San Francisco—The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) and San Francisco Beautiful (SFB) will kick-off the third year of Muni Art at a press conference hosted by Supervisor Sandra Fewer on the Polk Street steps of City Hall, Thursday, January 11 at 12 pm. For the first time the project collaborated with the Poetry Society of America's Poetry in Motion® for the theme “The Art of Poetry in San Francisco”. The five winning local artists and poets will have their original work displayed on 100 Muni buses beginning January and running through April, 2018.
The 2018 Muni artists are:
Donavon Brutus
Mara Hernandez
Tsungwei Moo
Randi Pace
Janet Rumsey
The five local poets and poems are:
Juan Felipe Herrera – “Thich Nhat Hanh I Step With You”
Diane di Prima – “To a Student”
Kay Ryan – “Relief”
Brynn Saito – “Traffic”
Charif Shanahan – “Love Poem Three Autumns Later”
In addition to artistically interpreting the five poems, each artist has three additional panels to reflect the 2018 theme that will line both sides of the bus interior display space.
“The SFMTA is committed to improving the customer experience and this program makes for a pleasant riding experience,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “From new vehicles rapid routes and increased service, to art and poetry, we’re doing everything we can to make the ride more enjoyable.”
“Muni Art breaks down the barriers to galleries and museums and brings original local art and poetry to San Franciscans in every part of the city,” said Darcy Brown, Executive Director of San Francisco Beautiful. “The project highlights our local artists and poets, and gets their work in front of over 700,000 daily Muni riders every day for four months. What artist doesn’t dream of an opportunity like that?”
Supervisor Fewer, who is co-hosting the event said, “I am thrilled to co-host the kick-off of Muni Art 2018, and be a part of bringing vibrant visual arts and poetry to San Francisco’s public transit riders.”
“The Poetry Society of America is delighted to be collaborating with the innovative and energetic San Francisco Beautiful team and with SFMTA’s visionary leadership,” said Alice Quinn, Executive Director of the Poetry Society of America. “We are excited to be a part of such a unique poetry and art display in this city that has such a long, distinguished, and charming literary history.”
This year, the Muni Art program is funded by members of San Francisco Beautiful, AT&T, the Wilsey Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Foundation and the Union Square BID.
For more details on the final five winners of the Muni Art Project, visit sfbeautiful.org/muniart.