We hope this message finds you well! We are excited to share an Art on Wheels progress update with you! Since we last saw many of you, our passion for creating a safe and vibrant city for cyclists and pedestrians has only grown. One of our biggest updates—and challenges—has been a change in scope: we are now installing two bicycle racks instead of three. Rising fabrication costs and our decision to switch from a surface mount to a more durable in-ground mount significantly impacted the project budget. During a site visit with installers, we observed that a portion of the surface-mounted racks downtown have not held up over time, and so, for two months, we thoroughly explored alternative designs and installation methods before ultimately choosing the strongest and longest-lasting installation option. While this meant scaling back, we firmly believe that quality over quantity will better serve the community in the long run.
As for our progress, we are happy to report that final locations have been selected downtown and at Super One Foods. We conducted ADA checks and met on site with the installer to flush out final installation details. We have also partnered with Bike Lafayette to be our Fiscal Sponsor as we receive and spend funds related to the Art on Wheels initiative. To continue to promote our project, we have created a logo, Facebook and Instagram pages(@Artonwheels_Lafayette), and ways to support and participate. We have started an interest form(https://forms.gle/k48Fgq52utyTk12J7) for businesses and organizations who are interested in getting a bike rack art mural and started a GoFundMe to raise funds for future racks(https://gofund.me/595db645). We’re excited to announce that Fightingville Fresh, a neighborhood farmer’s market located in an area of town with high cyclist ridership, will receive the first fully crowdfunded bike rack, thanks to generous community support via the GoFundMe. We’re also exploring grants and community funding options so that more businesses and organizations—especially those needing financial assistance—can get their own bike rack art mural in coming years.
Our long-term goal is to install at least 10 Bicycle Rack Art Murals in Lafayette over the next 5 years, averaging about two per year. We hope the first two installations in 2025 will serve as a proof of concept, inspiring more interest and enthusiasm from the community and businesses alike. We hope to make a lot of progress this summer by finalizing the order and starting fabrication with HydroBlade for the first two bicycle racks. By the end of the summer, we would like to have the promotion of the Art Competition started with a Call for Artists sent out to the community. When the competition closes, two winners will be selected in the Fall and then the artists will be given a few weeks to paint the bicycle racks before they are installed at the selected downtown location and at Super One before the end of the year. We will be hosting a group ride and ribbon cutting when the Bicycle Rack Art Murals are installed at the end of 2025.
Our long-term goal is to install at least 10 Bicycle Rack Art Murals in Lafayette over the next 5 years, averaging about two per year. We hope the first two installations in 2025 will serve as a proof of concept, inspiring more interest and enthusiasm from the community and businesses alike. Additional long term goals include a Fun Ride(a fundraiser bike ride), applying for grants, continued promotion like going door to door to businesses who would benefit from installing a bike rack, expanding our team, creating a website, getting on local news stations to talk about Art on Wheels, and continuing to use social media to keep the energy and excitement up.
One of our favorite parts of this project is that all funds stay local—supporting Lafayette’s artists, fabricators, and installers while the community benefits from more art and bicycle parking across town. If you’re interested in a Bike Rack Art Mural, we invite you to fill out the Interest Form. Together, we can make Lafayette a more beautiful, vibrant, and bike-friendly community. Thank you for your continued support of the Art on Wheels initiative!
Sincerely,
Blair Begnaud, Gabe Griffard, and Matthew Dufrene
Team Art on Wheels