As part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival, the first of eight art-adorned trams will be in service across Melbourne from today.

The trams feature seven new designs from Victorian artists as well as a reproduction of the tram designed by the late artist David Larwill in 1986.

Minister for Creative Industries Martin Foley considers Melbourne’s trams to be canvases for the city’s artistic legends.

“By inviting artists to turn our iconic trams into giant mobile artworks, we’re giving people right across the community access to some of the best contemporary art Victoria has to offer,” he said.

This year’s artists include Gunditjmara woman Hayley Millar-Baker, painter and printmaker Nick Howson, street artist, Oli Ruskidd, artist and illustrator Oslo Davis, artist and academic Troy Innocent, painter Stephen Baker and year nine student Valerie Tang.

Voting for the $5,000 People’s Choice award will open once all the trams are in service. The winner will be announced at the end of the festival, but the trams will continue to operate until April 2019.

Melbourne art trams have been part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival since 2013 and are a reimagining of the Transporting Art project which ran from 1978 to 1993.

This years’ festival will feature dance, theatre, music and visual arts.

It runs until 21 October.