RTC 4th Street Station Flying Bus - Reno, NV
N 39° 31.816 W 119° 48.682
11S E 258367 N 4379398
This 'flying bus' sculpture is located at the corner of Lake and 4th Streets in front of the RTC 4th Street Bus Station in downtown Reno, NV.
Waymark Code: WMKZ1K
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 06/18/2014
Views: 3
Located in front of the RTC 4th Street Station is a large bus that has been re-sculpted to a much thinner shape and mounted on a pedestal to grab peoples' attention as they walk or drive by. The bus even lights up at night and provides a nice night scene in downtown Reno (picture included).
The following verbiage comes from a PDF document to describe this artwork:
Bus Art Installed at RTC 4TH STREET STATION
Two cranes hoisted the 40-foot bus sculpture named “Jackson” to the top of a pole as it was installed as the public art element of RTC 4TH STREET STATION on Thursday, Sept. 16. The sculpture was created from a historic, real 1962 GMC fishbowl transit bus cut up and put back together tapering to the back so it would appear dynamic and have a sense of speed, according to artist Donald Lipski. The bus weighs about 6 1/2 tons and is mounted on a 28-foot post assembly.
The $224,000 project was funded by federal dollars and a grant from the City of Reno and represents about 2 percent of the total project budget. It was approved by the committee of local arts professionals and advocates from the Northern Nevada art community assembled to select the artist and concept. The project is 95 percent federally funded. The Federal Transit Administration encourages grantees to incorporate art into public works projects. By ordinance, the City of Reno also required a public art element.
Although 95% of the bus station was funded by federal dollars, part of this art project for the bus sculpture was funded by private donors and businesses via brick pavers that can be read around the base of the sculpture. You can see a slideshow of the installation of the RTC 4th Street Station and sculpture here.