PHILADELPHIA— Philadelphia’s Indego Bike Share program has teamed up with the Barnes Foundation for an aesthetic addition to the popular program: Barnes Foundation paintings will be featured on 20 bikes over the next year featuring artwork selected via crowd-sourcing through an online poll.
The first ten bikes will be revealed tomorrow, Thursday, September 14, from 5-8 PM during the Barnes Open House: #BIKETOBARNES. Those in attendance will have the opportunity to vote on the next ten which will debut at the Barnes’s Free First Sunday program in May 2018. The event will also feature pop-up talks about the selected paintings and bike-riding lessons. Admission to the event is free and includes access to the Barnes collection and Mohamed Bourouissa: Urban Riders, a special exhibition inspired by the artist’s collaboration with a community of North Philadelphia horsemen.
“Indego Bike Share is all about opening up the city for new experiences and exploration, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with the Barnes Foundation to make it easier to explore art here in Philadelphia,” said Michael Carroll, the City of Philadelphia’s Deputy Managing Director for Transportation & Infrastructure Systems.
To celebrate the partnership the Barnes is providing free admission to Indego passholders for one year from the launch. Indego passholders will also be able to bring a guest who will receive $5 off general admission.
“We are excited to collaborate with Indego—an engaged, equitable, and sustainable bike share program dedicated to ensuring that all Philadelphians have access to affordable and healthy transportation options,” said Shelley Bernstein, deputy director for digital initiatives and chief experience officer at the Barnes. “Welcoming all communities from across Philadelphia is a key goal at the Barnes, and the Indego bike share program is an extraordinary example of an initiative we can learn a great deal from. With bike share docks located in areas within a 30-minute ride to the Barnes and with over 1.5 million trips to date, Indego is a positive, ubiquitous force in Philadelphia, and we look forward to welcoming its riders to the Barnes!”
Space is limited so advanced reservations are recommended.
About the Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation is a nonprofit cultural and educational institution that shares its unparalleled art collection with the public, organizes special exhibitions, and presents programming that fosters new ways of thinking about human creativity. The Barnes collection is displayed in ensembles that integrate art and objects from across cultures and time periods, overturning traditional hierarchies and revealing universal elements of human expression. Home to one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modern paintings—including the largest groups of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne in existence—the Barnes brings together renowned masterworks by such artists as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Vincent van Gogh, alongside ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and non-Western art as well as metalwork, furniture, and decorative art.
The Barnes Foundation was established by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” Since moving to the heart of Philadelphia in 2012, the Barnes has expanded its commitment to teaching visual literacy in groundbreaking ways, investing in original scholarship relating to its collection and enhancing accessibility throughout every facet of its program.
As the Barnes celebrates five years on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in 2017, the Foundation continues to increase its public programming and initiatives in service to the Philadelphia community, the region, and visitors from across the country and the globe.
The Barnes Foundation is open Wednesday–Monday, and tickets can be purchased on-site, online, or by calling 215.278.7200. Ticket prices and current hours are listed on our website. www.barnesfoundation.org
About Indego
The City of Philadelphia launched Indego in 2015 as the city’s newest form of public transportation with 60 stations and 600 bikes and expanded this year to 120 stations and 1,200 bikes. Indego offers 24/7 access to the city on your schedule. Indego is an initiative of the City of Philadelphia and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross. Indego is part of the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP), which seeks to develop bike share equitably and sustainably across the country. BBSP is funded by The JPB Foundation. www.rideindedgo.com
About the Better Bike Share Partnership
The Better Bike Share Partnership is an effort led by the City of Philadelphia that works to ensure that Indego bike share is accessible to all Philadelphians. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is a nonprofit advocacy and education organization working as part of the Better Bike Share Partnership to support bike share and biking education. www.betterbikeshare.org