ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority unveiled a new bus wrap as part of their Juneteenth celebration.

In February, the PSTA held a Diversity Drives Us Art Contest, calling for local artists to design and submit artwork that will be used as a bus wrap that “encapsulates PSTA’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Mission Statement”.

Animator and illustrator Donavon Brutus won the competition, and his artwork will be featured on a PSTA bus, which serves riders around Pinellas County.

“The cartoons of the 80s and 90s inspired me to start drawing at an early age,” Brutus said. “I love to simplify what I see in the human form and my experiences. Thematically, I explore mindfulness, diversity, music, Black excellence, and popular culture. I generally feel that people of color and LGBT+ communities are still significantly under-represented in our culture, and the representations are often flat. As an ally, I try to shift this. My work is a meditation of organizing shapes into something that feels aesthetic.”

His design will stretch on each side of the 37-foot-long bus which reaches almost nine feet tall.

“We were blown away by Donavon’s design. It was everything we were looking for and more,” said Brad Miller, Chief Executive Officer of PSTA. “His vibrant use of color showcases how we all come from different backgrounds and truly captures the melting pot that our community is. We are honored to have his artwork displayed on one of our buses.”