#mtaarts

I’ll be where the WILD things are.

Artwork: “For Want of a Nail” (2000)

Artist: Arts for Transit

Location: 81st St-Museum of Natural History Station

MTA Arts and Design: @mtaartsdesign

Hear the stories behind A&D permanent works, from artist selection through the translation of an artwork into a large-scale, site-specific installation from the authors of the new book “Contemporary Art Underground.” Authors Sandra Bloodworth, who has been the Director of MTA Arts & Design for nearly 30 years, and Deputy Director Cheryl Hageman, will discuss all that and more in the New York Transit Museum’s Book Talk, taking place online, Wed April 24, 2-3pm.

April showers bring May flowers! Embrace the Spring season with our new exhibition on Bloomberg Connects, “Floral Muses.” Flowers, the timeless muse for artists of all media, are the subject of many artworks throughout the transit system. “Floral Muses” features a selection of artworks from our permanent collection which enliven the daily commute with flora year-round.

Images

1: Takayo Noda, “The Habitat for the Yellow Bird” (2007) at Sutter Av (L) station. 📸: Edward Lee

2: Antenna Design (Masamichi Udagawa + Sigi Moeslinger), “Bloemendaal” (2010) at 96 St (1,2,3) station. 📸: Jan Staller

3: Nancy Blum, “Floating Auriculas” (2007) at MNR Dobbs Ferry Station. 📸: MTA A&D

4: Portia Munson, “Gardens of Fort Hamilton Parkway Station” (2012) at Fort Hamilton Pkwy (D) station. 📸: Susan Alzner

We’re looking up at a South Brooklyn sky today for the Solar Eclipse! Sally Gil’s "Edges of a South Brooklyn Sky" (2018) at Av U (N) station reverses day and night in compositions that infuse elements of imagination with physical references to the Gravesend neighborhood. Today, Gil’s dreamlike night sky becomes a daytime reality!

Calling all artists interested in creating site-specific permanent artwork! Link in bio for details about the art opportunity at LIRR East Yaphank station in Yaphank, Long Island. Submission materials due April 29.

In Jason Middlebrook’s "Brooklyn Seeds" (2011) at Av U (B,Q) station, a larger-than-life garden of wildflowers ascends the stairway wall leading from street to platform. The glass mosaic depicts local wildflowers that grow in unlikely places, through cracks in the sidewalk, alleys, and walls, exploring the intersection of the human-made and natural. These flowers, often weeds, include such local specimens as spotted knapweed, burdock, golden rod, aster, milkweed, and daises. Above the plants are airborne seed pods floating away to germinate, on a journey of their own.

Commissioned for Grand Central Terminal's 100th birthday celebration in 2013, Olive Athens ’ 2012 poster “Reflection” artfully depicts both the interior and exterior of the iconic building. The dreamlike composition captures the hustle and bustle of the space, as well as its light-filled atmosphere.

The subway is filled with timeless works of art, some newly commissioned and others dating back to the early days of our program. Take our self-guided tour “Selections from the Beginning 1986-1996 (1 line)” on the Bloomberg Connects app to explore artworks that built the foundation of our ever-growing collection. Beginning at Houston St (1) station with Deborah Brown’s mosaic artwork "Platform Diving" (1994), continue on the 1 line to see artworks by Lee Brozgol, Norman B Colp (accessible off the 1 at Times Sq-42 St, located in the passage near the A,C,E at 42 St-Port Authority), Liliana Porter, Nitza Tufiño, Michelle Greene, and Steve Wood.