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“Your Turn" by Aaron De La Cruz, Powell St. Station

Recently constructed canopies along San Francisco’s Market Street are protecting station escalators and helping to beautify the busy downtown corridor with four site-specific artworks that reflect the neighborhoods around them.   

The canopies are being constructed as part of the San Francisco Station Canopy Project, happening in tandem with BART’s San Francisco Station Escalator Replacement project, which is installing and replacing escalators at Embarcadero, Montgomery St., Powell St., and Civic Center stations. 

The new canopies aren't just coverings for the escalators. Each structure is equipped with LED lighting, multiple security cameras, digital screens that display real-time transit information, and motorized gates that allow the entrances to be locked at street level when stations are closed. In addition to protecting the new escalators from wear and tear, the canopies provide an extra layer of station security and cleanliness, all while brightening Market Street with placemaking artwork that subtly reveals itself as you travel between station and street.  

Incorporating art was an important piece of the canopy project, as was ensuring the imagery resonated with the people who live along the corridor.  

“It was crucial to not view Market Street as a monolith during this process,” said BART Art Program Manager Jennifer Easton. “The street has different communities and parts to it, and that was a key aspect to convey with this project." 

Four artists were selected to create the art after a national call hosted by the Art Program: Norie Sato (Embarcadero Station), Rosana Castrillo Díaz (Montgomery St. Station), Aaron De La Cruz (Powell St. Station), and Ron M. Saunders (Civic Center Station). Easton assembled jurors from different sections of Market Street to make sure the neighborhoods were represented authentically. 

The process of translating the artworks onto the surface of the fiberglass-reinforced plastic canopies is a saga unto itself. BART worked with VIA – A Perkins Eastman Studio to develop a method that would maintain the integrity of the artists’ original designs while ensuring the works would last for decades in their outdoor environments.  

“There was a lot of study and analysis to get this right. I don’t believe anyone has done something quite like this for a transit project,” said architect Steve Line of VIA. 

VIA’s final designs utilized fiberglass-reinforced plastic that is extremely durable but also pliable enough to achieve the gentle curved shape of the canopy undersides.  

“First, we used software to analyze the 2D images of the art and surface map them. Then we created a 3D file that recreated the different tonal qualities of the pieces,” Line explained.  

Next came the process of bringing the 3D files into the physical world. Technicians began by spraying clay on a large metal pool the same shape as the canopies then using computer coding to instruct a house-sized milling machine to etch the art onto the surface. This clay relief was layered with strong carbon fibers, similar to those used in rocket ships, and vacuum sealed. Once cured, technicians grinded or sandblasted the surfaces to smooth perfection. 

Let’s hear from the artists.

Embarcadero Station – “We Touch Here,” Norie Sato

Artist Norie Sato wants her canopy artwork to inspire “people to pay attention to the balance between humans, the land, and the water.”  

Her artwork features a fingerprint pressed between flowing water and an aerial view of the Embarcadero neighborhood.  

“I was really interested in the effect of human building and intervention on the land, and also in how the human plays the intermediary between the built environment, which the map symbolizes, and the water, which encircles the land in many ways,” Sato said, speaking from her Seattle studio.  

For Sato, transit plays a crucial role in the fine balance between humanity and the natural world.  

“[Transit is] very accessible; it’s available to anyone, and it’s also ecologically conscious because it carries many people at one time,” she said.  

Sato spoke of the “democratization that occurs” when riding public transportation: “We all ride the same train, and it doesn’t matter who we are or how much money we have, yet we all get to the same place.”  

Montgomery St. Station – “Untitled,” Rosana Castrillo Díaz 

San Francisco-based artist Rosana Castrillo Díaz’s first thought when assigned Montgomery St. Station was, “How fun!” 

Díaz said she heavily researched the station and its surroundings before creating her design, which features a flowing stream of water. What stood out most deeply to her about Montgomery St. Station, she said, is its bubbling, effusive energy.   

“My imagination immediately went to water, and water as this fluid element that we all possess that has so much energy,” she said.  

Díaz said she hopes her piece projects the station’s vigor and lifelines, but also a sense of calm.  

“I think of all these people coming in and out of the station as drops of water,” she said. “Like water, they are fluid, vital, essential.” 

Powell St. Station – “Your Turn,” Aaron De La Cruz 

Aaron De La Cruz, a San Francisco artist, was “in shock” when he learned he was one of the four artists selected to create a canopy piece.  

“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “It feels like I won a gold medal in the Olympics.” 

De La Cruz, like Díaz, was inspired by his station’s energetic spark.  

“I went with lots of signature curl movements in my piece that, for me, kind of represent the trolley coming down and spinning in front of the station,” he said.  

He also wanted to create a piece that was characteristically “funky.”  

“I really wanted to do something to address that there’s some of us in the Bay who are here and not interested in changing things,” he said. “I want to tell those stories and really preserve the funk of San Francisco.”  

