The author is a founder and executive director of ReBHS, who served as project manager for the Art Bikes project.
Saturday morning a local “art gang” rode into town on their art bikes as part of a bike-share initiative that uses the power of art to promote the use of bikes, scooters and other “micro” forms of transportation. No sooner had the fantastical bikes appeared in the town’s bike rack in front of the café than people stopped to admire them — and even take them for a spin.
The Art Bikes of Brandon was a 2025 winner of the Vermont Arts Council Animating Infrastructure Award. This collaborative project was conceived by the creative crew of ReBHS, the local community group working to revive the old high school. It featured the work of nine local artists, the Brandon Library Teen Advisory Group (TAG), and Green Mountain Foster Bikes of Vergennes.
The project began with the commissioning of nine local artists to create visually impactful art bikes for display at bike racks around town. Although the ReBHS team hopes to eventually make them free for public use, insurance has proven an obstacle, so for now the bikes are for viewing only.
Some artists worked in teams, including Ethan Nelson and Matt Aucoin, David Martin and Eve Beglarian, and the Teen Advisory Group from the Brandon Free Public Library. Solo artists included Milo Piovano-Marcotte, Dan Brett, Paul Marr Hilliard, Jill Pariseault-Minotello, and Joe Schine.
In keeping with ReBHS’s commitment to reuse and the circular economy — the practice of keeping products, materials, and resources in use for as long as possible through repairing, reusing, and recycling — the project team worked with Green Mountain Foster Bikes to supply artists with fully reconditioned bikes. This organization collects discarded bikes, reconditions them to be better-than-new, and then distributes them free to children in foster care. Timothy Mathewson, founder and master bike mechanic, guided the artists through his mountains of discarded bikes so each could find a bike that inspired them. Mathewson stripped all the components off the frames and the artists went to work welding, painting and affixing. Once the components were finished, Tim reassembled the bikes with care and precision using new, high-quality hubs, rustproof chains, and tires.
Tim Mathewson of Green Mountain Foster Bikes
A Sampling of the Art Bikes
Milo Piovano-Marcotte’s Art Bike in process
Martin and Beglarian went so far as chroming their bike frame for what would become a musical riding experience. Festooned with horns, shakers, bells and spoke-invoked sounds, this art bike invites active engagement and aural self-expression reminiscent of the simple childhood joys of clothespins-and-playing-cards bicycle sounds. Their bike was the first to be taken for a spin by a cycling enthusiast who just happened to be riding through town that morning.
Cycling tourist takes David Martin and Eve Beglarian’s music ArtBike for a spin.
Pariseault-Minotello, a textile artist, used wool scraps applied to an upholstery backing to create four mandalas inspired by the seasons for her art bike, which she titled “Sweater Weather.” Since fabric wouldn’t age well exposed to the weather, she developed the design into the graphics that appear on the bike’s wheel cones.
Jill Pariseault-Minotello and Joe Schine work on their bikes in the ReBHS workshop.
Brett’s bike design is inspired by the night sky, with a small black hole hidden on the front fork tube. The style is a sort of pointillist mosaic technique he developed when he was exhibiting at the Brandon Artists Guild, though this version was created with paint markers instead of the acrylic paint and brushes he usually uses. He said he found the challenge of painting a 3D “canvas” thoroughly enjoyable.
Dan Brett
Matt Aucoin, Ethan Nelson
To increase accessibility, the project included an ArtTrike for those who may have difficulty riding a bicycle. The library’s Teen Advisory Group, or TAG, worked with Joe Schine, who is an arts educator at Middlebury Union High School, to develop the design. In the fall of 2025, TAG members individually created concepts inspired by their interests, including the solar system, a rosy maple moth, a rear storage container for shopping items, and the colors of the LGBTQIA+ flag. With Schine’s guidance, the teens combined the ideas into a single cohesive, colorful design.
Joe Schine working with a member of the library’s Teen Advisory Group on the ArtTrike.
All the art bikes are displayed this week at the bike stand near the town offices, after which they will be dispersed to bike racks around town until the end of the season. After that, they will be auctioned off to fund a new round of Art Bikes for 2027. They will also be appearing in this year’s Independence Day parade.
The Broader Scope of ReBHS’s activities
The Art Bikes of Brandon are part of ReBHS’s ongoing efforts to offer high-quality programs free to the community. From the beginning, the bikes were intended to be free for public use as part of a bike share program. Unfortunately, insurance availability for programs like this has changed dramatically nationwide since the project was first proposed. The team is actively seeking partners to help make the bikes available for public use.
If the program is launched, access to the bikes would work similarly to the library’s ToolShips, with users receiving a texted code to unlock the bike of their choice. The ToolShips have been one of ReBHS’s most successful projects, drawing interest from several town energy committees and state agencies.
This summer, the ReBHS creative crew will install the new Brandon Bike Repair and Respite station. The station is designed to offer cyclists a place to rest, tune their bike, and charge their phone. Made from a piece of the school’s old heating system, it will preserve a piece of Brandon’s history as public art that also serves a practical purpose.
Encouraging micromobility is an important strategy for reducing congestion and emissions while promoting health and a vibrant community. Along with Green Mountain Foster Bikes, ReBHS and the artists would like to thank the Town of Brandon, Brandon Chamber of Commerce, the Brandon Free Public Library and especially the Vermont Arts Council for their support.
Please consider supporting us in our efforts to make the old school a hive for creatives, makers, and builders. You can learn about us at www.rebhsvt.org or contact us at [email protected]. Green Mountain Foster Bikes also deserves support in their efforts to get quality repurposed bikes into the hands of kids in need. You can learn more about them at their website https://greenmountainfosterbikes.org/.
