Milwaukee artist covered bikes in yarn; they're on display in Bay View

Twice a year since 2010, Bay View Gallery Night has featured hundreds of local artists and vendors in Milwaukee's largest gallery-style event. However, this year's spring showcase, set for May 29, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The cancellation of Gallery Night doesn't mean that the art can't be displayed, though. At least that was the thought of artist Martha Lund, who had been working on her unique display of over a dozen "yarn-bombed" bikes — actual bikes snugly-clothed in yarn — since the start of the year. Yarn bombing is a form of street art that trades spray paint for yarn.

"When they said Bay View Gallery Night was going to be off this year because of COVID, I was like, ‘Well, I have all these bikes here. They’re ready to go!’ " Lund said in a phone interview Wednesday. "So I thought they just could be out there and people could see them and enjoy it safely from their car."

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On Sunday, Lund and some helpers posted her seven yarn-bombed bikes along the fence outside Southern Lakes Physical Therapy on East Becher Street in Bay View. They'll remain there, rain or shine, throughout the summer.

This isn't the first time Lund has utilized that space. Lund has a long-standing relationship with that office and the owner of the building. She's been a patient at Southern Lakes Physical Therapy many times over the years. Over the past few years, she's knitted numerous scenes for display on that railing, including a water scene last year she titled, "Lake Fishigan."

Her "bike bomb" theme for this year is something she's done in the past, though not necessarily for display purposes. For years, Lund used to "yarn-bomb" her own bike and use it in the Miller Ride for the Arts.

"Many years ago, somebody introduced me to knit bombing," Lund said. "I just thought it was hilarious. I love humor in art."

Around the beginning of this year, Lund started collecting bicycles for her summer display. She bought a couple of them and received one as a donation from a local bike shop. As she procured each bike, she would knit a cover. The process would take 2-3 weeks per bike.

The end result is the seven, rainbow-colored knit bikes now displayed on E. Becher Street. Lund knows that her scenes over the years have served as good conversation starters at the physical therapy clinic and hopes that today's age of social-distancing they can bring smiles to people's faces as they walk or drive by this summer.

"It's a good entrance into Bay View," she said.