Bicycles have long been regarded as a symbol of fun, fitness, health, the environment, and a mode of transportation…but art? Yes! This year, in Vermont’s Capital City, bicycles are indeed art.  Check that – recycled bicycles are art.

Cycle Gallery

Below are thumbnails of some of the bikes in this display. Click each image to view a larger version.

From June to October, Montpelier’s historic downtown is doubling as a free, open, outdoor public art gallery with 20 sculptures made entirely from local, recycled bicycles which have been placed strategically throughout the city.

The unique and mostly large sculptures can be at once thought-provoking, beautiful, curious, and silly.  You can even sit on or “ride” some of them – like the ones outside of Montpelier’s City Hall which are made from vintage playground equipment from a certain fast-food chain that is still not operating within Montpelier’s city limits (hint:  ours is the only U.S. capital city still without one), or the “Bird Bench” produced by a 14 year old Vermonter which is a fine place to sit outside the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

The twenty contributing artists hail from all across Vermont as well as from Connecticut and Montreal. Vermont is home to more artists per capita than any other state in the nation. We like to think a large part of Vermont is art…and Vermont is fitness, Vermont is recycling, Vermont is community involvement.  All of which helps make SculptCycle an ideal combination of what Vermonters are so passionate about.

But SculptCycle is not just about the sculptures. Related events begin in June and run through October, and include an art-walk, a bike to work challenge, an eco-themed library series, a cycling-related film series, and an auction of the sculptures at the end to name just a few key events in support of the project.

Visit http://www.sculptcycle.org for more information including a map of sculpture locations, artist profiles, event details and more.