DASH Bus Painted at Art on the Avenue Gets New Life as the 'Art Bus'

If you made your way to Art on the Avenue this past Saturday, you not only enjoyed the sights and sounds of what Del Ray has to offer among the many artisans, restaurants and vendors, but you also had the opportunity to leave your mark on a DASH bus.

Alexandria Transit Company (DASH), along with Alexandria Country Day School students and art teacher, Suzanne Tacktill and T.C. Williams students and art teacher, Beth Coast, and Pat Miller, chair and visionary of Art on the Avenue, were a part of this year’s first ever DASH bus painting.

ATC developed this project in partnership as part of DASH’s year-long 30th anniversary celebration. Earlier collaborative efforts with Alexandria’s Office of the Arts for the DASHing Words in Motion contest and with the Alexandria schools on a very successful student poster contest, made the possibility of doing something with Art on the Avenue very exciting.

Although ATC could not offer a bus that is currently in service, the timing of some of DASH’s oldest buses going into retirement got everyone thinking. “Why not use one of the retiring buses and prime it white, to act as a blank canvas,” thought ATC General Manager Sandy Modell. “Everyone was very excited about that prospect and before you knew it the idea became reality,” she stated.

Art students from both schools jumped on board and came up with ideas and artwork for different parts of the bus and painted those while young and old alike showed up at the Del Ray Variety Store parking lot on Saturday to add their handprints and leave a lasting impression on the bus.

DASH will have the bus on display at local Alexandria Elementary Schools to teach students the importance of bus safety and how to ride the bus. During the holidays, DASH plans to have a special ‘Spot the Art Bus’ promotion, where the bus will be on different DASH routes during certain days and times, allowing riders to spot the bus, hop on and ride for free. Stay tuned to DASH’s Twitter and Facebook pages for details.

PHOTO of DASH ”Art Bus” courtesy of DASH