2009-2010
Restore Planet Earth: Air
Reception: Sunday, December 6, 2009 2-4p.m. at The Parkwood Gallery.

2008-2009
Restore Planet Earth: Preserving the Waterways
Reception December 7, 2008 2-4p.m. at The Parkwood Gallery.

2007-2008
“Restore Planet Earth” is the latest theme for Art in TARTA.

There are six new bus wraps with the “Restore Planet Earth” theme.

The 2007 open competition winning poem
was submitted by Brian Watterson:

I stood there as you washed over me
like a mother wraps her child in a warm blanket
you felt cool on my skin
and i felt pure again
and as quickly as you came you left
and there amongst the dust and debris
I caught a glimpse of beauty

2006-2007
The theme for 2006 was glass in celebration of the opening of The Glass Pavilion at the Toledo Museum of Art. Six TARTA buses were wrapped for that year's theme. Graphic designers of the Toledo area were invited to compete by submitting their visual interpretation of the winning poem by Shirley Kirshner.

2005-2006
The theme for 2005-2006 was jazz to commemorate the Art Tatum Jazz Heritage Festival and 50th anniversary of the death of Toledoan and jazz great Art Tatum who died Nov. 5, 1956 at age 47. The jazz poetry contest was also open to the general public.
CLICK HERE to see the winning Jazz Poetry bus wraps and poems

2004-2005
The inaugural program in 2004 was a bridge-themed poetry contest in recognition of the Maumee River Crossing. TARTA collaborated with the Young Artists at Work (YAAW) program made possible by the ACGT for the past ten years. This six-week summer youth employment opportunity enables at-risk youth to benefit from an intense exposure to the arts. The YAAW program encourages expression, refinement, cross-cultural sharing, and the exchange of ideas. The opportunity provides exposure to the concept of art as a business, as well as the creation of public art for the greater Toledo community.

The other partner for the initial program is Bowling Green State University School of Art. BGSU graphic design students are creating designs based on the winning poems created by the YAAW group to be displayed on the buses—inside and out.
CLICK HERE to see the Bridge Theme bus wraps and poems

View photos taken at the
Art in TARTA gallery openings over the past several years as they are posted in our group pool on flickr