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Art Along the Way mta.info/art Old and new happily coexist.
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As you travel through the Metropolitan Transportation Authority network in the New York City region, you experience a first-rate art museum of mosaic, terra cotta, bronze, glass, and mixed media sculpture. The founders of the New York City subway believed that every design element in the system should show respect for our customers and enhance their experience of travel. As the century-old transpo

rtation network is restored and renewed, decorative elements of the past are preserved and protected even as contemporary art and design are introduced. Note: Please respect your fellow readers and exercise appropriate restraint in drafting and submitting a post. In that regard, MTA Arts & Design reserves its right to delete any post that contains language or imagery which: is off-topic, is defamatory, compromises public safety or operations, disparages a group or individual on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation, is commercial, contravenes law, contains spam, invades personal privacy, has sexual content, is obscene, includes any link to another site, or infringes on a copyright or other proprietary right.

11/30/2023

Reed Seifer’s “Optimism” was a thought-provoking conceptual project that used the word “optimism” printed on the back of MetroCards. Through the simple use of the word, the artist placed a sense of positive, forward-thinking energy into the hands of those swiping their MetroCard. Released from mid 2009 to early 2010, Seifer’s Metrocard project built upon earlier work, through which he distributed thousands of “optimism” buttons around the world. The intent was to share the word, and by extension, the concept, of remaining optimistic.

11/28/2023

Calling all artists interested in creating site-specific permanent artwork! Head to our website for details about the art opportunities at 242 St-Van Cortlandt Park (1) station in the Bronx and Church Av (B,Q) station in Brooklyn. Submission materials due Jan 12.

Image: Amy Pryor, “Day Into Night” (2021), NYCT 138 St-Grand Concourse (4,5) station. 📸: Argenis Apolinario

11/27/2023

The holiday season is for love and leftovers.

“Ragtime” from “Jelly Roll” © 2003 by Kevin Young. Used with permission by Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House. “Primavera” (2003) © Raúl Colón, MTA NYCT 191 St Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design.

Poetry Society of America

11/22/2023

Today is National Go For a Ride Day, so get up and go by Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA train or bus!

Image: Carlo Stanga, 2008 poster “Embrace”

11/17/2023

At 34 St-Penn Station (1,2,3) three mosaics by Diana Al-Hadid blur the boundaries between figuration and abstraction, with dripping linework and mark making that relates to the concept of time. “The Arches of Old Penn Station” (2018) is a gestural depiction of the grand interior of the 1910 Beaux-Arts Pennsylvania Station, while “The Time Telling” (2023) is inspired by Alfred Eisenstadt’s iconic photograph of the clock that hung at the entrance of the original station. These scenes invite viewers to travel into a moment in time, calling up collective memories of this historic space. “The Arc of Gradiva” (2018), features an image of Gradiva, a mythological character from Wilhelm Jensen’s 1903 novella who walks through walls. Rendered as a ghostly apparition with the flowing fabric of her garment stretching the length of the wall, her footsteps mirror those of the crowds in the station.

Al-Hadid’s sustained explorations of antiquity, folklore, and architecture across a variety of media are on view in her solo exhibition “Women, Bronze, and Dangerous Things” at Kasmin Gallery through December 22.

📸1-2: Peter Kaiser, 3: Diego Flores, 4: Kasmin Gallery

11/15/2023

Aviation History Month is flying by! ✈️ Gail Chandler Boyajian’s “Aviary” (2020) at LIRR Carle Place station celebrates the spirit of aviation, nodding to the nearby Cradle of Aviation Museum, Grumman headquarters, and airports. Airbrushed and hand-painted in layers of colored enamels, the glass artwork features helicopters, passenger planes, and historical flying contraptions, such as balloons, blimps, and bicycle powered kites. Flying alongside them are birds native to the area as well as extinct species, like the Passenger Pigeon and the Carolina Parakeet, which flourished at the time of early attempts at human flight. The juxtaposition of wildlife and technology celebrates Long Island’s natural wonders and history of innovation while highlighting humankind’s wish to emulate the flight of birds throughout time.

