ST. PETE — If you want to see fine works of stained glass art, museums, galleries and churches usually come to mind. However, in St. Pete stained glass is popping up in an unlikely place and it’s going to grab the attention of thousands of people every day.
PSTA is taking the stained glass, handcrafted by locally based artist Catherine Woods, and incorporating it into 16 bus stations for the brand new SunRunner.
“To bring art to the public where they don’t actually have to visit a museum or pay a fee, it’s there for their daily lives, improving their daily lives, just a little burst of happiness,” said Woods.
PSTA is in the process of installing the glass along the express line, running from downtown St. Pete to the beach.
“We recognize that our stations, for that matter even our bus stops, they are community spaces, they are public spaces, so why not have an ability for people to appreciate what’s local, what’s around the area,” said Abhishek Dayal, Director of Project Management Office for PSTA.
No station’s stained glass is the same, each one reflects the surroundings of that particular neighborhood.
“You’ll be able to find little hidden gems, like, ‘oh there’s the detail of that building’ or ‘there’s that palm that I always notice on that certain street,’” said Woods.
If you pay attention along the ride, Woods hopes you notice when you put all the glass together it tells a story.
“They all work in concert with each other like one long mural because St. Pete is a mural city,” said Woods.
Every station along the SunRunner line is scheduled to be complete by the summer of 2022. Woods is thrilled to know residents and visitors alike will be enjoying her art for years to come.
“It’s very gratifying, I think people appreciate that the PSTA cared enough about their public to beautify the area where they are going to be waiting for buses,” said Woods.
For more information on the SunRunner schedule and fares, go to www.psta.net.
