{"id":953929,"date":"2026-07-23T12:03:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:03:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/953929\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:03:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T12:03:16","slug":"local-bus-shelters-transformed-into-art-spaces-duluth-news-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/953929\/","title":{"rendered":"Local bus shelters transformed into art spaces – Duluth News Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"

DULUTH \u2014 Launched in 2025, the Twin Ports Bus Shelter Art Project aims to revitalize transit locations into colorful public art venues throughout the Duluth Transit Authority\u2019s service region.<\/p>\n

This joint project between the DTA and the Zeitgeist Center for Arts & Community kicked off last October with a mural by artist Tiffany Fenner at Sixth Avenue East. The initiative returned Wednesday with the introduction of four new murals by artist Carolyn Olson at the bus shelter located at 13th Avenue East and Superior Street.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mural created by artist Tiffany Fenner decorates a bus shelter at the intersection of North Sixth Avenue East and East Third Street in Duluth as seen on Wednesday, July 22.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

The four murals depict transit riders of various backgrounds across the four seasons.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery panel is a different season, but every panel also has different accessibility issues \u2014 broken leg, baby with stroller, bunches of kids, someone who’s blind, has a dog, wheelchair, all of it. Just regular folks of all ages,\u201d Olson said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Carolyn Olson, a narrative artist from Duluth, attends a dedication ceremony for murals she created for the bus shelters at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East in Duluth. “I really believe in public art. It reflects the community, and the community is empowered by seeing themselves in the art,” Olson said.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

The overarching message is that of acceptance and comfort when utilizing the bus shelter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want them to feel welcome. I want them to feel like this is their bus stop,\u201d Olson said. \u201cHopefully they like being around it, and it’s reassuring. It’s also a bright color. Even on a dull day, it can be fun, so I hope they feel welcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A Duluth Transit Authority bus travels on East Superior Street during a dedication ceremony for murals by Carolyn Olson at the bus shelters at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

The Bus Shelter Art Project marks the latest partnership between the DTA and Zeitgeist, building upon their 2024 collaboration that featured transit wraps designed by local artists Fenner and Olson.<\/p>\n

Andrea Crouse, the community development manager for Zeitgeist, noted that how people travel can determine how connected they are to their community.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Drew Gagnon, left, and Chloe Freese, both of Duluth, wait for a bus while sitting in a shelter featuring a mural with a spring scene created by narrative artist Carolyn Olson.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we move through our communities, how we do that impacts how connected we feel to it,\u201d Crouse said. \u201cWhen we are walking, when we’re biking, when we’re on a bus with other people, we end up being more connected to the place and to the people around us than when we’re driving through in our cars.\u201d<\/p>\n

The collaboration represents a perfect alignment of goals, according to the two organizations.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

Andrea Crouse, community development manager for Zeitgeist, left, chats with guests in front of a bus shelter featuring a mural by Carolyn Olson during a dedication ceremony for Olson’s murals Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a natural fit when you have an organization that’s really looking to impact the community and bring art to the forefront, and then promote an active lifestyle,\u201d said DTA Director of Marketing David Clark. \u201cWell, that’s a big part of what we’re doing at the DTA as well, because when people bus, they also bike and walk and they’re really in the neighborhood, in the built environment and really seeing the community every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bus shelter murals at Sixth Avenue East \u2014 and now 13th Avenue East and Superior Street \u2014 are just the start of what Crouse hopes will be a much bigger initiative, with murals planned for shelters across the DTA service area.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A portion of a mural created by narrative artist Carolyn Olson, featuring a dog as part of a spring scene, decorates a window at the bus shelter at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East in Duluth.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will be a long-term project to get there, but we’ll keep plugging away at it, prioritizing the hubs like this one that get a lot of activity and working our way across town, working with local artists as we go,\u201d Crouse said.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mural featuring a fall scene created by narrative artist Carolyn Olson decorates the windows at a bus shelter at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A winter scene created by narrative artist Carolyn Olson decorates the windows at a bus shelter at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East in Duluth.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A bus shelter featuring a summer scene created by narrative artist Carolyn Olson at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East in Duluth.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\"People<\/p>\n

People check out some of the murals created by narrative artist Carolyn Olson at bus shelters at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East in Duluth. <\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Andrea Crouse, community development manager for Zeitgeist, conducts media interviews at a dedication ceremony for new murals by Carolyn Olson.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

A mural at a bus shelter at the intersection of North Sixth Avenue East and East Third Street in Duluth was created by artist Tiffany Fenner.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Chloe Freese, left, and Drew Gagnon, both of Duluth, board a bus at the intersection of East Superior Street and North 13th Avenue East.<\/p>\n

Dan Williamson \/ Duluth Media Group<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jake<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Jake Przytarski is a news reporter for the Duluth News Tribune covering St. Louis County, transportation and environmental issues.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"DULUTH \u2014 Launched in 2025, the Twin Ports Bus Shelter Art Project aims to revitalize transit locations into…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":953930,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[32],"tags":[383876,648,1032,383881,1033,383877,171,383882,383878,383879,67,132,68,383880],"class_list":["post-953929","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-andrea-crouse","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-david-clark","tag-design","tag-duluth-transit-authority","tag-entertainment","tag-public-art-in-duluth","tag-tiffany-fenner","tag-twin-ports-bus-shelter-art-project","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-zeitgeist"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116969199372175810","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953929","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=953929"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/953929\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/953930"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=953929"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=953929"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=953929"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}