📸: Jason Mandella

11/14/2023

Holly Sears' "Hudson River Explorers" (2012) at MNR Tarrytown station is inspired by this great river’s majesty and informed by the region’s rich history of discovery, exploration, and travel. With allusions to the romanticism of the Hudson River School of painting, Sears’ exquisitely rendered images portray wildlife in fantastical scenes. The plants and animals depicted include an unexpected combination of native and exotic species: a bobcat and house cat, polar bears and black bears, white-tailed deer, ducks, shad, seahorse and sturgeon, hawks and owls, herons and swallows, elephants, and horses. Sears places a particular emphasis on those animals that are threatened or endangered, inviting us to consider and protect the natural world that surrounds us.

Sears’ print series created alongside the body of work for Tarrytown station is on view at Hudson River Museum through January 14, 2024.

📸: Michael Hnatov

11/13/2023

The colors of fall appear as pixels and geometric shapes in Roy Secord’s “Bronx Seasons Everchanging” (2018) at 174-175 St (B,D) station. Inspired by walking meditations in nature taken by the artist throughout the year, the compositions, made of glass mosaic and glazed tile, capture the color atmospheres of annual cycles of spring, summer, fall, and winter, as well as their transitions.

📸: Anthony Verde

11/09/2023

is full of surprises for subway riders! performer Augie Bello was playing “You’re Beautiful” at 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal station earlier this week when James Blunt happened by and joined him in song.

Look out for live performances on your daily commute, and discover more about the Music Under New York program on our website!

11/09/2023

In conjunction with Nora Turato’s Performa Biennial performance “Cue the Sun” (Thurs. 11/9 & Fri. 11/10), Arts & Design has partnered with PERFORMA to present Turato’s text-based digital graphics across the 52 screens at Fulton Center. The graphics include short pieces of text excerpted from the performance script, which Turato describes as “signs from the universe.” Drawing from the methodology of wellness gurus, personal development coaching, and other self-improvement principles, the artist considers what it means to create a personal ideology of betterment via language, gesture, and performance today.

Turato’s original typeface created specifically for the digital commission is inspired by the serif fonts of the Industrial Age, which echo a historical moment that was a time of radical social transformation. Turato was formally trained as a graphic designer, which informs her interest in typography, specifically its ability to influence the viewer subconsciously.

“Cue The Sun” plays for 2 minutes at the top of each hour throughout Fulton Center until December 2023, presented with technical support from Westfield Properties and ANC Sports.

📽: Romke Hoogwaerts, Lucia Santana Ribisi, Tina Pētersone

11/06/2023

Calling all artists interested in creating site-specific permanent artwork! See our website for details about the art opportunities at Harlem-148 St (3) station in Manhattan and SIR Huguenot station in Staten Island. Submission materials due Dec 8.

Image: Andrea Dezsö, “Nature Rail” (2019/2012), NYCT 62 St (D) station. 📸: MTA A&D

11/06/2023

Today is National Play Basketball Day! Peter Cusack’s 2006 poster “Hook Shot” celebrates the game that fosters connection among New Yorkers from all walks of life. A poem by the artist accompanies the artwork, highlighting the quintessentially urban experience of playing basketball beneath the elevated subway with fellow city dwellers.

11/02/2023

Rory Mulligan’s photography lightbox exhibition “Auguries” is now on view at Grand Central Terminal in the lower-level dining concourse. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mulligan turned his camera from the wider world to his own backyard. The images on view capture moments of chance within carefully constructed stages that combine fabric backdrops and found materials to attract a wide variety of birds. While following the National Audubon Society’s guidelines for ethical bird photography, Mulligan draws upon art historical tropes of still life painting and studio portraiture. For the artist, birds represent joy, beauty, and grace, but also reminders of the precarity of our natural environment.

11/01/2023

Valerie Jaudon’s “Long Division” (1988) at 23 St (6) station is an intricately designed, 60-foot-long steel fence that serves as both a welcoming entry point and functional barrier. Designed with a pattern of crisscrossing arches and vertical lines, the panels form a unified set of connecting arch patterns. “The idea was to make a fence that functions as combination of wall, door, window, and column that allows you to see the entire station,” Jaudon described.

