New Mexico Blue Bus Shelter Art - Call for Artists

AIPP Mission Statement 

The Art in Public Places (AIPP) program enriches New Mexico’s public spaces through an innovative and diverse public art collection. Since its inception in 1986, the program has placed more than 3,000 works of art in all of New Mexico’s 33 counties. Our goal is to reflect the diversity of the arts in New Mexico, the Southwest, and the nation while building a dynamic public art collection for the State of New Mexico. 

Through a fair and open public process, committees made up of local and regional representatives work with New Mexico Arts staff to select artwork for their communities. The Art in Public Places program then commissions large-scale projects that are designed for integration directly into the architecture or landscape of a given site, or the program purchases existing original artwork to be placed in or around public buildings permanently or on loan.

Project Intent 

The Art in Public Places Program of New Mexico Arts at the NM Department of Cultural Affairs (NMDCA), in collaboration with the Art in Transit Program (AITP) of the North Central Regional Transit District - Blue Bus (NCRTD) seek to hire 9 artists to create digital artwork to be printed and installed to perforated steel panels for 3 Blue Bus bus shelters across Northern New Mexico. Selected artists will create original works of art, digitize and submit to the Art in Transit Committee for review and approval. Artwork should showcase each community, the local culture and connections while highlighting the cultural homelands and use of local landscapes, agricultural practices, diversity of lifeways, traditions, landmarks and languages. Artists should incorporate their lived experience and connections to the community. Chosen artists will be commissioned to create a digital artwork or digitize non-digital artwork to fit a 2 or 3 panel bus shelter. All printing and installation will be handled by NCRTD and subcontractors.  

Each bus shelter panel measures approximately 53” x 77”. Three bus shelters in total in Taos, Española, and Santa Fe. Two bus shelters have 2 panels, one bus shelter has 3 panels. One artist will be selected per bus shelter.

Guiding themes for artwork:

·         Connection to local culture and community

·         Highlight local cultural homelands and use of local languages, landscapes, and agricultural practices

·         Showcase the diversity of our lifeways, traditions, and landmarks

·         Communicate your lived experience

Blue Bus bus shelters are experienced by the local public, school children, residents, users/riders, and passersby.

The mission of the North Central Regional Transit District is to improve communities’ quality of life by providing a resilient, equitable, and effective public transportation system.

The North Central Regional Transit District Blue Bus™ began service in 2007, celebrating over 20 years of service. With headquarters in Española, New Mexico, the Blue Bus connects communities, pueblos and tribes across 10,000 square miles throughout north central New Mexico, serving residents in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba, Taos and Los Alamos counties as well as eight Northern Pueblos and the Jicarilla Apache Nation. Additional services connect communities in San Juan, Mora and San Miguel Counties. The District operates a mix of fixed-routes, on-demand MyBlue™, an app-based ridesharing service, and free paratransit/ADA services for medically qualified riders. Further expanding its reach, the Blue Bus provides riders with connections to New Mexico Rail Runner, Santa Fe Trails, NMDOT Park and Ride, Los Alamos Atomic City Transit, Po’ Pay Messenger Service and Red River Miner’s Transit. All buses are ADA accessible and equipped with bicycle racks. Bus services are fare free and the MyBlue™ rideshare fare is $1 per one-way trip.

Please CLICK HERE to download a PDF of images and additional bus shelter information including measurements and basic schematics/drawings.

Project Amount 

Artists will be paid $5,000 per completed artwork (digital file approximately 53” x 77” per panel, file size/dpi resolution requirements will be provided to finalists selected). This amount includes all fees and expenses associated with the project, e.g., materials, equipment, labor, taxes, and travel. 

Selection Process and Criteria 

The Art in Transit Committee is made up of representatives from across Northern New Mexico including Rio Arriba County, Santa Fe County, Taos County, Los Alamos, Ohkay Owingeh, and Taos Pueblo. Under the guidance of an AIPP Project Coordinator, the Art in Transit Committee is responsible for prospectus development, submission review, finalist selection and ultimately selecting the final artists/artworks to be printed and installed at the bus shelters. 

The Blue Bus believes transit spaces should reflect the communities they serve. Through Art in Transit program, North Central RTD is partnering with local artists, the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs and residents to bring public art to selected bus stops in Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Taos counties —making them more welcoming, inspiring, and uniquely Northern New Mexican.

The selection criteria shall include, but is not limited to: 

• The qualifications of the artist(s) as evidenced by the supporting materials.
• Proven ability to undertake projects of the described scope.
• Artistic merit and superior caliber craftsmanship as evidenced by the images.
• Suitability of submission to project intent and scope.  - (digital artwork and/or ability to digitize existing artwork, demonstrated themes similar to those within the scope of this project, etc.).

Artists selected for this project will be required to enter into an artist agreement with the State of New Mexico. 

PLEASE DO NOT CREATE AND SUBMIT ARTWORK FOR THIS PROJECT AT THIS TIME. WE ARE ONLY REQUESTING QUALIFICATIONS AND PREVIOUSLY COMPLETED EXAMPLES OF SIMILAR WORK, AND/OR ARTWORK THAT DEMONSTRATES YOUR STYLE AND TECHNIQUE.  

Project Timeline (subject to change): 

July 2026 – Project Announced 

August 2026 – Application Deadline 

August 2026 - Jurying of Applications by Project Committee 

September 2026 – Notification of Selected Artists 

September – November 2026 – Contract with Selected Artists & Artwork Creation (60 Day Artwork Creation Period)

December 2026 – Final artwork review and selection

January – December 2027 – Artwork printing and installation at bus shelters  

Questions/Follow Up 

Questions regarding the project should be directed to Meredith Doborski, Public Art Program Director, at 505-396-0326, email: Meredith.doborski@dca.nm.gov  

If you would like to have your submission materials reviewed by an AIPP staff person, please make an appointment no less than two weeks prior to the submission deadline. Technical assistance calls increase dramatically during the final two weeks of the open submission period; therefore, we cannot guarantee review during the final two weeks of the competition. Submission materials will not be reviewed on the day of the deadline. 

Deadline for Submission: 11:59 PM (MDT), Friday, August 14, 2026