The AWTY studio bus is a cornerstone of the project. It makes it possible to create art on the road!
The Art We There Yet bus is professional recording studio, multi-media art studio, and artist living space on wheels. Designed within only 198 sq feet of space, it is a a multi-functional, convertible space.
The front room has a:
The back room is a:
A back garage space and side toolboxes hold the:
When we got the bus, it was a regular old school bus. Complete with seats and that ‘school bus’ smell.
We filmed just about every step of the bus conversion process! We are also writing a series of bus conversion tutorials to help others save some time and money. Check them out!
It’s important to understand that the conversion was NOT a two-person job. Friends and family, especially Jairo Vílchez, were key players here. We worked full-time for nine months on the bus, but it would have taken close to two years if we didn’t have help from family and friends.
Art We There Yet ONLY came to be because of all the people who came together to help us fund the bus. Here’s how the numbers break down:
Total Cost: $28,793
Raised Funds (Net): $21,127*
Personal Funds: $7,666
The total cost includes the cost of the bus itself, which was $6,500.
*Gross amount raised was $24,182.84. Processing fees and perk fulfillment cost $3,055.84, resulting in net $21,127.
The operating costs of the project? That’s a different story! See a breakdown of the operating costs here.
So this is an interesting thing. When we started the conversion, we had no idea how popular school bus conversions are becoming. Sometimes called ‘skoolie buses’, bus conversions have been a thing for a while.
But currently, they seem to be riding the popularity wave of the tiny house movement. Luckily for us, it meant there was lots of helpful info out there during the conversion!