Artists unveil ideas for Rochester's Link Rapid Transit stops

Nov. 3—ROCHESTER — Rochester Public transit invited people to meet the artists who will enhance the planned Link Rapid Transit stations.

Rochester Public Transit Communications and Outreach Coordinator Nick Lemmer also invited people to forget what they think a bus stop should look like.

"Put any notion you have of a bus stop aside," Lemmer said. "This is more of a light rail design."

More than 100 artists responded to the call for design ideas. The six artists who were selected to add art elements to the stations were at a pair of public meet-and-greets Wednesday, Nov. 2 and Thursday, Nov. 3.

All the designs incorporate inspiration from the city, nature and science and also are intended to include elements all people can appreciate.

Arizona artist Bobby Zokaites plans to add sculptured texture to support posts for people who are visually impaired.

"I like working in sculpture because I can touch it," he said.

Chris Mathews, who is visually impaired, said he appreciated the efforts to create art people can feel.

"There's not a lot of good examples of tactile art," Mathews said to Zokaites at the meet-and-greet Wednesday evening at Riverside Central Elementary School.

For people who are used to first evaluating things using sight, tactile art can often be busy and overwhelming for people who explore a piece based on touch, Mathews said.

Mathews added he appreciates the simple tactile patterns Zokaites is proposing.

"I think the changes that you experience across exploring anything is so unique to every time you do it, it's really hard to convey it to you guys because you're communicating it and referencing it in a visual way," Mathews said.

Rochester artists Sophia Chai and Matthew Winkler are teaming up to display the diversity in Rochester. The artists plan to highlight the fact that 80 different languages are spoken among students in Rochester Public Schools.

Darian Du

and Ajay Misra, members of the Rochester Asian American Organization, said they were glad to see the artists' nod to the growing diversity in Rochester. Both attended the Wednesday evening event.

"The diversity of Rochester is vital to our city," Misra said.

Both were also part of the panel of Rochester residents who added ideas for the designs that will be chosen.

"Youth voices can be heard when given a platform," Du said. "We grew up here and now we're helping our city grow, too."

New York artist Priscila DeCarvalho and Mary Shindell of Arizona were also selected to add art to the station designs.

Most designs incorporate a combination of colored glass with transparent and opaque designs. Southeast Minnesota artist Deb D'Souza plans glass walls with murals depicting the four seasons. Laced glass melted into smooth panels will create the impression of trees. She also said she hopes to add glass medallions as leaves in protected portions of the structure.

D'Souza spoke with Nathan Johnson, of St. Paul architect firm 4RM+ULA, who designed the stations and is working with artists to help incorporate their designs into the structures.

Johnson attended the Thursday event at Café Aquí midday Thursday.

Link Rapid Transit system is a

2.8-mile east-west bus route with dedicated bus lanes

. Plans call for a dozen 100-passenger electric buses to run the route, which connects two major Mayo Clinic parking lots.

Lemmer said the stations were designed to be large and user-friendly to also help visitors more easily navigate the city and identify the rapid transit route by its stations. The system is planned to be completed in 2026.

"We're always trying to lower the barriers to usage," he said.