On Thursday evening, July 12, 2018, Transit Alliance had the pleasure of keeping company with some incredible Nashville talent. Beth Inglish, local artist most recently known for her “Pure Joy” art piece you can see wrapped around one WeGo Transit bus, gave a deeply personal background for her art and it’s placement.
Artist Beth Inglish stands next to “Pure Joy” and talks about her art at a ‘Joy Bus’ Nashville reception on Thursday, July 12, 2018, at The Studio 208.
Inglish, herself, was full of joy answering questions about her art and style while she shared the story about partnering with Nashville’s WeGo Transit earlier this year to create a way to “Transit Different.” Jason Minser of WeGo Transit was on-hand to support Inglish and her work as well as the process of wrapping art on buses.
Event host Ashley Segroves, owner and curator of The Studio 208 (208 3rd Ave N, Nashville, TN 37201) also spoke about the process that led them to contact Minser to explore a partnership.
Jessica Dauphin, Associate Director of Transit Alliance of Middle Tennessee, shared the agency’s mission to build support for funding regional transit by mobilizing community leadership. “We want to see a robust, thriving, well-connected region so that no one is without mobility options.” She said.
Dauphin speaking to the reception crowd. Photography credit: John Partipilo http://www.johnpartipilo.com
Dauphin went on to discuss the transformative power of art, “Art speaks to our emotions and taps into places statistics can’t reach. And that’s the nexus of real change. By changing the way we feel, we can change perception and by changing perception we can change behaviors and that’s what Nashville needs. The Joy Bus will help move the conversation forward. Thank you, Ashley, Beth, and Jason. Can’t wait to see what you do next!”
Ron Yearwood of Transit Now followed with a message that encouraged more folks to get involved in the transit conversation.
The evening concluded with a ride on the Joy Bus. The group walked three blocks to the bus stop. It was dark out and the street lights were on, but there was still lots of foot traffic crossing streets and along sidewalks. The wait at the bus stop was just 10 minutes or so and the bus arrived to raucous cheers and a group photo. The inside of the bus is full of art, too.
Ceiling of ‘Joy Bus.’
We packed the ‘Joy Bus’ as Beth went around the bus asking for inspirational quotes to leave around the interior of the bus.
It was a great way to share perhaps a new Nashville phenomenon: enthusiasm and art for transit. Let’s hope it’s a trend that sticks.