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Local Artist Immortalizes Monk’s Unfortunate Run-In With a SEPTA Bus

Art imitating life.
Art imitating life. Photo: Collin Keefe

Remember that time a freak late night accident on 16th Street sent a SEPTA bus careening into the front door of Belgian beer haven Monk’s? It was a miracle that no one was injured, and after the dust settled everyone had a good laugh about owner Tom Peters setting up a temporary, speakeasy-esque entrance around back, complete with the secret password “SEPTA.” Now, for a small sum, you can own a miniature recreation of the scene of that accident. Local painter, printmaker and occasional Fleisher Art Memorial instructor, Ronnie Ribant, an avowed fan of beer and many of the city’s premier places to drink it, has chosen that unfortunate moment for one of his Grand Circus paper toy models.

Ribant’s pieces, which have immortalized the brick and green-awninged row homes, neighborhood taprooms and some of the food trucks that dot the city’s landscape, have been a fixture at many the area’s craft shows and galleries, and boutiques in recent years. This past weekend we spotted him with this historically accurate model at Saturday’s Flavors of the Avenue in South Philly. He told Grub its part of a new disaster series he’s working on. In addition to SPETA’s run-in with Monk’s, Ribant’s work features houses on fire and flooded cars and trucks partially submerged under what appears to be rising storm water. If you missed him this past weekend, you can check out his recreation of Monk’s and other paper models at his Etsy shop.

Related: SEPTA Bus Crashes Through Monk’s

Local Artist Immortalizes Monk’s Unfortunate Run-In With a SEPTA Bus