If you have passed through Discovery Green Park recently, you might have noticed a colorful new addition to the park’s already vibrant scene.
The Bill and Andrea White Promenade is home to more than 20 bikes that have been transformed into works of art in an effort to raise awareness for multiple sclerosis, a disabling disease of the central nervous system that affects 400,000 people in the U.S. and 2.5 million people worldwide.
The Lone Star Chapter of the MS Society is working with Discovery Green to showcase these art bikes in conjunction with National MS Week and the 26th anniversary of the BP MS 150. The BP MS 150, one of many fundraising events the Lone Star Chapter has hosted, is a 180-mile bike ride from Houston to Austin. Last year, the event raised more than $17 million, which has been invaluable in furthering research toward a cure.
Although the Art Bike instillations don’t actually raise money, they do something equally as important — raise awareness.
Lone Star Chapter Communications Director Gena Hyde said the idea for the Art Bike project came about because the MS Society was trying to find new and different ways to raise awareness in the community.
They decided to use the bicycles to represent forward movement.
“The idea of always moving forward and never looking back is one of the central themes of the MS Society,” Hyde said. “This was a creative way to raise awareness and engage the local art community.”
The Lone Star Chapter teamed with Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations to help with the project and began drumming up interest. Generosity and support was plentiful as the Texas Art Supply donated supplies to the artists, while the Bike Barn and numerous other individuals donated bikes.
The next step was to find the right people to bring it all together, and Houston’s vibrant art scene gave them an array of talent to choose from. DPW Public Relations’ Shelly White helped Hyde and the Lone Star Chapter to reach out to The Museum of Fine Arts and local artists for help.
Hyde said the Houston art community showed a lot of interest and support for the project. The final roster was full of local talent, including Nicole Strine, Kermit Eisenhut, Julian Luna and Sandi Seltzer-Bryant of Winterstreet Studios.
Seltzer-Bryant was quick to jump on board when contacted about the project. Seltzer-Bryant said her desire to participate came from witnessing the struggle of close friend Lynn Goode’s battle with the disease. The central theme in her work is life, culture and people coming together, so she was an obvious choice for the exhibit.
“I used bright colors to represent positive energy and the courage it takes for someone with MS to make it through day-to-day life,” Bryant said.
Each artist uniquely displayed the theme of moving forward, ranging from bedazzled tricycles to abstract sculptures. Some used the bikes as a canvas, while others used them as a sculpture. But they all had a unifying theme: moving forward. The instillation showcases an abundance of local talent, but more importantly, shines light on an important cause.
The art bikes will be on display at the Bill and Andrea White Promenade daily from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. until April 25. With less than three weeks left for the Art Bike instillation, Houstonians are encouraged to show their support for the MS Society and local artists by stopping by Discovery Green to view the bikes.
