Tours on Bicycle Built for Six Showcase Art Explored (original) (raw)

ROYAL OAK, MI — Six-seater bikes will whoosh through downtown Royal Oak on Aug. 18 from 6 – 9 p.m.showcasing works of public art. The casually-paced cycle tours are free to the public, thanks to the Royal Oak Commission for the Arts and Detroit Cycle Pub.

“The bike tours are an exciting way to spotlight Royal Oak’s public art collection, which features the work of more than a dozen Michigan artists,” Judy Davids, Royal Oak’s community engagement specialist, said in a news release.

The city has a total of 16 works of art in its in collection. The 20-minute tours will take art peddlers past eight of the art installations. The tours begin and end at the intersection of Center and Third Streets. The first tour departs at 6 p.m.; the last tour will leave at 8:30 p.m.

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Would-be cyclists are encouraged to enjoy the summer concert series on Center Street while they wait. The Aug. 18 acts include The Paul Carey Group and The Reefermen.

“We’re excited to be a part of the Royal Oak art scene,” said Nick Blaszczyk, of Royal Oak, who co-owns Detroit Cycle Pub with his wife Jody. “Our bikes are a great way for people to explore and have fun, too.”

Find out what's happening in Royal Oakwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Detroit Cycle Pub has been operating customizable bike tours in Detroit since November. Its Royal Oak Mini Cycle division has been operating since April.

Art Explored

The city’s public art collection includes seven new works installed in July that are part of the ongoing Art Explored series. The new works include:

• “Bee Keeper” by Alyssa Klash, Center Street Parking Deck
• “Icicle Spirt” by Paul Nilsson, Center Street at Fourth
• “Forest Light” by Emilie Beadle, Fourth Street at Troy (Mark Ridley’s Comedy Castle Building)
• “Hot Tamale & the Red Hots” by Biz Drouilliard, west side of the Royal Oak Public Library
• “Year of the Monkey” by Eric Millikin, Third Street at Main (PNC Bank Building)
• “Radar Love” by David Petrakovitz, Washington Avenue at Fifth
• “Looking Forward” by Scott Brazeau, north side of the Royal Oak Public Library

More information on Art Explored can be found here.

Image: Eric Millikin's “Year of the Monkey” courtesy of city of Royal Oak

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