Jaudon’s sustained investigation of line and pattern is on display in her solo exhibition at DC Moore Gallery. On view through November 11, the exhibition features paintings from the last two decades.

📸: Michelle Shin

10/30/2023

We are excited to bring new permanent artwork by Keri Sheheen to SIR New Dorp station in Staten Island. “Creeping On Where Time Has Been” honors the borough’s historical architecture and natural landscape, including imagery of notable structures, such as the Vanderbilt Mausoleum and New Dorp Beach bungalows, as well as local flora and fauna. Sheheen researched the station area with the Historic Richmond Town Archive and New York Transit Museum Archive for images and took firsthand accounts from her mother of growing up in New Dorp, where Sheheen also went to high school and currently resides.

Noting the presence of ivy-covered farmhouses that date prior to the 1960s development of suburban housing in the historical photographs, Sheheen created a visual pattern to connect the laminated glass windows (on both sides of the station house portico) and metal railings (lining the walkway to the new elevator on the Tottenville bound platform). The artwork title, a line from the poem “The Ivy Green” by Charles Dickens, is an allusion to the ivy motif that symbolizes the persistence of time and nature’s substantial presence on Staten Island despite manmade developments.

📸1-2: Sean Sweeney 3: MTA A&D

10/27/2023

Happy 119th birthday to the subway! New York City’s transit history is celebrated in Jane Greengold’s “Wings for the IRT: The Irresistible Romance of Travel” (1995) at Grand Army Plaza (2,3) station, which depicts Winged Victories leading a subway car. The terra cotta bas relief mosaics and bronze plaques allude to the first logo for the Interboro Rapid Transit (IRT), which depicted a subway car with wings, while also referencing the triumphal Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch located above the station, which celebrates the Union army’s victory in the Civil War.

The IRT opened for service on October 27th, 1904 with just 28 stations. Today there are 472 stations!

📸: MTA A&D/Rob Wilson

10/20/2023

Julien Gardair’s "We are each others" (2018) at the 18 Av and Kings Hwy (F) stations in Brooklyn is composed of stainless steel figural sculptures with seating elements and windscreen panels with whimsical surface designs. Figures from local history, as well as present-day residents, inspired thesculptures, as well as themes of family life and the neighborhood’s resourcefulness.

For the windscreen panels, the artist utilized a single design to create multiple unique compositions arranged in different configurations. The positive and negative shapes of the design mirror each other from across the platform at each station. Gardair treated all of the artwork with a no-waste design framework which relates to the future of the neighborhood and the environmental impact of all of New York City.

The artist’s exploration of pattern and materiality is on view in his recent paintings, displayed alongside his wife ’s artwork in “Julien Gardair / Melanie Vote: Concurrence. Presented by Garvey Simon at DFN Projects and on view through November 3, the exhibition brings to light “unexpected harmonies” between the couple’s vastly different artistic styles.

📸: Peter Peirce

10/18/2023

At 53 St (R) station in Brooklyn, Mickalene Thomas’ “Untitled” juxtaposes textile patterns with images of plants found in New York in a collage-like design. A geometric pattern of emanating concentric rings carries throughout the mosaic like a photo flash or solar flare. Thomas’s collages, which continue to combine figuration and abstraction, are on view in her solo show “je t-adore” at Yancey Richardson Gallery through November 11.

📸: Anthony Verde

10/16/2023

Sam Gilliam’s painted aluminum wall sculpture “Jamaica Center Station Riders, Blue” (1991) at Jamaica Ctr-Parsons/Archer (E,J,Z) station, in the late artist’s words, "calls to mind movement, circuits, speed, technology, and passenger ships.” Composed of a large ellipse and an armature that holds it, the work build upon the language of his iconic draped paintings. Gilliam is known for this experimentation with material, form, and spatial interplay. His draped, beveled-edge, and tondo paintings are on view at Pace Gallery in “The Last Five Years” through October 28.

