"The neon bike outside of the OCAD U Student Gallery was conceived as a simple art project that we thought would beautify and energize the grim strip of Dundas Street West where we work. The bike’s bold, graphic and current aesthetic was an instant hit with passersby."

The Good Bike Project is an innovative visual arts endeavor led by Vanessa Nicholas and Caroline Macfarlane. Both are curators at the OCAD student gallery in Toronto who are taking real-world art to new places.

"The two of us work at the OCAD U Student Gallery on Dundas Street West in Toronto. Whilst working on a window display this past winter, Caroline noticed the sad, rusted bike parked on the sidewalk out front and suggested that we plant flowers in its basket come spring. Over the weeks, our idea evolved and what resulted was the neon, painted bike. This simple act of spontaneous creativity became a city issue when the bike was ticketed by the police; and from there we've managed to start bigger conversations about pubic art, cycling and community here in Toronto. We're completely committed to this project because of this meaningful ripple effect.

The support has been overwhelming. After being ticketed, we appealed to the public for support. We didn't want to remove the bike as we'd already had so much positive feedback from passers-by. The emails and phone calls poured in. To date, we've received over 250 emails from as far as England, Brazil, Belgium and Australia. Our neighbors have been wonderful too. Fellow artists, local bar tenders and corporate sponsors alike have all been so generous and helpful. It's been so fun meeting so many great people and feeling so connected to our community."

The project has garnered global support and press coverage - including a great recent piece in The Toronto Star.

"I think we've generated so much positive support because our initiative is all about community building and regeneration. We're looking to give a lot back to the city, and so we're finding enthusiastic people at every turn."

Take a peek at this fun and rewarding project. Thank you to Vanessa and Caroline for their work and for being a part of the RocketHub community.

-Vlad