Young Artists Create Bus Posters

All month, passengers on Long Beach buses have gazed at colorful posters created by budding local artists.

The posters are the result of a yearlong project in which children with little exposure to the arts were able to work with an experienced artist. Liz Harvey, an artist in residence with the California Arts Council, supervised the youngsters in the program developed by the Boys and Girls Club of Long Beach and the University Art Museum of Cal State Long Beach.

The children participated in classes with Harvey, poet Mike Carlin and photographer Peter Reiss to learn new forms of artistic expression and to create the bus posters. This week, the young artists, families and mentors had a party to celebrate their efforts.

Harvey said: “My aim is to help students use artwork as a direct mode of communication between people in order to reinforce a sense of shared community.”

“We hope this will encourage the young people who ride our buses and see these wonderful pieces that they too may wish to explore the opportunity to create art,” said Shirley Saltman, vice chair of Long Beach Transit’s board of directors.