📸1: MTA A&D, 2: Pace Gallery

10/13/2023

We’re celebrating Archtober with James Gulliver Hancock's “Connection Cultivating Communities” (2018) at LIRR Merrick station. The artwork imagines the LIRR map as a tree branch extending outward with each town along the train line as blossoms, depicted in Hancock’s whimsical and playful style. The blooms depict vignettes of the station's community with recognizable Long Island landmarks such as Montauk Point Lighthouse, the post office, fire houses, Chatterton School, Merrick Library, Merrick Gables Spanish architecture, and the Merrick station itself.

Hancock has been drawing New York’s buildings for years and has recently released a new edition of his book “All the Buildings in New York.” Building upon the original publication on its 10th anniversary, the book features illustrations of both iconic and everyday buildings, celebrating the architectural charm of New York.

📸: Peter Peirce

10/11/2023

Leaf peepers can delight in Susan Tunick’s “Brighton Clay Re-Leaf Nos. 1-4" (1994) at Prospect Park (B, Q) and Parkside Av (Q) stations in Brooklyn any day of the year. The motif is rendered in multicolored ceramic mosaics that bring bold color and pattern into these two 1919 stations, adorned with wall tiles and decorative borders influenced by the Arts and Crafts movement. Tunick's work complements the vintage ceramic ornamentation of the station and is inspired by the shapes and shades of foliage found in nearby Prospect Park and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

📸 1-3: MTA A&D/Rob Wilson, 4: Peter Mauss

10/09/2023

While you may have seen Jane Dickson’s “Revelers” (2008) at Times Square-42 St station, (1,2,3,7,N,Q,R,W,S), the playful, life-size mosaic figures aren’t her only work celebrating this iconic New York City destination. Dickson’s 1991 poster commission highlights the color and mood of Times Square at night in her signature high-contrast, glowing style. Times Square, where the artist lived for nearly thirty years, has served as a major inspiration for Dickson, who regularly uses signage as subject matter to explore themes relating to the American urban landscape and psyche. Her recent works in this ongoing dialogue are on view in her solo exhibition “Promised Land” at Karma through October 28.

Discover more artworks at Times Sq-42 St station with our guide on Bloomberg Connects. Our self-guided tour “Explore Times Square” features Dickson’s “Revelers” and much more!

📸3: Karma

10/05/2023

In dialogue with the iconic celestial ceiling of Grand Central Terminal, Ellen Driscoll’s “As Above, So Below” (1998) takes the viewer around the world to the night sky above five different continents, representing myths, civilization, heavens, and the underworld. These scenes bring to life ancient tales
from a variety of cultures, grounding commuters with a sense of spirituality and shared history on their commute.

Continuing to work with the themes of interconnectedness and universal phenomena, Driscoll’s recent drawings grapple with the emotional and environmental toll of the climate crisis. Her solo exhibition “Mend” is on view at Planthouse Gallery through October 14.

Learn more about Driscoll’s work and the public art at Grand Central Terminal in our guide on the Bloomberg Connects app. Our self-guided tour “Explore Grand Central Terminal” will walk you through the amazing artworks to discover in the Metro North Railroad terminal.

📸: MTA A&D/Rob Wilson

10/04/2023

Mia Pearlman’s “Soar” (2016) at 80 St (A) station in Queens, uses curving, perforated metal panels to reflect and project patterns of air movement onto the pathway of commuters. Inspired by the feeling of closeness to the sky while standing on the elevated platform, the work draws upon the forms of weather currents and clouds. The gleaming steel panels were translated from the artist’s delicate papercut sculptures depicting the beauty of the natural phenomena.

Pearlman is currently featured in “Paper Cuts” at Elsa Kayak Gallery, alongside three other artists exploring the expressive qualities of the craft technique. On view through October 7.

📸: Jason Mandella

09/29/2023

Arts & Design is excited to unveil a new permanent artwork by Darryl Westly at LIRR Westbury station. “Illuminations” (2023) is a dynamic, allegorical reflection of the people and places of Westbury that employs glass, metal, light, and shadow as equal counterparts, creating symbols of remembrance and an environment for transitory contemplation.

