Bus center to receive exterior art

The new Bloomington Transit Center will debut in late spring, but not before receiving a douse of color and character from two Bloomington artists.

Artist Dale Enochs and architect Matt Ellenwood, both Bloomington residents, were selected to complete the exterior artwork for the transit center under construction on East Third and South Walnut streets.

Miah Michaelsen, assistant director for the arts for the City of Bloomington Economic and Sustainable Development Department, said a call to artists was issued by the city.

It invited talent from across the country to vie for one of three commissions at the center.

“We’ve put a premium for investing in public art,” Michaelsen said. “We think that’s part of what makes Bloomington special.”

The contest asked for designs for a west wall mural, 22 bike racks and exterior benches.

Artists submitted a preliminary design proposal that fit the practical needs of the transit center, represented the theme of transportation and fit within the allotted budget.

Artist Dale Enochs was selected to complete the west wall mural. In his barn studio, surrounded by chisels, drawings and a filmy layer of dust, Enochs said art is important because it supplements the otherwise average parts of daily life.

“Where there is not art, there is bleakness,” Enochs said. “They’re necessary to give a positive feeling or life. Art on a transit center, the hope is that it gives a positive feeling to those that go by, that visit the center, that are participants there.”

When completed, the mural will measure 6 feet tall and 22 feet wide and attach to a mounting plate.

The design will be assembled in layers resembling four abstract wheels in a color gradient, flanked by blue waves mimicking motion.

“It’s a transit center,” Enochs said. “The wheels on the bus go round and round. What I was trying to portray was motion.”

Enochs said he started with four circles, with bus wheels in mind.

“Think of the roadrunner. It’s a simple concept that I’ve worked with quite a bit on building this composition,” he said.

The mural is entitled “Breakaway,” a theme that may resonate with Bloomington natives and film fanatics alike.

‘Breaking Away’ was a movie made in Bloomington, and I’m making a reference to that,” Enochs said. “But also it’s part of what the piece is. It’s a breakaway piece.”

Michaelsen said Enochs’ design and interpretation resonated with the panel of judges for the contest.

“We thought Dale interpreted that not so literally that it looked like a bus, but gave the sense of motion and introduced some shape and depth into the design,” she said. “We just thought it was strong, a really good fit.”

The panel found a similar sense of synonymity after seeing Ellenwood’s ideas for the exterior benches and bike racks.

Ellenwood’s designs incorporate similar architectural shapes from transportation.

The bike racks have a circular shape with a modern letter B in the middle, a reference to the city. The benches are designed to look as if suspended on wheels.

“The designs are influenced by the prominence and basic reliance of the circle, or wheel, as well as the contemporary aesthetic of the new transit center,” Ellenwood said.

Ellenwood said he was interested in designing the benches and racks because of previous involvement in design competitions for bus shelters.

He said the role of art in public spaces enhances the physical environment of the people who visit.

“As an architect and designer, I believe that everything we come into contact with can be an expression of how we see the world and can inspire others,” he said. “In our increasingly digital world, we think less about our physical environment and the impact of our transportation decisions.

“I’m excited for the inspiration that the entire transit center will bring to the community and hope that more people will become users of transit because of it.”

He will work with Jerico Metal Specialities, a company that has extensive experience in various custom metal fabrications, Ellenwood said.

The design and execution had to be simple enough to replicate and still capture the theme, Michaelsen said.

“We needed an artist that could design something that they could fabricate 22 copies of for the transit center,” Michaelsen said. “In Matt’s case in particular, the design was so harmonious with the facility design, but looked fresh and contemporary.”

Ellenwood said he believes Jerico Metal’s high qualifications and his experience with various scales of architecture will create a good product.

Michaelsen said she was pleased with the panel’s selection and anticipates the finished pieces.

She said she hopes they will be a testament to Bloomington’s new step in transportation and create a space that is welcoming to all who pass through.

“Part of the reason for including public art is to say that public spaces are important and that public spaces matter, and that the people who come to the transit center matter,” Michaelsen said. “We want the community to see that the city values the role of public transportation in the life of the city, and public art does that.”