Client: San Diego Afro American Art Museum

Overview

The story of the Civil Rights movement is a prominent part of American history. The peaceful protest by Freedom riders against the scourge of segregation was the focus of the “The buses are coming” exhibition. Many may have heard of the Freedom Riders. Still, they may not know that they were 300+ men and women, black and white ranging in age from 18 to 61, sitting side by side in a simple affirmation of shared humanity. The current climate of racial understanding makes “The Buses are coming” exhibition a timely framework for personal and public reflection. The planned outreach education program will engage people and conversation with honouring and understanding the Freedom rider’s personal stance against injustice 60 years ago. In response to the experience of the Afro American Art museum being closed during the Covid pandemic, The Buses are coming exhibition focused on reaching new audiences beyond its visitor base. As a free exhibit in the heart of San Diego downtown, the exhibition aimed at connecting with people who do not usually visit museums. The exhibit focused on an outreach educational program supported by QR codes to allow the viewer to engage directly with the extensive video and photographic content. Metropolitan Transit Service promoted the exhibition on buses.

Goals

The project was successfully integrated with a downtown night and daytime entertainment and restaurant club urban context and operational requirements . “The buses are coming” succeeded in working with the given shipping container architecture and was very successful in attracting considerable new audiences without effecting the commercial operation of the venue. In particular it successfully transformed the existing facilities of the food court into informal classrooms for school children and the performance stage into a venue for youth theatre programme that included a specially commissioned opera by the Youth Theatre of Harlem. The key to the integration of educational aspect was the extensive use of QR codes as a means of giving people the opportunity to access the available Civil Rights movement film, photography and sound materials. “The buses are coming” also hosted five of living, surviving Freedom Riders in an event of unique personal sharing and recollection. “The buses are coming” was launched by the Secretary of the State of California Shirley N. Weber

Process

The design of the installation was a collaboration led by Studio Fink involving Diem Jones and Ben Marshall in close collaboration with the San Diego Afro American Art Museum. “The buses are coming” also included a section 'We stand on their shoulders’ celebrating and acknowledging publicly those who worked to change the racial inequities in the San Diego community. The practical realisation of this educational public art project involved the artist and the San Diego Afro American Art Museum building a close partnership with a number of San Diego companies that funded and constructed “The buses are coming” . This extensive enabling partnership was built on the artist extensive previous and continuing involvement with San Diego and its people.

Additional Information

The “The buses are coming” attemted to deliver a innovative approach to public art in the educational context by consciously removing it from the physical/architectural context of educational institutions, specificities of public realm place making or Public Art. The main intent of the artist Peter Fink and his collaborators was to provide a window in time, an appreciation for those who, through personal commitment and sacrifice took a bus ride that changed the nation. Leaving everyone experiencing “The buses are coming” attemted to deliver a innovative approach to public art in the educational context by consciously removing it from the physical/architectural context of educational institutions, specificities of public realm place making or Public Art. The main intent of the artist Peter Fink and his collaborators was to provide a window in time, an appreciation for those who, through personal commitment and sacrifice took a bus ride that changed the nation. Leaving everyone experiencing “The buses are coming” with a question: WHAT CAUSE WOULD YOU RIDE FOR ?