New York City Subway Art
When compared to the sleek and clean train stations of London and Tokyo, New York City’s subway stations leave a lot to be desired. But if you take a second to get past the gritty grime and the foot long rats (yes they really, truly are that big!), I promise you that there are treasures to be found under the city’s sidewalks.
NYC’s Metropolitan Transit Authority has chosen to brighten up the otherwise dim and gritty subway stations with an extensive Arts for Transit program. This site is pretty neat. You can search according to subway line and station. Some of my personal favorites are the Houston Street stop on the 1 train, 59th and Lexington on the N, and the Prince Street stop on the R.
While living in NYC, I used to always think about taking myself on a little subway art field trip. I thought it would be neat to ride the rails all day long, getting off at every station to photograph the art found underground. Unfortunately, at times I can be a pretty impatient person. Waiting for the next train to come by the station would have driven me crazy. Luckily, a group of dedicated subway art lovers did it for me. Here is their subway arts guide.
In addition to the permanent installation, the MTA has created a series of fun and whimisical art cards. I’m not entirely sure why they are called art cards. They are pretty large and hang in the subways. Anyway, I am in love with the whale poster from 2001 and the Coney Island boardwalk scene from 2007! I’m not entirely sure what to make of the yellow chick-a-dee poster from 2004.
Subway art would make a great idea for art lessons at any age. The possibilities are endless! Students could design subway posters, signage, sculptural installations, video service guides and station designs. Any art medium could be used.