Show Us Your City: A Transit Tapestry

Ben Franklin Transit (BFT) is celebrating the local communities across our service area with a new public art initiative. We have received a federal grant to wrap six buses in 2027 with artwork showcasing the unique beauty of Benton and Franklin counties.

Six artists will be selected to collaborate with BFT on original artwork. Each artist will be paid $5,000 to design a busA rubber-tired transit vehicle designed for roadway operation to transport a large number of persons for public transportation service. In most cases, it operates with a self- contained source of motive power. More wrap highlighting one of six cities:

• Benton City
• Kennewick
• Pasco
• Prosser
• Richland
• West Richland

These mobile murals will celebrate the diversity and cultural identity of individual cities across our service area, which become part of a vibrant community tapestry when they are connected by BFT. This program is intended to align with the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Our Town” discipline.

Proposal Specifications

Artists interested in participating in this project must submit a completed proposal, including a portfolio sample and a concept summary outlining the artist’s vision and approach for representing the selected city, through OpenGov.com before 2:00 p.m. on December 8, 2026. Artists may submit multiple proposals but will not be awarded multiple contracts.   

Proposals will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

• Portfolio Quality
• Community Connection and Knowledge of Jurisdiction
• Artistic Concept, Vision, and Feasibility
• Public Engagement and AccessibilityThe extent to which facilities accommodate persons with disabilities, including wheelchair users. More

The Request for Proposals (RFP) is currently available in the BFT portal on OpenGov.com. BFT will hold a virtual information session on November 19, 2026 to answer any questions about the project.