“Illuminations” was translated from original paintings by Westly that gather the past and present histories of the village and community, which have been translated into 782 square feet of painted glass by Glasmalerei Peters Studios, and 140 square feet of etched metal work fabricated by KC Fabrications. Spanning the station's ticket office to the overpass towers, the work blends divergent narratives, archival imagery, and motifs from Westbury’s past into brilliantly colorful dreamscapes.

The painted glass is interspersed with patterns inspired by Wampum Belt designs, juxtaposing Tuskegee Airmen, farm stands, and the local children’s library. Recurring floral and bouquet motifs reference the gardens of the historic Orchard Hill Estate, serving as metaphors for the ancestry of the land and the cultivation of community. In the etched metal railing, race cars and horses harken back to the old Roosevelt Raceway, boats reference the migration of Quakers to the area, and chain-links take on the dual meaning of both the history of enslavement and the bonds that now hold diverse communities together. “Illuminations” honors Westbury history while also leaving space to contemplate its future. It is a memorialization of moments in history where people can find meaning, understanding, and connection, regardless of race, creed, or class.

📸: Jason Mandella

09/20/2023

Liliana Porter and Ana Tiscornia’s “Untitled with Sky” (2010) at MNR Scarborough station explores illusion and truth, depicting a sky in faceted glass panels and sculptural seats clad in mosaic, all the while set on an outdoor platform surrounded by sky. The swirling, curved shapes in blues, purples, and rose serve as an expressive extension of the actual sky as it changes from morning to evening.

Porter’s continued exploration into fiction versus reality is on view in her solo show “Untitled with Her” at Bienvenu Steinberg & J through October 14.

Photos: MTA A&D/Rob Wilson

09/18/2023

Celebrating National Dance Day yesterday with Joseph D’Alesandro’s “Homage” (2006) at 219 St (2,5) station in the Bronx. Expressively rendered silhouettes dance across the faceted glass artwork, detailed with geometric shapes and a rainbow palette. The vivid colors and feel-good energy reflect the vibrant community surrounding the station.

📷: MTA A&D/Rob Wilson

09/14/2023

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, New York Transit Museum is highlighting two outstanding Latinx , Nysa Tufiño and Glendalys Medina, in the free online event “Latinx Art in the Subway.” Next Thursday (9/21) at 6 pm, they will be joined in conversation with MTA Arts & Design Director Sandra Bloodworth, moderated by El Museo del Barrio curator Susanna Temkin.

Nitza Tufiño, “Neo-Boriken” (1990) at 103 St (6) station. Photo: MTA A&D

Glendalys Medina, “Gratitudes off Grand” (2023) at Grand St (L) station. Photo: Osheen Harruthoonyan

Nitza Tufiño, “Westside Views” (1986) at 86 St (1) station. Photo: MTA A&D

09/12/2023

In "People’s Instinctive Travels: Homage to The Tribe" (2018) at Bay Pkwy N station, Eamon Ore-Girón visualizes the world as abstract forms and shapes. The 12 mosaic panels on each platform reference the corresponding journey. As commuters travel southbound towards Coney Island, Ore-Giron’s designs reference the natural world, with fluid arcs and warm colors that evoke the beach. The northbound platform mosaics mimic the movement of gears and the mechanics of the human-made world, suggesting New York’s urban environment. The artwork originates from Ore-Giron’s "certain nostalgia for global modernism," wherein "public works meant to create a kind of civic mindedness and unity." His dynamic visual language references this unity, combined with the timelessness of indigenous and craft traditions.

Ore-Giron’s continued dialogue with indigenous craft is on full display in his solo exhibition at James Cohan Gallery - 48 Walker Street, on view through October 21.