“For example, the bold lines in the artwork represent the people, sounds, and places from the past that established so much of what San Francisco is today,” he continued. “That culture is so prevalent that it ripples outward through new generations represented by the thin outer lines on the forms. The preservation of the past while building the future is why I titled the piece ‘Your Turn.’” 

Civic Center Station – “Dragonfly Wing,” Ron M. Saunders 

When it comes to public art projects, artist Ron M. Saunders knows, “You just have to go with it.” 

The fine art photographer said he and his fellow artists are interested “in this kind of work because it gives something to the public and brings a little bit of beauty into harsh environments.” 

Saunders’ piece is a closeup of a dragonfly wing. Dragonflies, he said, speak to “transformation, adaptability, and growth,” much like the ever-changing neighborhood where Civic Center Station is located.  

“The Tenderloin was founded during the Gold Rush,” he said. “It’s always changing, just like a dragonfly can change directions quickly.”  

Saunders said he’s never created an art piece “this big,” but he relished the challenge.   

“It’s just exciting to work on a project of this scale,” he said. “There’s a power in having art in stations. It forces people to slow down.”  

The San Francisco Station Canopy Project, which was funded by voter-approved Measure RR, San Francisco Prop A, and state Prop 1A, is happening in parallel with the San Francisco Station Escalator Replacement Project. To learn more about the canopy and escalators project and view timelines, click here and here.  

To learn more about the BART Art Program, click here. 

Submissions are open - Click HERE to Submit

Official contest page: bart.gov/bartlines

Deadline to Submit: Friday, March 8, 2024, at 11:59pm PST (or sooner - see below)

IMPORTANT: Only 300 qualifying submissions will be accepted for review. The submission period will close when 300 applications are received, which may be before the stated deadline. We indicate on this page when we have received approximately 225 applications. We will close the Submittable application page when 300 qualifying submissions have been received. 

Applicants must be between the ages of 13 to 19 as of Friday, March 8, 2024. 

Interested in promoting the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest at your school, library, or organization? Download this printable flyer (PDF).  

Friday, Jan. 19 - We are pleased to announce the 2024 BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest. This will be BART’s first writing contest for youth, following last year’s short story contest for adults. 

With the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest, BART is thrilled to lift and amplify the voices of Bay Area youth, whose perspectives, opinions, and ideas are providing us with a roadmap for the future – one that is informed by their lived experiences as well as the unique histories of their communities. We are listening and learning from you!  

By providing a forum for teens’ voices and creativity with BART Lines, we are underlining our belief that the words, ideas, and foresight of youth matter. One day soon, they will be the leaders and visionaries that decide the future of public transportation, and therefore, the future of our region.    

Pictured above: One of BART’s free story dispensers, where the winning poems will be uploaded. The dispensers are like vending machines for creative writing, dispensing stories on eco-friendly recyclable, receipt-like paper. They’re touchless; you just hover your finger over the button to get your story. 

BART Lines was created by BART Communications and BART’s Art Program. BART is organizing programs such as BART Lines to get people excited about transit and to emphasize the variety of ways you can use our system, as well as the places it can take you. By partnering with local organizations, including BART Lines partners and judges 826 Valencia and Youth Speaks, we are reinforcing the value arts and cultural organizations bring to BART and our community of riders. These partnerships also highlight the key role public transportation plays in connecting people to experiences that have the power to change and enrich their lives.  

BART’s new ridership model emphasizes weeknight and weekend travel, which reinforces the notion that we are not simply a commuter service that transports people to and from work. Our system also carries people to impactful encounters and locations, be it museums, theaters, libraries, public parks, and people, too.  

The BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest is one piece of BART’s robust rider engagement strategy that seeks to bring riders together through unique experiences in both virtual and IRL formats. Recent efforts include the BART Anime Project , the One Book One BART book club, Twitch livestreams, creative and informative TikTok content, shareable rider guides, and free celebratory events in stations and trains. 

When we ride transit, we hold space for one another. On a crowded train, we remove our backpacks and latch our bikes; we stand for someone who needs to sit; and we scooch to the window seat when space is sparse. Riding transit reminds us that we exist in an interconnected web of others – your fellow passengers, who carry with them their dreams, imaginings, and aspirations (along with their shopping bags and suitcases). BART Lines seeks to celebrates this.  

Pictured above: A BART Lines winner reads his poem at Glen Park Station. 

Theme: Bay is Home

The theme for the BART Lines Teen Poetry Contest is “Bay is Home.” We want to read your poems related to the Bay Area. Your submission might describe a location – somewhere you take BART, for example – or maybe a specific spot that inspired your piece. With this theme, we’re asking: How do the many places, people, and aspects of the region make the Bay home? 

Submissions-Timeline-Prizes  

To submit an entry, authors must be between the ages of 13 to 19 as of Friday, March 8, 2024,  and reside in one of the five counties where BART operates: San Francisco, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara.  

