Officials launch new 'wrapped' bus

The sun shone bright on Showalter fountain as dozens gathered to watch several prominent IU faculty toss water in the faces of IU theater and drama students, as well as onto a display from the SoFA Gallery.\nThe College of Arts and Sciences launched its first “wrapped” bus 4 p.m. Tuesday in front of the Lilly Library at Showalter Fountain. \nThe bus was formally launched by College of Arts and Sciences Dean Bennett Bertenthal; chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama Jonathon Michaelsen; SoFA gallery representative Betsy Stirrat; and local graphic designer Tosh Swingley. The four dignitaries were provided with “launch cups” full of water from the Showalter fountain with which they used to splash the “wrapped” bus. \nThe bus was painted a bright blue and displayed pictures of IU theater and drama students in action on one side, and pictures of displays within the SoFA Gallery on the other.\n“I would like to think of it as a celebration of what we do,” Michaelsen said. “Not only for shows, but to say, ‘Here are the arts.’”\nJohn Kinzer, director of audience development in the Department of Theatre and Drama, was running around the opening in a “Cat in the Hat” style hat, smiling as he helped everyone prepare for the big moment. \n“We had a very short calendar for this,” Kinzer said. “We started talking about it in the spring.”\nKinzer said the idea for the bus came from the College of Arts and Sciences. Both he and Stirrat said College of Arts and Sciences Dean Jocelyn Bowie was the real machine behind the idea. \nThe Department of Theatre and Drama and the SoFA gallery worked together to get their message across before assigning the project to local graphic designer Tosh Swingley. Both departments hope the new bus will give students the extra push they need to go check out both the theater productions and the SoFA Gallery.\n“The message to the students is clear, it’s written across the top of the bus,” Kinzer said. “We are their theater.” \nStirrat said she likes the combination of the SoFA Gallery with the Department of theater and Drama because both put on so many great programs. \n“This university is more than a cluster of classrooms,” Dean Bertenthal said.