Photos: Peter Peirce

09/08/2023

Drawing from archival photographs of the Second and Third Avenue elevated train, Jean Shin’s “Elevated” (2017) at Lexington Ave/63 St (F,Q) station reimagines historic imagery in dynamic compositions. As one enters and descends the Third Avenue escalator, the view is filled with ceramic tile depicting construction beams and the cranes that dismantled the El in the 1940s. At the mezzanine, a mosaic reveals the sky where the train had previously been present and people from that era of neighborhood transformation. The platform level features semi-transparent and reflective glass depicting vintage scenes of the neighborhood, enabling contemporary viewers to see themselves in the cityscape of the past.

Accumulation of research and discarded materials is a common thread across Shin’s work, and her large-scale installation made of cell phones and computer cables is on view at The Armory Show, presented by Praise Shadows Art Gallery in the Platform section. Visit our guide on the Bloomberg Connects app to find the complete list of exhibiting at The Armory Show, get discounted tickets, and explore other artworks in the transit system in Midtown West.

Photos: Rob Wilson, Etienne Frossard

09/06/2023

Heading to The Armory Show? Stop by 34 St-Hudson Yds (7) station, where Xenobia Bailey’s “Funktional Vibrations” (2015) crowns the station with overlapping mandala-like circles and patterns against a cobalt blue background. Bailey’s original crocheted pieces were transferred to digital images, enlarged, and interpreted into mosaic by Miotto Mosaic Art Studios to create one of the largest mosaic artworks in Arts & Design’s collection.

Read more about Bailey’s work in our new guide on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app! Download Bloomberg Connects to access our self-guided tours departing from The Armory Show, get discounted tickets, and discover artworks across the transit system.

Photos: Sid Tabak

09/01/2023

Corinne Grondahl’s “Metromorphosis/Birth of a Station” (2008) at Mosholu Pkwy (4) station uses swirling, energetic compositions to evoke the force of rivers, which transform rough rocks to smooth stones over time. The artist drew inspiration from the Algonquin meaning of “Mosholu,” which translates to “smooth stones.” Fourteen fused glass panels are built into the windscreens on each platform. The reds and blues can be seen from inside and outside of the station, providing a beacon of beauty at this centrally located station in the Bronx.

Photos: MTA A&D/Rob Wilson

08/30/2023

Béatrice Lebreton’s “Wisdom Along the Way” (2017) at Rockaway Av (3) station in Brooklyn places proverbs within the metal artwork, paired with illustrations to create a playful interaction that reads like a storybook. Drawn from languages and dialects spoken in the neighborhood’s largely Caribbean and African-American communities, the proverbs provide a sense of identity and connection while offering wisdom for all.

Photos: Trish Mayo

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#MTAMusic is full of surprises for subway riders! #MTAMusic performer Augie Bello was playing “You’re Beautiful” at 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal station earlier this week when James Blunt happened by and joined him in song. Look out for #MTAMusic live performances on your daily commute, and discover more about the Music Under New York program on our website!

In conjunction with Nora Turato’s Performa Biennial performance “Cue the Sun” (Thurs. 11/9 & Fri. 11/10), Arts & Design has partnered with PERFORMA to present Turato’s text-based digital graphics across the 52 screens at Fulton Center. The graphics include short pieces of text excerpted from the performance script, which Turato describes as “signs from the universe.” Drawing from the methodology of wellness gurus, personal development coaching, and other self-improvement principles, the artist considers what it means to create a personal ideology of betterment via language, gesture, and performance today. Turato’s original typeface created specifically for the digital commission is inspired by the serif fonts of the Industrial Age, which echo a historical moment that was a time of radical social transformation. Turato was formally trained as a graphic designer, which informs her interest in typography, specifically its ability to influence the viewer subconsciously. “Cue The Sun” plays for 2 minutes at the top of each hour throughout Fulton Center until December 2023, presented with technical support from Westfield Properties and ANC Sports. #MTAarts #PerformaNYC #publicart #PerformanceArt 📽: Romke Hoogwaerts, Lucia Santana Ribisi, Tina Pētersone

