Art in Motion

Art in Motion debuted in 2023 with the launch of WE-cycle’s Carbondale System. The vision is to integrate the creative spirit of movement and connectivity into the mobility landscape. The program is a partnership with Carbondale Arts and underwritten by Alpine Bank.

Art in Motion 2024

Colorful palettes evoking movement and connectivity will be rolling on WE-cycles this season. The designs of local artist Bailey Haines that debuted on the Carbondale WE-cycle stations in 2023, will roll valley-wide on the baskets of all WE-cycle bikes and on the fenders of the e-bikes. Both art and bikes bring us joy. We hope to inspire similar feeling in our riders by uniting these two forms.

Art in Motion 2023

It was always part of the plan that when WE-cycle offered its bikeshare program in Carbondale, the entry would be thoughtful and reflective of the community.  With the support of RFTA and the Town of Carbondale, riders will be rolling through town next week on WE-cycle bikes… and true to Carbondale style, they will be doing it with flair. Art in Motion is a program in which all of the WE-cycle stations in Carbondale will be decorated with art created by a local artist.

Through a partnership with Carbondale Arts, and underwritten by Alpine Bank, Art in Motion came to fruition with the vision of integrating the creative spirit of movement and connectivity into Carbondale’s mobility landscape. 

For the Art in Motion project, artists were asked to submit applications demonstrating how their work embodies the ethos and identity of Carbondale into a design that would adorn all 17 bikeshare stations throughout town. Carbondale artist Bailey Haines’ work rose to the top for its abstract qualities along with fine details. Her art evokes a sense of motion, which is what so many of us love about moving through the world on a bike. It also captures the fine details of the natural world, like Carbondale’s symbolic and beloved dandelions and the gentle color changes we all see when looking at wide views of the surrounding hills, valleys, and peaks.

Five e-bikes will also have colorful decals featuring the layering of the landscape and the beautiful flowers and plants that can be seen growing around Carbondale. 

Haines said of her design and artistic vision, “What would we otherwise miss, traveling through this landscape in a car or bus? Nearer to the pace of our hearts or the beating of wings, we come to know this world. Our thoughts open to the subtleties of life all around us. As we move, may we learn how the earth moves, in moments, in seasons, and find our place in the great turning.”

We hope your place in the great turning will be spinning some wheels on a WE-cycle bike coming in August, traveling through picturesque Carbondale admiring both the natural world and the design of our stations, which true to the spirit of Carbondale, is meant to make life a little more fun and a lot more colorful.

The Art in Motion project is just the first manifestation of the collaboration between WE-cycle and Carbondale Arts, which aims to integrate creativity, connectivity, and cycling. In a town known for artistic panache and a penchant for biking, the pairing not only makes sense, but it honors the soul of Carbondale. WE-cycle also provides an accessible form of  transportation for locals and visitors alike to explore Carbondale’s Creative District by bicycle. You may reference maps on WE-cycle stations with Creative District points of interest around town.

All photos thanks to Carbondale Arts.