605 Magic Art Bus nearly ready to open

The 605 Magic Art Bus is almost ready to start rolling.

Co-managers and founders Marlo Arp and Mercedes Maltese have been hard at work for the past several months, and they said the bus is almost ready to be open to the public.

The 605 Magic Art Bus began as a concept in 2021 and centers around the idea of a traveling arts and crafts classroom and studio. The bus will offer classes for all ages at occasions such as birthday parties and corporate events, with “dynamic and ever-changing custom programs” in all different mediums, from painting to sculpture.  

“We really want to emphasize the all-ages aspect of the bus,” Maltese said. “This isn’t just for kids, and especially going into the school year we’d like for people to know that.”

Arp said she and Maltese are hoping to get the bus open and available for bookings by mid-August; the bus originally was slated to open in June but was delayed because of  material shortages, Arp said. With the shortages, Arp and Maltese spent lots of time doing their own projects to keep construction on schedule.

“We did a lot of upcycling,” Arp said. “We spent a lot of time in junkyards and are really just reusing as much as we can.”

The bus has come a long way since its beginning as a New Flyer city bus.

Arp and Maltese have added lots of decorative features in the past few months, Maltese said, including a custom wrap around the outside and art-themed decor inside.

“There’s lots of little secret features, like when the black light comes on in the bus, the countertops will glow,” Arp said. “It looks magical, and we’re so excited for everyone to see it.”

Maltese and Arp said they also are hoping to provide other forms of entertainment on the bus, from magicians to comedians to balloon artists.

“We’re looking for people to reach out to us if they have something they think would tie in really well,” Maltese said. “We’d love to have links all on our site to cross-promote our local small businesses and be able to provide upgrades for bookings.”

The 605 Magic Art Bus website is set to launch in the second week of August, Maltese said, when customers will be able to view the bus’ calendar of events and make bookings. Arp said the bus also has sponsorship opportunities available, from a space on the website to a spot featured on the wrapping of the bus itself.

To learn more about the 605 Magic Art Bus and to keep up with its development, you can follow its Facebook page here.