Artwork arrives at Austin bus facility

The piece titled “Sunburst” also highlights the six new electric buses that run on the #66 bus route.

SHARE Artwork arrives at Austin bus facility
The painted aluminum sculpture has been mounted at Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard turnaround.

“Sunburst” has been unveiled at Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard turnaround. File photo.

Chicago Transit Authority

Bus passengers riding through the Austin neighborhood will find a new artwork at the turnaround at Chicago Avenue and Austin Boulevard.

The Chicago Transit Authority and Mayor Lori Lightfoot unveiled the installation titled “Sunburston Monday.

Artist Shinique Smith painted the aluminum sculpture to be “reflective of the radiating, bright energy at this well-traveled corner in all seasons,” the CTA said.

The internationally recognized visual artist has also produced works for New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Los Angeles Metro. 

“It is my sincere hope that “Sunburst” will be a focal point and a talisman light for all who travel the Austin bus turnaround,” Smith said. 

Sunburst also highlights recent upgrades to the facility, including the six new electric buses that run on the #66 Chicago route between Austin and Navy Pier.

“This artwork is more than just a decorative piece,” Lightfoot said in a news release. “It is a beacon of light that is reflective of the spirit and energy of our Austin community.”

Smith was one of nearly 350 artists who responded to CTA’s 2015 call for artists for the bus turnaround. Over the past decade, the CTA’s public art collection has nearly doubled to include more than 70 permanent works at L and bus stations.

“This artwork will help put the Austin neighborhood on the map as a destination within Chicago for seeing world-renowned artwork,” said CTA President Dorval R. Carter Jr. in a news release.

The Latest
Only two days after an embarrassing loss to lowly Washington, the Bulls put on a defensive clinic against Indiana.
One woman suffered a gunshot wound to the neck. In each incident, the four to five men armed with rifles, handguns and knives, approached victims on the street in Logan Square, Portage Park, Avondale, Hermosa threatened or struck them before taking their belongings, police said.
For as big of a tournament moment as Terrence Shannon Jr. is having, it hasn’t been deemed “madness” because, under the brightest lights, he has been silent.
This year, to continue making history, the Illini will have to get past No. 2-seeded Iowa State.