It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon in Northern Kentucky, and something unusual is happening on public buses. Dancers, musicians, and beautifully decorated buses are part of today’s commute across the region. Jaynee Whelan is surprised to hear two musicians playing music on the bus she’s riding. She said being greeted by this music changes the daily ride.
“I love it. It’s just a vibe. And usually, like when you get on the bus, people are all mopey. Like, you don’t want to take on the bus usually. It brings the spirits brighter,” said Whelan.
Today is known as Ride with an Artist Day in Northern Kentucky, where several buses are transformed with art installations, live musicians or dancers. The initiative is created by PONES dance company in partnership with TANK or Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky. Kim Popa is the executive director of PONES. She said some public buses are transformed into moving stages. And three buses are decorated inside with beautiful colors and unique themes.
“It’s a simple way to infuse a little bit of joy, a little bit of community, a little bit of connection into a commute that can maybe be monotonous. And then part of PONES’ mission is to democratize dance, or democratize art in general. To make sure that people feel included and invited into artistic experiences,” explained Popa.
The project is made possible through funding from the ArtsWave Northern Kentucky Place Making grant. So, the performances and art are free to commuters who pay the standard TANK bus fare. On this day, violin and fiddle player Preston Charles the Third says this kind of community effort is a blessing.
“I look at it as a great opportunity to reach out to people that might not get a chance to hear live music typically. There was a gentleman saying he wished we were on his bus. He’s about to go to work,” said Charles.
Charles and guitar player Nick Rose sit across from each other on the bus as they collaborate on a few tunes. Rose says he’s excited to be part of bringing art and music to the local transit system.
“Any day is a good excuse to have artistic expression. So, yeah, we’re excited to make some moves and make some grooves,” said Rose.
Wearing a bright red t-shirt that says Cincinnati across the front, bus rider and Covington resident Gary Johnson said he was wondering why musicians were playing on his bus ride, and he’d welcome it every day.
“I think there ought to be music everywhere,” said Johnson.
Rider Brenden Angel boarded the bus to the sounds of Nick and Preston playing. He said the music brought these three words to his mind: “peaceful, joyful, happiness.”
Passing out mini tambourines and egg-shaped shakers so commuters can participate is PONES dancer Lori Kaufman. She also passes out Ride with an Artist stickers and explains to passengers what this day is about.
Kaufman: “They are just performing to bring joy to people on the buses. I love that we do these kind of events that are so spontaneous or outright weird or random."
Earlier in the day, PONES dancer Ian Timothy Forsgren danced on one of the bus routes. And even though his primary job on this bus is taking video, he surprised bus riders by flipping upside down, hanging from the bus's ceiling bars in a dance move while the musicians continued to play.
“It’s such a blast to surprise people and get involved in the community in this way that is just really unexpected,” said Forsgren.
The TANK buses are decorated like moving art galleries. One has a party theme with lots of purple and flowers. There’s a bus honoring the sacred featuring numerous mandalas. And a bus where artists Devan Horton and Ethan Machell created an environmental theme.
“I am filling the bus with all kinds of botanical dyes, and I’m basically creating a rainbow on the bus. And we will also have offerings of native wildflower seeds that people can take home with them,” explained Horton.
Kim Popa, co-founder of Ride with an Artist Day, said it’s been more than 10 years since this event occurred the first time. She said it fell off the grid around the time of COVID. But is happy to have it back this year.
