Train Stations Become Platforms for Public Art

October 15, 2014; New York Times

What better way to introduce a community, residents and travelers alike, to public art than through the public transportation system? That is exactly what Brooklyn, New York, is doing through the Arts and Design program of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Twelve of the fourteen stations in Brooklyn on the D train line are slated to have public art of some kind, spanning a range of topics and media that includes mosaic proletarians, cast bronze bees, and a 20-foot-long translucent hot dog. This particular public art program is facilitated through a rehabilitation budget for subway and rail stations, which included $88 million in renovations to seven of the stations in 2012.

The public art in Brooklyn brings a whole new meaning to “art is for everyone.” By placing public art in the arena of public transportation, access to art is no longer restricted to museums or other places that serve as “gatekeepers.” It is literally right in front of you, for consumption 24/7.

The MTA Arts and Design program prides itself on being fluid and ever changing. It’s no wonder that the program wanted to use the public transit system as a way to travel this moving museum. Public art is now seen as an economic driver for communities. Residents and visitors are attracted to places and spaces with unique and beautiful works that complement an area or region.

What is interesting is the transformation of what public art means to the general public. Where the traditional image of publicly supported public art might once have been statues of historical figures outside a local museum, in today’s fast-changing, interactive environment, residents and tourists are seeking more. Public art now pops up in untraditional spaces, like subways and general gathering areas of a city. According to Robert Lynch, President and CEO of Americans for the Arts, “Today, public art takes on a wide range of forms, sizes as well as scales and can be temporary or permanent. Public art includes murals, sculpture, memorials, integrated architectural or landscape architectural work, community art, digital new media and even performances as well as festivals.”

Public art is no longer just for decoration; it is for discussion, thought, and identity. People use it to identify the places they’ve travelled or to demonstrate the uniqueness of their hometown. To some extent, it’s become a benchmark for achievement.

What public art says about who we are, or what kind of city or region we are in, is now taken into account when developing, redeveloping, or adding to a place, bringing art into a larger discussion well beyond “quality of life” or “making people feel good.” What is for certain is the attention and attraction public art gives to communities that once were only brick and mortar buildings. Developers, planners, artists and residents alike are using cities and towns as their canvases.—Jennifer Swan

About the author

Jennifer Swan

Jennifer Swan is currently the Associate Director for Arts Services Initiative of WNY (ASI). In this role Ms. Swan assists in positioning ASI as the link between the arts and cultural community and other sectors of the region. She provides outreach and administrative support to ASI’s partner networks including the Greater Buffalo Cultural Alliance (GBCA), Cultural Alliance of Niagara (CAN), and serves on the Arts Partners for Learning (APL) Leadership Team. Ms. Swan is the New York State Council on the Arts Decentralization (DEC) Grant Program Coordinator for Erie and Niagara Counties. Previously Ms. Swan was the Business Manager for the Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus where she was responsible for the day–to-day operations, working alongside the Board of Directors and committees. Major projects included the involvement of the Chorus in the Music Culture 716 collaborative and extending the Chorus’ regular season to include special performances at community events such as the National Historic Preservation Conference held in Buffalo in October 2011. Ms. Swan currently serves on the Chorus’ Concert, Marketing, and Nominating Committees. From 2009-2011 she managed and maintained the box office and front of house at the Lancaster Opera House, and orchestrated and organized an annual fundraiser for two years. Here she solicited donations and managed all aspects of the event from preparation to day-of activities. Her other arts and cultural work includes judging Congressman Higgins’ Congressional Student Art Competition in 2012, 2013, and 2014; past work includes Music is Art’s The Big Easy in Buffalo Committee, Volunteer Coordinator for Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center’s Artists and Models: Nocturminal fundraiser, Marketing/Concert Crew for Slee Hall at Lippes Concert Hall at the University at Buffalo, and Music Librarian and Marketing for the Amherst Chamber Ensembles. Additional work in the for-profit sector includes Promotions for Citadel Broadcasting and Righteous Babe Records, and management and marketing for several individual music projects. Ms. Swan has presented at a variety of community-wide engagements including to Leadership Buffalo’s Arts, Culture, and Tourism Day (June 2014), Daemen College’s Art and Community Class (April 2014), University at Buffalo’s Management Career Development Class (November 2013), and the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) Evening with the Professionals at Buffalo State College (October 2012). Ms. Swan has a MA in Arts Management from the University at Buffalo and a BA in Communications/Broadcasting with a minor in music from Buffalo State College. While at the University at Buffalo she traveled abroad with NUROPE (Nomadic University for Art, Philosophy, and Enterprise in Europe) to Sweden and Finland, completing an intensive scholarly program entitled Beyond Bergman and Nobel: Scandinavian Cultural Policy and Performing Arts. As a result of that academic excursion, Ms. Swan co-wrote an article forUB International titled “Summer School in Arts Management Held in Finland and Sweden.”

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