ArtBike :
Its not what you HAVE to do, its what you GET to do!
Once upon a time, we all loved to bike. We relished in the freedom, the happiness, the speed of hopping on two wheels and heading to the park, to the pool, or just around our block. We couldn’t stop wondering when that all changed: when biking turned it to something we felt like we had to do, should do, or needed to do, instead of something we loved to do.
So I began salvaging old used bikes with my friend, Joanna. We gathered them from Craig’s list, friends’ basements, and donated from kind neighbors. We assessed each two-wheeled machine (some had no wheels….), developed a plan for repair, then transformed them from unwanted pieces of metal into a fleet of mobile artwork, each with a with a life and story of its own. Maybe if we could just get people to hop on one of these crazy two-wheelers, they would remember that youthful feeling of freedom and ease.
As collaborative artists, we knew a lot about how to turn a bike into art, but much less about how to ensure it would work. Luckily friends, neighbors, and a great community bike shop stepped up to help us get those bikes rolling.
Each bike became a work of art complete with persona. Our first ArtBike fleet included The Lionel Ritchie, the Bookworm, Yarn It!, Gold Yeller, The Nugget, Cupcake, The Mischa Barton, Metal Machine, Ghost Bike, and The Pretty Lady. We even made some that were inspired by neighbors, including The Rachel, an homage to our favorite barista at the café across the street, and The Nicole, made from our friend Nicole’s cihldhood bike that she hadn’t ridden since she was 15. During Lancaster’s ArtWalk weekends, we parked all of the ArtBikes out in front of Modern Art and invited people to take one for a spin – free of charge.
We’ve had all sorts of participants: biking enthusiasts, new bikers, lots of kids, lots of adults who hadn’t biked since they were kids, random passers-by and folks who were just excited to be able to borrow something for free. Most of them told us that they were so excited to be back on a bike and that they’d forgotten how fun it was. Everybody returned on the bikes happier than when they left.
One couple— out for one of their first dates since having a baby—stumbled upon ArtBike on a whim, grabbed two bikes, and came back declaring “It was the best day of our life! We fell in love again! Thank you!” (No, thank YOU! we told them.)
Megan, another neighbor, hadn’t been on a bike since she’d been in a bad biking accident at age 13. She wanted to show her daughter (aged 13) that the only way to conquer your fears is to approach them head on. Dang, girl!
Another visitor stopped to check out The Letterman, a bike embelished with McCaskey High School yearbook from 1959. She started paging through the yearbook on its handles only to discover it was a yearbook from HER senior year in high school. As she looked, tears came to her eyes. “These are all my friends. I haven’t seen them in years.”
We’ve continued ArtBike through the years, setting the bikes up outside Modern Art whenever we can. We’ve brought it to other locations around the city for festivals and block parties. We’ve held Art Bike workshops for the School District of Lancaster, Pennsylvania College of Art & Design, and the Janus School. We’ve made custom bikes for local businesses so employees and customers can ride them. All of this to continue to remind people that biking good for the heart, soul, and the city.
Since the launch of ArtBike, we’ve seen palpable progress in our city’s bicycling infrastructure (BIKE LANES!). While its surely not ALL because of a flashy bike sporting Lionel Ritchie’s mug, we like to think it had something to do with it.
This was one of Modern Art’s first community-engaged art projects. I learned ALOT about bikes, people, logistics, the neighborhood, and how to ask for help. It wasn’t always easy, but it did lead to a new understanding about how I wanted to practice art. Read more about the origins, effects, ups, and downs of the project here, and check out some photos of our many ArtBike participants and friends:
Special THANKS to Invoking the Pause for funding the project; Chris and Brad from The Common Wheel, Tim, Jessica, Nicole and Tomas for all the help fixing up the bikes; and all the wonderful folks who donated their old bikes, and came out to ride.