Local initiative adds original art to Winston-Salem's bus stops

Public transportation riders in Winston-Salem will soon have something new to ponder as they wait for the bus to arrive — original art.

The idea behind the Artistic Bus Shelter Program began in 2019: invite local artists to contribute to the aesthetic appeal of the city's bus shelters and enhance transit riders' experiences. The following year, 12 painting and sketching proposals were selected by members of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Public Art Commission, and bus shelters across the city were transformed into works of art.

This second round features 10 artists. Project planner Kelly Bennett says they want these artworks to relate to the history of each location.

“There's one of Simon G. Atkins that we're going to install near Atkins High School,” says Bennett. “There's a really cool kind of retro design of the Safe Bus Company. It's like a Safe Bus Company logo and that was the original incarnation of the Winston-Salem Transit Authority.”

Bennett says the printing process used to create the rear wall of each bus shelter allows artists to submit their work in a wide variety of mediums.

“If you do an oil painting that's selected for example, we'll take a picture of it, and scan it in,” he says. “Then we will print it onto this vinyl sturdy material and have it applied to the back of the bus shelter.”

Soon the new artworks will be popping up all over the city. Bennett says there are plans for another round of installations and future calls for artists may include outdoor sculptures as well.