The MTA Arts & Design digital guide is live and at your fingertips! #MTAArts is thrilled to join the incredible list of organizations featured on Bloomberg Connects, the free arts and culture app. Download the Bloomberg Connects app and search for MTA Arts & Design to start planning your next adventure! The app offers MTA riders and app users anywhere in the world new ways to discover the nearly 400 permanent and temporary public artworks in the subway and commuter rail stations across the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - MTA network. Embark on self-guided tours using the interactive map, or explore photos, videos, and curated content from home. The A&D collection is now more accessible than ever. Special features within the guide will provide the latest information on MTA Arts & Design’s most-recent permanent art installations and temporary programming including our Digital Art, Photography, Poster, Poetry in Motion, and Music Under New York projects. #MTAarts #publicart #BloombergConnects #MTA

Hear #MTAarts director, Sandra Bloodworth discuss “The Impact of Public Art on the Urban Landscape” with curator Lolita Cros and artists Rico Gatson and Bahar Behbahani. #Publicart #UrbanLandscape

Maya Edelman’s digital animation “Dream City” celebrates the resilience and ‘round-the-clock possibility of New York City, following the return of 24-hour subway service. Featuring jubilant characters depicted as straphangers riding through a fantastical city of the future, “Dream City” reminds us of the joy we can find along our commuting journeys. Airing for two minutes at the top of every hour at Fulton Center in Lower Manhattan, “Dream City” is presented by MTA Arts & Design with technical support from Westfield and ANC Sports. #MTAarts #MayaEdelman #DreamCity #digitalart

On Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights, Leo Villarreal’s “Hive (Bleecker Street)” at Bleecker Street/Lafayette Street (6) Station in Manhattan, takes on new meaning in the celebration of #light. The artwork is comprised of LED lights configured in a honeycomb pattern, suspended from the ceiling above the stairs connecting to B,D,F,M platform. Colored-light courses through the hexagonal shape, moving swiftly across the surface of the sculpture to illuminate the diagram. The artwork is inspired by the research of mathematician John Conway (inventor of the cellular automaton called Game of Life), a computer program endlessly generates never-to-be-repeated light progressions, exploring the human compulsion to recognize patterns and the brain’s hard coded desire to understand and make meaning.

On #NationalHikingDay, Diane Carr's brightly colored "Outlook" (2018) at the Broadway (N,W) station in #Astoria reminds us to relish in the splendor of our local landscapes. Selected by the @codaworx Awards as a Top 100 commissioned art and design project (for Collaboration of Design + Art), "Outlook" draws inspiration from the native flora in #Queens, especially the woodlands, wetlands, swamps, ponds and meadows, and conifer forests that once grew in that location. Carr worked closely with Glasmalerei Peters Studios to translate her original landscape paintings into large-scale, hand-painted and airbrushed laminated glass panels that enliven the station facade. Take a peek into the incredibly detailed and multilayered process of creating this monumental #subwayart through this video and images courtesy of @glasmaleripeters. Photos of artwork in station by @etienne_fro .

At 2:35pm on October 27, 1904, New York City's original underground #subway, the Interborough Rapid Transit (I.R.T.), had its inaugural run. The 9.1 mile line stopped at 28 stations, heading north from #CityHall to #GrandCentralStation, then west to 42nd Street and Broadway (now #TimesSquare) and up to 145th Street and Broadway in Harlem. Chris Sickels' (@rednosestudio) stop-motion animation was based on his 2015 art card "The Blowing Bowler," and set in the original 1904 City Hall Station, where the subway’s opening ceremony took place. “The Blowing Bowler” animation (which #MTAArts displayed in 2015 on Fulton Center's 52 channel screens), depicts a brief history of New York City’s subway car designs as a man pursues his wind-tossed bowler hat in a subway station. As the man follows his hat down a tunnel, a progression of subway cars from over the years roll by. To create this animation, Sickels created a dioramic model from wood, clay, fabric, wire, cardboard, and found objects, then painstakingly filmed each motion as a frame for the animation. In the artist’s words, “We are all chasing something, maybe the chase is more important than the catch. I encourage folks to enjoy the journey.” Happy 117th Birthday to the #NYCsubway! #subwayday