It is known that the New York City Department of Sanitation is not a stranger to art and projects related to art. However, a very unique initiative has been launched by the DSNY. This initiative is the launch of garbage trucks which are hand-painted. And this project has been appropriately named as “Trucks of Art”. Although the content inside the truck is not related to Art, the exterior of the truck very much is.
At the moment, we are aware that the department has rolled out five vehicles which are hand-painted in the city and already collecting garbage as we speak. This art is from five different artists on five different trucks. However, the selection of this art was from the 100+ artists that submitted their work to the department.
These artists are Dister, Misha Tyutyunik and Victor A along with Jillian White and Lady K-Fever. Also, you can notice that there is diversity in different artworks as well. On one hand, is Dister who illustrated the city’s own sanitation workers while Lady K-Fever decorated her truck with flora and fauna. While these trucks were debuted by the department on Times Square, you can see them with the rest of New York City’s fleet on trash day.
New York City’s Sanitation Commissioner, Kathryn Garcia, said:
“These Trucks of Art truly are works of art, and they’ll beautify our cityscape while reminding New Yorkers that they’re our partners in keeping New York City healthy, safe and clean.”
Lady K-Fever also highlighted the goal of underlining the environmental impact of waste through her piece where she wrote that “We’re experiencing a global garbage problem, and I designed my mural to make people think about the beauty of our environment. Putting this design on a Sanitation truck also reminds people just who helps them take care of our environment – DSNY!”