Bring your community's ideas to life.
We work with schools, libraries, boroughs, nonprofits, and community groups to create hands-on experiences in storytelling, art, media, performance, and creative technology.
Bring us a project idea, a community goal, or simply a group ready to try something new. We’ll shape an experience that fits your people, space, and resources.
See BUS in practice
From a shared student production to programs shaped for libraries and experiences across a neighborhood, these examples show different ways we build with partners.
Digital Puppetry
With DOVE and Neighborhood North, students created characters, recorded voices and music, and brought an original story to life through digital puppetry and cross-age collaboration.
Watch project trailerWatch final video
BUS & Libraries
Story-centered workshops, creative technology, community connections, and hands-on programs designed with library audiences and spaces in mind.
Explore BUS & Libraries
Imagine Rochy
See how BUS invited visitors to explore Brighton Avenue through viewfinders, stories, creative prompts, and opportunities to add their voices. The project page features station samples, event media, and an interactive Imagine Rochy demo.
Explore the Brighton Up projectVerified on artlook® SWPA
Explore BUS programs, disciplines, age groups, and school-partnership information through our completed arts-partner profile.
View the BUS artlook® profilePlaytest the Future
Playtest the Future: From Idea to Interactive Experience has been selected as a workshop for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust’s 2026 STEAM Symposium.
Explore the STEAM SymposiumCreative experiences that help students discover, design, and connect
These are starting points, not fixed packages. BUS works with educators to shape each experience around the students, goals, space, schedule, and available resources.
Playtest the Future
Students build a game or interactive prototype, watch others try it, and make it better.
- Imagine and prototype
- Test with real players
- Notice, adjust, and improve
Creative STEAM Discovery
Students sample building, games, sound, media, and creative technology, then follow what most engages them.
- Try unfamiliar tools and approaches
- Create and experiment in small teams
- Identify interests worth exploring further
Story Bridges
Two groups create for—and with—one another using story, art, puppetry, performance, sound, or media.
- Listen, interpret, and respond
- Exchange stories and creative material
- Build something meaningful together
Want the complete school-program overview?
Download the printable BUS & Schools guide to share with colleagues, administrators, or potential funding partners.
Built around your audience and goals
A single workshop can open the door. A series gives participants time to experiment, build skills, and develop something to share.
Schools & after-school programs
Creative STEAM experiences where students make choices, work in small groups, and learn by doing.
- Storytelling and media labs
- Game and experience design
- Workshops, series, and enrichment
Libraries & museums
Programs that connect collections, stories, technology, and the people who use your space.
- Literature-inspired making
- Community story projects
- Interactive activities and exhibits
Boroughs & community groups
Welcoming activities that help people notice, explore, and contribute to the places they share.
- Festival experiences and creative routes
- Public storytelling and place-based projects
- Community showcases and pop-up events
Custom projects & planning
Support to turn a promising idea into an achievable program or collaborative production.
- Program and workshop design
- Media and documentary projects
- Creative planning and grant collaboration
Dream it. Try it. Make it. Share it.
We start with your goals and leave room for participants to shape what happens.
- 1Start a conversation
Tell us about your audience, space, goals, and what you hope people will experience.
- 2Shape a starting point
We propose an activity, series, or project that fits your time, team, and resources.
- 3Try and make
Participants explore ideas through active, collaborative creative work.
- 4Share and grow
We make room to show, reflect on, or build upon what the group created.
Start at the right scale
Some partnerships begin with one hands-on session; others grow into a series or a community project. We’ll discuss the scope and provide a proposal that reflects the audience, schedule, staffing, materials, and production needs.
If you’re working with a grant or a set budget, share that early. It helps us design an approach that fits.
- One-time workshops and events
- Multi-session programs
- Community experiences and productions
- Planning and creative consulting
What could your community create?
Tell us what you have in mind, even if it’s still a rough idea. We can find a useful first step together.