subway art.

I’m a bonafied subway enthusiast. Forgive my inner-Pollyanna and know that I feel honestly grateful each time that I slip between those stainless steel doors and find myself a seat on my way to anywhere. For me, the MTA’s Arts for Transit program is just icing on the cake of subway thrills. For most subway travelers, time spent underground is more nearly associated with sensory stimulation in the form of crowds and mysterious odors and gum stuck in unpleasant spaces than it is fine art. I’m not so naive as to not understand why, but I do think that if you’re able to ignore the everyday drudgery of subway travel and take an extra look around, you might be surprised by what you find.

On a trip yesterday to the New York Botanical Garden, I spotted my latest favorite work. Andrea Deszö’s Community Garden mosaic is something straight out of Alice in Wonderland. I’m tempted to join a tour and see all the fancified stations for myself, but I admit there’s also something lovely about coming upon them au hasard. In the end, it’s all just more proof that if you allow yourself a moment of wonder, you’ll stumble across something worthy of the exercise.

Favorites:
Carrying On (designed by one of my very favorite professors)
Signs of Life
Memories of 23rd Street
Other things:
Arts for Transit App
Subway Art Tour