOT commission comprises 22 public art sidewalk insets at 11 new station locations along US 29.The Flash service will operate between the Silver Spring Transit Center and the Burtonsville Park-and-Ride Center and is scheduled to launch in early 2020. AOB emerging artists and designers participated in the planning and community outreach for the project at several open houses and will design and produce the mosaics. Each new artwork will be unique to its location with unifying elements and themes that come from what we learned at the community meetings. We love our MCDOT partnership and this new project will challenge and inspire our talented apprentices as they collaborate, learn, and create. Stay tuned! We’ll share the progress our amazing youth make on their new MCDOT commission that is sure to engage and excite the new BRT Flash riders! Proud youth artists with their finished mosaic.
