Artist Designed Bike Racks Phase II Selected Designs Announced

Eye On Art  |  12/13/2012

Artist Designed Bike Racks: Phase II

Program History:
Artist designed bike racks have appeared throughout the country and are particularly popular in areas that want to exhibit their support for the arts while encouraging bicycle traffic. In 2011, The Arts Commission sought to develop a series of these bike racks that would represent Toledo’s unique aesthetic and cultural identity. A design competition was launched and yielded over 80 submissions from more than 40 local and regional artists. The Design Review Board, which was composed of community stakeholders, bicycle enthusiasts and neighborhood representatives, selected a group of 10 bike rack designs from the submission pool that were installed in the Uptown District in May of 2012. With the success of Phase I, a second phase was launched in September of 2012 to continue the program.

Phase II:
The open call for submissions yielded 123 designs from 58 local and regional artists. Ten designs have been selected from this pool (see attached images.) The selected designs are as follows: Rotation by Brent Lohmann, Mr. 419 by Amy Fidler, Leap Frog by Jefferey Rodriguez and Dale Lehman, 2 Birds 1 Tweet by Clifton Harvey, Yarnbomb Holder 1 by Streetspun Yarnbombing, Coffee Break by Debi Heiks, Strongman the Bike Protector by Michelle Dunoski, Jumping Fishby Brien Strancar, Thumbs Up! by Brien Strancar, and Wood Grain by Mr. Taylor. Artists will receive a $500 honorarium per selected design.

The Arts Commission anticipates that these new Artist Designed Bike Racks will be installed in the spring of 2013. The Warehouse District has been selected as the area of focus for Phase II of this project. Its
growing reputation as a destination for arts and entertainment coupled with a strong potential for increased bicycle traffic makes The Warehouse District a natural fit for this public art project. A diverse number of arts and culture related businesses, galleries, restaurants, retail stores and organizations are located in this district. A full listing is available at www.toledowarehouse.org.

This district is also located in close proximity to the heart of Downtown Toledo and will encourage bicyclists to continue frequenting this area and potentially attract other riders as well.

Additional information regarding fabrication and installation of the new racks will be made available throughout the winter. Stay tuned at www.TheArtsCommission.org.

This project is funded by the City of Toledo's 1% for Art Program. The 1% for Art Program is administered by the Arts Commission through its Art in Public Places Committee.