The BART Art Program

Art in BART 

Mosaic bench with image of a BART car

BART values enhancing the rider and community experience though the arts. From the beginning, BART included art in its stations with notable mosaic works by Alfonso Pardiñas in Lake Merritt, El Cerrito Plaza and El Cerrito del Norte Stations and William Mitchell’s wall reliefs in Lake Merritt, Richmond, 16th Street and 24th Street stations; to the more contemporary works of art throughout the line extensions to the San Francisco and Oakland airports, and smaller community-oriented projects. The BART art collection is nearly 50 artworks including murals, mosaics, sculptures, relief work, and several very special youth tile projects at Rockridge, Powell, and Fruitvale. Yet more than permanent artworks are found in BART. Musicians, poets, puppeteers, dancers, writers, cartoonists, and dramatists add to the BART experience in creative ways.

BART realizes this is only the beginning for a region so rich in arts and culture. In August 2015, the BART Board unanimously adopted its first ever Art Policy, and in June 2018 revised the Art Policy to include funding for the Art Program through a combination of capital and operating funds. The priorities are to integrate art into the design of station improvements and leverage partnerships with other arts organizations and communities in the Bay Area and beyond. Further documentation regarding the development of the art policy can be found at the bottom of this page.

JOIN US

Sign up for the BART newsletter, then look in the "Other" category and select “BART Art Program” to be kept informed about the BART art program. This is also the place to submit your name if you are an artist interested in hearing about upcoming projects.

 


BART’s Current Art Collection

As part of the Art Program initiation process, BART is completing a full assessment of its collection. There are nearly 50 works of art throughout the BART system, including sculptures, mosaic tiles, glass, photography, terrazzo, murals and other media. Our collection includes community initiated artworks as well as pieces commissioned from Bay Area, national and international artists.

BART is currently undertaking its first assessment of the condition of the art collection to determine the conservation and maintenance needs, and to plan for future program expansion. This work will be occuring throughtout 2019. 

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

A spreadsheet of artworks in the BART collection may be found here

National Endowment for the Arts logo


Art Policy and Program Background 

BART has recently completed an Art Program Masterplan. It is the result of numerous interviews with stakeholders throughout the District, and the guidance of a stellar Advisory Committee (see page 57). Please take a look at the future for the BART Art Program and share with others.

Some of the information shared with the BART Board during the policy development process is included below:

  • BART completed an existing conditions and best practices report offering further background material on the above presentations. The executive summary offers a brief version of the report's recommendations.
  • BART's art program manager, Jennifer Easton, is responsible for developing and implementing the art program, creating program guidelines, and creating an arts master plan. She may be reached at [email protected].