RICHMOND, Va. – On Tuesday an art exhibit called “Go Bike!” was unveiled at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. The exhibit is intended to showcase and commemorate the 2015 World Cycling Championship.

It’s also part of an effort undertaken by the Greater Richmond Chamber “to position RVA as an artsy, progressive region that embraces an active lifestyle with the goal of attracting and retaining millennial talent.”

“Richmond will be on the world stage during Richmond 2015 and this is the perfect opportunity to seize the moment to showcase our creative talent to the world through the Go Bike! project,” said Chrystal Neal, GRC vice president.

The shape of the artworks, cast locally at OK Foundry with patterns created locally by Tektonics, was selected as the result of a local design contest held last fall in which the public was invited to enter designs, according to a distributed press release.

VCU graphic design student John Sampson’s wheel-like design with 75 evenly spaced marks pointing inward represents the 75 nations that will converge on the River City for the World Cycling Championships.

Following the exhibit, the artworks will be mounted atop thirty new bike racks to be installed throughout the city this summer.

The City of Richmond’s Center for Workforce Innovation welding school is making the bike racks locally, through an innovative program designed to teach valuable welding skills to students, who upon graduation can earn an above average living wage.

Three presenting sponsors, Altria, Dominion and Bon Secours, helped fund the 30 local artists to create original works of art, paying them a stipend for time and materials.

The thirty participating artists, curated by Ronald Johnson of the painting department at VCU, are:

Reinaldo G. Alvarez

Katie Baines

Amanda Baldwin

Andras Bality S

ukenya Best

Brad Thomas Birchett

Sally Bowring

Mickael Broth

Amy Chan

Genesis Chapman

Suzanna Fields

Peter & Keiran Fraser

Dr. Vaughn Whitney Garland

Hamilton Glass

Jason Hackett

Brooke Inman

Matt Lively

Anthony Meloro

Valerie Molnar & Matt Spahr

Lynn Murphy

Amie Oliver

Diego Sanchez

Matthew Pendleton Shelton

Mary A. Silcox

Tanja Softić

Jody Symula

Ed Trask

Matthew Warren

Johannah Willsey

Jane Winfield