The City of Madison has introduced two collection vehicles transformed into rolling murals. This initiative was inspired by a letter from a young resident named Fred, who suggested changing the color of the trash trucks in his neighborhood.
Fred’s letter stated, “I am writing today to ask you if it is possible for you to change the color of the trash truck that comes by my house. I would prefer a purple trash truck or a rainbow colored trash truck. I love the blue one, but maybe a new color would be exciting, too!”
In response to this idea, the Streets Division and Madison Arts collaborated to add artwork to two collection trucks. Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway commented at the unveiling, “By placing artwork on Streets Division trucks, we’re creating beauty in unexpected places. And by turning our collection vehicles into mobile galleries we can share the work of talented artists in our community with our community.”
Mayor Rhodes-Conway further noted, “when you write us, call us, or email us with a good idea we will do what we can to put that into practice.”
To encourage creativity among residents, a free coloring page of one of these collection trucks is available for download so children can create their own art truck designs. The Streets Division invites people to share their artwork for display on its website.
The art trucks feature works by local artists Catherine Capellaro and Rachel Christopolous. Capellaro’s piece “Our Neighboring Turkey” is displayed on a vehicle serving neighborhoods west of South Park Street. Christopolous’s “Madison Skyline” adorns a truck operating east of South Park Street and along the isthmus.
