Alumni Create Bus Shelters for Athens

The work of several Lamar Dodd School of Art alumni can now be seen on roads in the Athens area. Bus shelters completed by artists in the Athens area have been appearing since February. The shelters are a part of a project described in Flagpole Magazine. 

Eclectic new bus shelters have steadily sprung up across the county, demonstrating how public art can be both beautifying and functional within the surrounding landscape. Organized by the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission and Athens Transit Department, with funding from SPLOST, the project picks up where “Me, You & the Bus” left off a decade ago. The initial round of 11 artist-designed shelters, installed between 2005–2009 and still standing strong, was spearheaded as a public art project by the Athens Area Arts Council. Now, longtime favorites—like those inspired by The B52s’ “Love Shack” and R.E.M.’s Murmur Trestle, or the clever shelter welded from a real yellow school bus—will be joined by a series of new creations that continue to strengthen a sense of place and draw attention to the value of public transportation, while providing much needed seating and protection from the weather.

Alumni included in the production of these new shelters include: Lawrence Stueck, Richard Herzog, Joni Younkins-Herzog, and Chris Fennell, and more. 

Learn more about the project here. 

Image: Lawrence Stueck, Kimono