In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic began to hit the United States hard. Streets emptied, shops boarded up, and public transit ridership dropped significantly. In San Francisco, the artist fnnch responded to the pandemic through his iconic street art.
"I noticed a lot of boarded up storefronts in San Francisco. It had been a while since I did street art in San Francisco, so I thought, let's take something that would otherwise be depressive and turn it into a canvas for art," said fnnch, who creates contemporary pop art.
The Honeybears have turned into a cultural sensation in San Francisco, with fnnch selling hundreds of pieces and donating several hundred thousand dollars to charity with portions of the proceeds. There are hunts happening all across the country and now in Utah.
The Regional General Manager of UTA’s Timpanogos Service Unit, Mary De La Mare-Schaefer, heard about fnnch’s Honeybears through her daughter who lived in San Francisco.
“I heard about them, and I knew I had to have them for UTA,” she said. Mary got in touch with fnnch’s team, who gave her permission to use the Honeybears and sent her several for the system. Each Honeybear has a mask on, and will be used to encourage riders to wear their masks as well.
Provo and Orem cities have launched initiatives to encourage community members to mask up and participate in society safely. The rise of COVID-19 cases in this part of our state, as well as concerning statistics in universities, have opened the door for more emphasis on masks. The Honeybears will help UTA encourage this through the UVX Honeybear Hunt, which will support the #JoinTheMaskerade initiative.
Join the contest with the following rules:
1. Wear your mask and take a selfie with a Honeybear that you find along your UVX trip
2. Post the photo, tag @RideUTA and use the hashtags #JoinTheMaskerade and #HoneybearHunt
3. Make sure that we can see your entry! (If your account it private, we can’t see what you post!)
4. One photo on your story = 1 entry, 1 photo on your feed = 5 entries
5. You will be entered to win a drawing for a prize! Two Grand Prize winners will receive a $25 gift card, a UTA mask, and a Honeybear sticker! 5 other winners will receive a $10 gift card, a UTA mask, and a Honeybear sticker. Seven contest winners will be announced and notified on November 9 at 12:00 p.m.
The more Honeybears you find and take pictures with, the better your chance of winning will be.
Remember, UTA requires face coverings while on station platforms and while riding the bus or train. Wearing a mask has been proven to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and is the best way to protect yourself and others against the virus. Join us and the Honeybears in a campaign for safety and good citizenship by wearing your mask!