San Francisco Beautiful, SFMTA Partner for Place Art

San Francisco Beautiful is set to launch the first Place Art program in partnership with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA). Through the new Place Art program, neighbors curate public spaces by voting for art in surprising public places. SF Beautiful’s debut location for the program will be on 50 Muni buses this fall. Artists from throughout the nine Bay Area counties are invited to participate in the first ever “Muni Art” project which brings art to over 700,000 daily Muni riders. Five finalists will each be given the opportunity to display work that evokes “the spirit of San Francisco” on 10 buses travelling throughout the city from September – December 2015.

“We're thrilled to launch this unique opportunity with SFMTA that gives local artists a showcase for their work and we hope that “Muni Art” will be an annual event,” said San Francisco Beautiful’s Executive Director, Kearstin Krehbiel. “Art has always been identified with the fabric of the city, without art San Francisco has no soul.  As Henry Miller stated so eloquently, “Art teaches nothing except the significance of life.”

“We are delighted to be partnering with San Francisco Beautiful to provide Muni customers with an enriched experience while supporting local artists,” said Ed Reiskin, SFMTA director of Transportation. “This is another opportunity for Muni riders and the general public to get involved and be proud of their transit system and its role in connecting communities across the city.”

The deadline for artist to submit proposals is June 19.  A committee which includes local gallery owners and arts institutions will choose the finalists by June 26th and the public will vote for the top five finalists starting July 14th. In addition to having their art displayed on buses, the artist who receives the most votes will be awarded $2,000 and each of the remaining four will be awarded $1,250.  

Place Art is funded in part by the Community Challenge Grant program which facilitates neighborhood beautification projects throughout San Francisco. Local arts organizations ArtSpan, SOMArts and the Bayview Opera House have joined forces to support this new program; however, sponsors are still actively being sought.