For additional information, please contact:

Jason P. Binder, M.A.
Project Manager
Toledo Area Regional Transit Authority
1127 W. Central Ave., PO Box 792
Toledo, Ohio 43697-0792
Office Number: 419-245-5217
Fax Number: 419-243-8588

January 21, 2008

To the constituents of the Toledo region:

I’d like to respond to the Letters to the Editor of Toledo Blade newspaper in the past few months that we are working diligently with the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo to “brighten” up the buses with light colors and readable text of the poems. The artworks on the buses are made of contact paper to last 3-4 years which wraps the entire buses with the graphic arts and poems that are derived from our community members. We do not use paint or graffiti on the buses, whereas, we use the same material for local businesses who wants to advertise their product (i.e. television stations, radio stations, telecommunication companies, and many other businesses) on our buses. The advertising revenue helps pay the expenditure for fuel, maintaining the buses, and other costs.

The 2007-08 Art in TARTA program theme is the “Restore Planet Earth” as we just unveiled six new bus wraps with graphic designs and poetry this past December; it is being displayed on the buses as it run throughout the region day in and day out. Hundreds and hundreds of people of all age groups from the general public, the Young Artists at Work program, and the Bowling Green State University Arts Department have participated in the program to show off their artistic and writing abilities as we embrace our very own community’s talent on the TARTA buses (both exterior and interior-wise). This enables us to show pride, embrace diversity, provide opportunities, and improve image of our region.

This program began in summer of 2004 as we’ve done the Poetry on Buses project annually from the themes of Bridges (The Veterans' Glass City Skyway), Jazz (the famous Art Tatum), and the Glass (The Glass Pavilion). You can view the pictures and more detailed information on the Art in TARTA website. By virtue of being innovative, we are extremely proud of the hard work and talents of this community in order to bring the “arts” to you with our participating partners of Arts Commission of Greater Toledo, Bowling Green State University, University of Toledo, Ohio Arts Council, Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo School for the Arts, and City of Toledo Division of Environmental Services.

If you have any further questions or comments—feel free to contact me at my direct number 419-245-5217 or e-mail me at jbinder@tarta.com.

Cordially yours,

Jason P. Binder