One Columbia for Arts and History, in partnership with The COMET bus system, rolled out an “art bus” featuring a painting by artist Laurie McIntosh in August 2018. The rolling mural features over 15 landmarks from around the Columbia area and eclectic spirit and architecture of the city through the eyes of an artist that tells a story through her work.

Known for her layering and mark making techniques, artist Laurie Brownell McIntosh is a South Carolina native. In 2012 she completed a work combining 74 panels telling the cradle to grave story of a life well lived titled “All the In Between: My Story of Agnes.” She also has completed other public pieces in Columbia, most notably Hanging Pages, a set of 16 panels on the gates at Richland Library North Main.

“The COMET Art bus is one of the best projects I have worked on in my career. It’s thrilling to think of these paintings rolling in and out of Columbia’s many neighborhoods,” says McIntosh. “From the beginning I wanted to combine iconic landmarks around Columbia rendered in colorful, line driven images with a sketchbook quality. The images I chose represent different areas and neighborhoods through out the city with which I have a personal connection. My boys grew up riding the carousel at the zoo. The man in the tub came to Five Points the same year I arrived in Columbia. I have memories of hearing the bugle at Fort Jackson and seeing Williams Brice on the horizon when returning home. In college I lived in Capstone and worked at the State House. I’ll let the viewers discover the rest knowing they have their own personal connections.”

This collaboration continues a successful partnership between One Columbia and The COMET to bring more art to public transportation and to integrate the arts into vital city services. The partnership has also featured Poetry on the COMET in conjunction with the City of Columbia Poet Laureate Ed Madden.

“This project has resulted in a unique piece of public art that will visit all parts of Columbia and the Midlands to enhance the daily commutes of thousands of Midlands residents,” says Lee Snelgrove, Executive Director of One Columbia.

Tiffany James, Community and Public Relations Specialist for the COMET states, “We are committed to providing public art for our riders and the community to enjoy. Having the Midlands showcased on our bus gives us pride and we hope that the community will feel that same sense of pride too we they see our bus too. We are thankful for Laurie McIntosh’s work and we look forward to working with more artists in our midlands community going forward.”

The process started with a conceptual design by McIntosh. She then painted the design on large canvases at scale. The original paintings were then photographed by George Fulton Studio and converted to digital images that were printed on a vinyl wrap. The wrap was created and installed by SightLine Signs and Graphics.