Submissions must not exceed 7,500 characters (including spaces). Each line longer than will fit on the dispenser print-outs, typically about 38-40 characters and spaces, will be divided as needed with a slash ("/"). Finalists may be required to edit their work to fit the dispenser format. BART will coordinate with you to finalize your work for publication.

To learn more, see the contest rules and submit your poem, click here. Authors may submit only one poem, including if they are co-author.

Thirty finalists will be selected by BART Lines partners 826 Valencia and Youth Speaks, two standout Bay Area organizations lifting the voices of teen poets. Each finalist will receive a $75 honorarium and their poem will be published in BART’s Short Édition Story Dispensers and Story Discs (scroll down for locations), as well as the BART Short Edition website. Select finalists will be invited to participate in a series of readings in and around BART stations (not a requirement for submitting a poem for consideration).   

Judges/Partners

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826 Valencia is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting under-resourced students ages six to eighteen with their creative and expository writing skills and to helping teachers inspire their students to write. Our services are structured around the understanding that great leaps in learning can happen with individualized attention and that strong writing skills are fundamental to future success. 

Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs that was founded in San Francisco in 1996. Founded in 1996 in San Francisco, Youth Speaks is a leading presenter of Spoken Word performance, education, and youth development programs. Trailblazers of local and national youth poetry slams, festivals, and more, Youth Speaks offers a comprehensive slate of literary arts education programs and provides numerous opportunities for youth to be published and heard. 

About BART’s Short Édition Story Dispensers and Story Discs

Short Édition is a French publishing house of short literature: poetry, short stories, and flash fiction. In addition to its online platform, Short Édition publishes fiction around the world via its Short Story Dispensers and Story Discs (a digital version of the dispensers that allow you to access unlimited content for free on a smartphone) for the public to enjoy a serendipitous literary experience, free of charge.  

The dispensers are like vending machines for creative writing, dispensing stories on eco-friendly recyclable, receipt-like paper. They’re touchless; you just hover your finger over the button to get your story. 

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BART’s Story Dispensers are currently located at the following stations: 

• Balboa Park  
• Downtown Berkeley  
• Fruitvale 
• Pleasant Hill 
• San Leandro (pending installation) 

BART will soon install Story Discs at the following stations:  

• Daly City  
• Dublin/Pleasanton  
• Embarcadero 

About the Artist Behind the Contest Art 

Amy Wibowo is a public transit fan and a creative technologist whose art ranges from sweaters made on a hacked knitting machine to RFID jewelry. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker, Forbes, and Vox. She is also the author and illustrator of Bubblesort Zines, a zine series making computer science topics more accessible to a wider audience. Wibowo was chosen from a pool of artists selected from an open call for California-based artists for BART’s Anime Project.  

Quotes from Contest Organizers and Partners 

Alicia Trost, Chief Communications Officer at BART:

“BART Lines is another way for us to connect with current riders while also attracting new riders. Our adult short story contest helped increase ridership as people came to BART seeking out the story dispensers to read local content. It was thrilling to see people post about their experience on social media, noting they rode just to get a story. I’ll never forget the time our General Manager asked a crowd what their favorite thing about BART was, and someone shouted out: ‘The short story dispensers!’ We have no doubt the teen poetry contest will produce the same results.”   

Jennifer Easton, BART Art Program Manager:  

“The BART Art Program strives to bring the voices of artists into transit spaces in fresh and compelling ways to reflect our communities, to be in dialogue with our riders, to intrigue and compel. By engaging visual artists, writers, musicians and others in our transit spaces they become dynamic, humane, and more Bay Area. Youth poetry in the Bay is so strong right now, and we’re thrilled to bring a small bit of it to the story dispensers.” 

Michelle Robertson, BART Storyteller:  

“What do BART and poetry have in common? On BART, not only are we given space to read, write, doze, and dream, but we’re also given the gift of sharing space with other people and the stories they hold in their bodies and minds. BART is the ‘great connector of the Bay Area,’ and with BART Lines, we’re gratified to highlight the sometimes-unexpected connections our system enables, not solely in physical space, but also in transcendental space, where poetry lives and breathes.”  

Bita Nazarian, 826 Valencia Executive Director: 

"826 Valencia is thrilled to partner with BART to bring youth voices to transit stations across the Bay Area. Seeing one's writing in print can have a transformative impact on a young person's life, and we are excited to be a part of such a unique publishing project."  

Michelle Mush Lee, Youth Speaks Executive Director:  

“Youth Speaks is thrilled to partner with BART on this unique public art project celebrating youth voice and poetry. I see poetry as a universal journey, much like public transportation. Just as BART transports passengers across city lines and social jurisdictions, poetry transcends political and cultural barriers. In each line and verse, lies an invitation to journey beyond our immediate surroundings, to explore landscapes of emotion and thought. It is our vision at Youth Speaks to harness this power, creating a world where words are not just a means of expression, but a vehicle for transformative change, carrying Bay Area residents closer to ourselves and each other.”