OREGON--A poem written by Caroline Jardine, a junior at Oregon Cardinal Stritch High School, was one of three poems chosen to appear on TARTA’s “Restore Planet Earth” Art on TARTA program. The poem appears on the new fleet of 2010 Art in TARTA bus wraps.

The “Restore Planet Earth: SOuL Art” poetry Competition was a collaboration of TARTA and the Young Artists at Work (YAAW) program. Caroline participated this summer in the YAAW program, which is offered by the Arts Commission of Greater Toledo. YAAW provides an introduction to the concept of art as a business, as well as the creation of public art for the greater Toledo community.

Cardinal Stritch High School junior Caroline Jardine stands next to a TARTA bus that is designed with her poem. (Photo courtesy of Cardinal Stritch High School

YAAW apprentices were led in a poetry curriculum by poet Naki Akrobettoe to create work for “Restore Planet Earth: SOuL Art.”  Their poems were submitted to the Art in TARTA competition.

The students’ poems were judged by a panel of professional writers and TARTA representatives. The selection panel chose three first awards and 22 honorable mentions.

Four graphic design majors from Bowling Green State University School of Art Division of Graphic Design were selected to create visual interpretations of the three first place award poems. Students then translated their selected designs to the sides of the buses and worked with Dawson Design and Off Contact Productions to produce the new fleet of 2010 Art in TARTA bus wraps.