Client: Catherine Woods

Overview

St. Petersburg, Florida is known for its vibrant art scene that includes over 600 street murals—plus 16 new public art displays fabricated by GGI. The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PTSA) enlisted local artist, Catherine Woods, to create the artwork for the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit that spans a 10-mile corridor and 16 stations. More than simply decorative glass, each work of art consists of two 5’0″ x 7’0″ custom fabricated panels that speak to the surrounding neighborhoods served while complementing the SunRunner brand.

Goals

The 16 stations appear to be unique in design, but if each station was lined up, it would appear as one continuous collage. The artwork for each bus station speaks to the community it serves and shares a vibrant, colorful story.

Process

The project was a work in progress for over two years for Woods who worked closely with GGI to bring her designs to successful completion. GGI furnished 4 mock-ups 19" x 13" of each design before going to final production to ensure the exacting color and opacity level was achieved. Each image was treated differently, and the opacity level varied for each color.GGI furnished a total of 32—9/16” OA Laminated glass panels, consisting of 6MM (1/4") Low Iron Tempered - .060 SentryGlas® ionoplast interlayer - 6MM (1/4") Low Iron Tempered. The Alice® Direct to Glass Printing was on the #2 and #3 surfaces of each configuration. This meets the safety glazing requirements while also protecting the glass and artwork from the elements.

Additional Information

Catherine Woods competed against hundreds of artists to win the $700,000 bid to create the artwork for each of the 16 bus stations. This project is one of multiple public art displays commissioned for the St. Peterburg and Tampa Bay area. “I love working with glass as an art medium and appreciate how light interacts with colored glass. Especially for glass sculptures like Community DNA and Striding—it’s like color floating in the air." - Catherine Woods, Artist