BICAS pairs cycling with art in third art mart

To Tony Zepeda, bikes have a deep connection with artists and their work. The cheap and easy nature of transport allows creators like Zepeda, an art program coordinator, to pour more resources into their passion.

“The bicycle is such a widely used tool of transportation for people,” Zepeda said. “As an artist, it’s nice for me to be able to have extra income throughout the month and not have to worry about bills so I can focus on creating art.”

Art also connects to cycling through the Bicycle Inter-Community Art & Salvage Center, or BICAS. The nonprofit will host its third Art Mart to continue supporting local artists and inspiring the community. Ranging from recycled bike art to textiles and graphics, participants will sell their crafts from tents around the center on Sunday, March 26.

BICAS Art Mart began at a time when local artists were hit hardest by the pandemic. In 2021, most pop-ups and fairs were limited or altogether disbanded for social distancing. Artisans who relied on these events lost a major source of income and struggled to maintain their practices.

The BICAS team came together and developed the market to support these local artists.

“A lot of local artists came through our doors, and people were talking about it,” Zepeda recalled. “The staff at the time decided to create our own art market and set it up in the parking lot.”

In its third year, the Art Mart hosts local and emerging artists with their products. Art on sale will range from prints and pottery to sculptures and glasswork. With every product sold, artisans receive 100% of the sales profit.

Some of the highlighted artisans include revolta Art, Two Snake Pots and One Mad Menagerie. While revolta Art crafts eco-conscious prints on recycled materials, the artist duo at Two Snake Pots creates their designs on functional pottery. The artist behind One Mad Menagerie focuses her collection of jewelry, embroidery and greeting cards on the art of reuse. These are a few of the many artisans BICAS invites due to their drive for recycling and sustainability.

“Some people have bicycle-themed art and some of them don’t,” Zepeda noted. “They’re all from different backgrounds and they all create different types of art. This is one of the big events where we invite all sorts of artists to come and join.”

This year, BICAS offered scholarships for some of the 15 to 20 vendors struggling to meet the cost of entry. Zepeda explained they do this to allow artists, especially those new to selling their art, a chance to try art markets at a low to no cost.

BICAS will also offer opportunities for participants to make their own art. This is something Zepeda felt separated the Art Mart from most other markets. Over the last few years, making art has been a big draw for the event, and he noted the nonprofit will have more activities for the upcoming market.

“We give opportunities to create art with us as opposed to just coming through,” Zepeda said. “People are given more access to create their own art, which is one of the BICAS core values.”

BICAS is primarily an education center working to solve problems in transportation justice. Founded in 1989, the nonprofit salvages vehicles and parts to build affordable bikes and offer maintenance services to the community. Their mission is to support the community through affordable transportation, creative recycling and education.

Their Work-Trade Program allows participants to learn how to fix and build bicycles, earning credits toward their own. These programs are also offered in youth sessions for children. With anything they can’t use, the nonprofit recycles parts for art projects.

“Whatever parts we can’t refurbish or contribute to the community as an active bike, we take them apart and either scrap, recycle or save them for art,” Zepeda said. “We have a vast collection of bicycle parts saved primarily for art.”

Along with opening an art gallery to the public, BICAS also creates public art, including bike racks, for commission. They host their annual art auction in December to spotlight community artists and raise funds for the organization.

BICAS takes used bikes and parts to provide low-cost transportation and educational resources. They recycle what they can’t salvage into pieces of art. Most of all, they host events like the Art Mart to not only support local artists but the colorful image of Tucson.

“Local artists are the heart of the community,” Zepeda said. “They really give you a vibe of what Tucson’s all about. Supporting these local artists spreads awareness about the community.”

BICAS Art Mart

WHEN: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, March 26

WHERE: BICAS Center, 2001 N. Seventh Avenue, Tucson

COST: Free

INFO: bicas.org

This article appears in Mar 23-29, 2023.