Paint Bike Fun

Paint Bike Fun is painting a community bike mural in downtown Davis this summer in partnership with the Davis Art Center’s Discovery Art Program.  Paint Bike Fun encourages public art that promotes cycling, builds community, and makes people smile.  They have a beautiful design that celebrates the joy of cycling and the diverse cycling cultures in Davis, representing about 200 drawings that Davisites made in the design process. You can see the design (and like us on facebook) here: www.facebook.com/paintbikefun.

While all ages enjoy bicycling, the primary audiences are kids 2-12 because they have such an influence on daily transportation choices within families.  Considering the money that the car industry has put into marketing cars to kids, the bicycle movement has an uphill battle. But biking has one big advantage: bikes are fun. Bicycling is kid-accessible and kid-controllable fun available for 14 years (ages 2-15) before kids reach legal driving age.

Danielle Fodor is a muralist in Davis, and Paint Bike Fun is her socially-responsible family business that uses place-based public art to promote cycling, build community, and provide art opportunities for kids, adults, and families. She says, “We were formed when a toddler said to his biker mom, ‘I want to go in the car!’” That started her thinking how she could make cycling more fun.  Learn about Danielle’s work as an artist at www.daniellefodor.com

Mural painting is scheduled for the next 5 weeks.  Painting a mural is a wonderful experience and addicting!  You don’t need to be an expert painter for this — just be happy to work in a group and follow directions. We have a cozy wall that can accommodate about 5-7 painters comfortably. For this reason, I recommend that people RSVP in advance.

Don’t paint?  We still need your help!  We need volunteers to 1) photograph the painting process and   2) help with set-up, clean-up, getting liability waivers signed, and maintaining a safe work environment (i.e. Chaos Control).

Volunteer Schedule: 
All people ages 5+ welcome — July 12-Aug 4 —  Fri., Sat., Sun., 9 am-12pm. pm.

Kids (12 and under) must come with responsible adult.

“Skilled” volunteers welcome — July 10-Aug 12 – Wed. through Sun., 9 am-12pm.

“Skilled” means an adult who likes to paint and feels comfortable doing detail work.

Chaos Control (washing brushes, set-up , etc.) — help anytime!  July 10-Aug. 12 – Wed. – Sun., 8 am-1pm.

PARTY:  Bicycle Arts Festival and Mural Celebration, August 2013.  Volunteers, sponsors, and in-kind donors are most welcome!

**RSVP with the day (or days) you would like to paint or volunteer, and Danielle will reserve your space on the wall: 530-302-7143 or paintbikefun@gmail.com.**

Forgot to RSVP? Danielle loves surprises. You are welcome to come by and see if there is space for you to paint. You can see if other people are signed up by looking at the online schedule: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApOCKNc7ru2gdElTellhVngycFR1a0w5T0lVS0diQVE&usp=sharing.  You can even call or text Danielle that day to check-in: 530-302-7143.

Safety info to read before you volunteer: Mural painting is at your own risk.  All volunteers must sign a liability waiver before painting. The mural site is near 2 busy streets (3rd and F), although it is sheltered by a wide sidewalk. Be street safe. Children who volunteer must come with adult supervision; this is not a babysitting service.  Mural paint is permanent.  Please wear clothes and shoes that you don’t care much about.  If you see any safety concerns (tripping hazards, etc), please help us fix them & ensure a safe, happy painting worksite!

Please  consider donating to the mural and get a cool art gift through Indiegogo.  More details at: igg.me/at/bikefundavis . We have received incredible support from some generous organizations on this project — so we just need the last little bit to cover costs.  The bike mural has been generously supported by the Irvine Foundation, Genentech, the City of Davis Street Smarts, and Davis Downtown.