Barnes Announces Collaboration with Indego Bike Share and Launch of Bikes Featuring Masterworks from the Collection
Philadelphia, PA—In the first collaboration of its kind between a city bike-share program and an arts institution, the Barnes Foundation and Indego will launch 20 bikes wrapped in paintings from the Barnes collection. With the goal of engaging the public in a community-wide initiative, the paintings were selected via crowd-sourcing through an online poll. The first ten wrapped bikes will be unveiled during a free launch party at the Barnes, Open House: #BIKETOBARNES, on Thursday, September 14, from 5–8 pm. The next ten bikes will launch at the Barnes’s Free First Sunday program in May 2018, and open house guests will have the opportunity to vote on the paintings those bikes are wrapped in.
The Barnes will offer Indego passholders free admission for one year from launch. Indego passholders will also be able to bring a friend, who will receive $5 off general admission.
“We are excited to collaborate with Indego—an engaged, equitable, and sustainable bike share program dedicated to ensuring that all Philadelphians have access to affordable and healthy transportation options,” said Shelley Bernstein, deputy director for digital initiatives and chief experience officer at the Barnes. “Welcoming all communities from across Philadelphia is a key goal at the Barnes, and the Indego bike share program is an extraordinary example of an initiative we can learn a great deal from. With bike share docks located in areas within a 30-minute ride to the Barnes and with over 1.5 million trips to date, Indego is a positive, ubiquitous force in Philadelphia, and we look forward to welcoming its riders to the Barnes!”
“Indego bike share is all about opening up the city for new experiences and exploration, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with the Barnes Foundation to make it easier to explore art here in Philadelphia,” said Michael Carroll, the City of Philadelphia’s Deputy Managing Director for Transportation & Infrastructure Systems.
Open House: #BIKETOBARNES
Thursday, September 14, 5–8 pm
Free (Register here)
The first ten Indego bikes wrapped in Barnes paintings will be unveiled. Pop-up talks about the selected paintings will take place in the Barnes galleries, and Indego will offer bike-riding lessons in the Annenberg Court. Admission includes access to the Barnes collection and Mohamed Bourouissa: Urban Riders, a special exhibition inspired by the artist’s collaboration with a community of North Philadelphia horsemen. Note: Space is limited; advance reservations recommended; includes collection and exhibition access. Reserve free general admission or member tickets.
About the Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation is a nonprofit cultural and educational institution that shares its unparalleled art collection with the public, organizes special exhibitions, and presents programming that fosters new ways of thinking about human creativity. The Barnes collection is displayed in ensembles that integrate art and objects from across cultures and time periods, overturning traditional hierarchies and revealing universal elements of human expression. Home to one of the world’s finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modern paintings—including the largest groups of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Paul Cézanne in existence—the Barnes brings together renowned masterworks by such artists as Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, and Vincent van Gogh, alongside ancient, medieval, Renaissance, and non-Western art as well as metalwork, furniture, and decorative art.
The Barnes Foundation was established by Dr. Albert C. Barnes in 1922 to “promote the advancement of education and the appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.” Since moving to the heart of Philadelphia in 2012, the Barnes has expanded its commitment to teaching visual literacy in groundbreaking ways, investing in original scholarship relating to its collection and enhancing accessibility throughout every facet of its program.
As the Barnes celebrates five years on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in 2017, the Foundation continues to increase its public programming and initiatives in service to the Philadelphia community, the region, and visitors from across the country and the globe.
The Barnes Foundation is open Wednesday–Monday, and tickets can be purchased on-site, online, or by calling 215.278.7200. Ticket prices and current hours are listed on our website.
About Indego
The City of Philadelphia launched Indego in 2015 as the city’s newest form of public transportation with 60 stations and 600 bikes and expanded this year to 120 stations and 1,200 bikes. Indego offers 24/7 access to the city on your schedule. Indego is an initiative of the City of Philadelphia and sponsored by Independence Blue Cross. Indego is part of the Better Bike Share Partnership (BBSP), which seeks to develop bike share equitably and sustainably across the country. BBSP is funded by The JPB Foundation.
About the Better Bike Share Partnership
The Better Bike Share Partnership is an effort led by the City of Philadelphia that works to ensure that Indego bike share is accessible to all Philadelphians. The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia is a nonprofit advocacy and education organization working as part of the Better Bike Share Partnership to support bike share and biking education.
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Deirdre Maher, Director of Communications
215.278.7160, press@barnesfoundation.org
Mike Dunn, City of Philadelphia Office of Transportation & Infrastructure Systems
215.686.6210, mike.dunn@phila.gov