photo by: Contributed

The main sculpture proposed for the city's new bus station is pictured in the concept proposal from Kansas City, Missouri-based artist Tyler Kimball of Monarch Glass Studio.

The potential concept for the $200,000 public art installation for Lawrence’s new bus station is taking shape.

A committee reviewed concept proposals from three artists and is recommending a proposal for a colorful glass sculpture by Kansas City, Missouri-based artist Tyler Kimball of Monarch Glass Studio.

The work includes three components: a main sculpture that is integrated into a corner window of the bus station, an interior chandelier and outdoor light posts on top of the bus platform. The concept for the main sculpture includes red and blue glass roundels connected by multicolored lines.

Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission and selection committee member Daniel Smith recently presented the proposal to the arts commission at its March meeting. Smith said the sculpture represents the stops and routes of a transit map, which was an aspect of the proposal that the selection committee appreciated.

“What you’re seeing here is kind of a representation of a transit map made with these large glass roundels,” Smith said. “And so that is a motif which I think is really aesthetically pleasing, a little bit abstract but also really connects it to the bus routes.”

photo by: contributed

A close-up of the main sculpture proposed for the city’s new bus station is pictured in the concept proposal from Kansas City, Mo.-based artist Tyler Kimball of Monarch Glass Studio.

The other two components of the project, the interior chandelier and the outdoor light posts, incorporate glass globes of the same color scheme. Smith said that out of all the proposals, Kimball’s was the only one that wasn’t just a standalone piece of artwork, but multiple pieces that unified the entire bus station.

The corner window where the main sculpture would be located faces the bus station’s interior bike parking and waiting area and would also be visible on the outside by passersby on Bob Billings Parkway. Porter Arneill, communications and creative resources director, told the arts commission that they are discussing lighting the glass roundels from within so that the piece is visible 24/7.

photo by: contributed

An interior chandelier is included in the concept proposal from Kansas City, Mo.-based artist Tyler Kimball of Monarch Glass Studio.

photo by: contributed

The placement of the exterior light posts is pictured the concept from Kansas City, Mo.-based artist Tyler Kimball of Monarch Glass Studio.

Members of the arts commission expressed appreciation for the proposal at the March meeting, and the commission was scheduled to review and approve the artist selection and concept proposal at its monthly meeting on Wednesday evening. However, the commission did not have a quorum of members, so those present agreed to try to schedule a special meeting for the approval so it doesn’t have to wait until the May meeting.

Once the arts commission finalizes its recommendation, it will go to the Lawrence City Commission for consideration.

The new transit facility has been in the works for years, and the station and the public art were funded by the city’s transit sales tax. The funding for the art piece was allocated as part of the city’s Percent for Art program. The program allows city leaders to set aside up to 2% of a capital project’s budget for public art.

The bus station project, which will serve the coordinated routes of Lawrence Transit and the University of Kansas bus systems, is estimated to cost about $7.6 million to $8.5 million to construct. Preliminary designs for the project were released in February, and the city anticipates the new station will be complete in January 2023. The bus station will be located on the southeast corner of Bob Billings Parkway and Crestline Drive.

There is not yet a date set for when the City Commission will consider the proposal.