The NFTA, in conjunction with the WNY Urban Arts Collective, held a special event at Metro's Cold Spring Garage today to formally announce that Monet Kifner has won the proposal for artwork that will now grace the exterior of NFTA-Metro buses in honor of Black History Month and beyond. The Buffalo Artist's work entitled, “Black Excellence: Told By the Graces” highlights the various accomplishments met and exceeded through the past and current adversity and hardships.

"I chose to focus on a plethora of what I see to be black excellence today. To explore this theme, I wanted to use the Three Graces from Greek mythology. The Graces represent Creativity, Good Will, and Beauty said Kifner.  "For creativity I chose to focus on music. I wanted to clearly show Duke Ellington and the godmother of rock and roll, Sister Rosetta Sharpe. To illustrate goodwill, I depicted figures from our history (MLK, President Obama) that have made major contributions to the betterment of the black community and our country and the advancement of equity for our communities. Finally, I wanted to represent black beauty via the black woman. I am so honored to have been selected for this great opportunity. Thank you so very much."

The stunning artwork has been placed on the sides of various Metro buses and will be seen by thousands while gracing the streets of Western New York. Within this space, there is an opportunity to contribute positively to the daily experience of the many people who use NFTA-Metro services. By creating vibrant and inspiring artwork for our buses, Metro hopes to generate feelings of pride. The artwork has also been put on display inside the NFTA's headquarters.