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Art Week on Moving SF

Fast Pass Fanatic: Making Fine Art from Muni Monthly Passes

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

It’s Art Week on Moving SF! We’ve transformed 50 Muni buses into galleries on wheels, showcasing the work of local artists throughout the city. We’re celebrating by dedicating blog posts this week to art and artists (with a transportation twist).

"Fast Pass" by John Kuzich
"Fast Pass" by John Kuzich. (Photo: John Kuzich)

John Kuzich arrived in San Francisco by way of Detroit in January 1969, leaving behind a trail of work with well-respected ad agencies to venture out on his own as a graphic designer. A successful 30-year run in the city followed, with Kuzich taking on projects from such venerable clients as Bank of America, Chevron, Del Monte and Christian Brothers of California.

But in early 1999, while working as a web designer for local radio stations KMEL and KKSF, Kuzich received what would be his “calling.”

“I was on my way to lunch,” Kuzich recalls, “and this thought—this directive came to me. It said ‘do art now and do as much as you can.’” Two weeks later KMEL and KKSF were acquired by Clear Channel and Kuzich was out of a job, not quite as unnerved as he might have been were it not for his sidewalk epiphany.

The Fast Pass as fine art

It was then that Kuzich decided to create fine art with the Muni Fast Pass as his dedicated subject. Paper Fast Passes were available as Muni’s monthly pass until 2011, when monthly passes transitioned to the Clipper Card. Fast Passes varied in color and design each month, sometimes featuring holiday-themed artwork or special designs for events like the first day of school or Halloween.

themed fast passes
Some of the more colorful Muni Fast Passes from over the years. (Photo: John Kuzich)

Kuzich had purposely hoarded his expired Fast Pass inventory over the years because of their visual appeal, thinking someday he would use the expired passes in his work. His collection was extensive, dating back to the first Fast Pass issued in May 1974.

It wasn’t long before Kuzich’s colorful finished works of art began to grow in size, number and demand, and the artist sought the public’s help to acquire additional Fast Pass inventory.

Popular collages on display

"The Facade" by John Kuzich
“The Façade” (Photo: John Kuzich)

Kuzich’s collage work using Muni Fast Passes (and sometimes brightly painted, elevated CDs to give his work dimension) has been extremely well-received and has appeared at numerous venues throughout the Bay Area, including a month-long exhibition at the de Young Museum’s Kimball Gallery in August 2008.

“As a graphic designer, the visual is really important. I was extremely sensitive to successful color combinations and the psychological impacts of color,” Kuzich said. “Undoubtedly, the three best colors ever produced were the three-color designs produced between 2008 and 2014.” For additional security, Muni added holographic stripes to Fast Passes in the early 90s, providing an additional design element.

Paper pass nostalgia in a digital age

"Sunrise Sunset" by John Kuzich
"Sunrise Sunset" (Photo: John Kuzich)

After a nearly 37-year run, paper Fast Pass production ended on March 31, 2011, when monthly passes were required to be loaded onto the then-new Clipper card.

The Fast Pass’ place in the world of fine art remains, however, kept alive by one man’s artistic vision.

Kuzich presents Fast Pass collection to Alison Cant
John Kuzich presents a collection of Fast Passes to Alison Cant of the Market Street Railway. (Photo: John Kuzich)

first fast pass
Birth of the Fast Pass: "Only $11 a month."  (Courtesy of John Kuzich)

Editor's Note: Many thanks to Mr. Kuzich for graciously giving an interview to our Communications staff for this piece, which ran in our internal agency newsletter in May 2014.