The New York City subway system has always gotten you where you needed to go, albeit with some delays and construction. But with more and more stations being overhauled, there are many opportunities for cultural additions to these stations that many may not notice.
New York has art everywhere, so your morning commute should be no exception. Here is a guide to the coolest stations with the most intriguing art.
66th Street/Lincoln Center
Taken over by artist Nancy Spero in 2004, this station is covered in figures in motion. Titled “Artemis, Acrobats, Divas and Dancers,” mosaics of these active people are reminiscent of the ever-moving population of NYC, hopping from train to train to get where they need to go.
Each mural is made of glass and set directly into the wall with the tile backsplash.
Bedford Park Boulevard
Artist Andrea Dezsö has created an artistic forest in mosaics at this Bronx subway station. Inspired by the Bronx area around her including the Lehmann College campus, her work entitled “Community Garden” is Dezsö’s way of bringing an actual garden to this urban platform.
She intended to bring a bright and playful feeling to a place where you’re normally just dreading a commute.
Delancey Street
Truly representing the metaphors of life in New York City, Ming Fa’s murals are as enormous as they are breathtaking.
Her mural of the shad fish, who swim through New York’s rivers every spring, is representational of both the traveling of immigrants across the ocean and to a lesser extent, our journey across the Williamsburg Bridge.
Smith/9th Street
A beautiful renovation of the station, Smith/9th has a stunning mural at its front designed by artist Alyson Shotz.
What appears to be lines against a blue background, is an adapted nautical map from 1779 of New York Harbor as seen from the shores of Brooklyn.
Complete with depths and directions, this mural is truly an iconic piece of New York History.
Beach 98th Street-Playland
Deep into Queens in Far Rockaway, this remote station on the A train has some incredible local themed art.
Inspired by the resilience of the Rockaways, artist Duke Riley even included the phrase “No Sniveling.’’
Common to the area, the phrase refers to the fact that the Rockaways has endured its fair share of storms and has always bounced back.
Marcy Avenue
Eight triptychs created in the theme of man and the universe by artist Ellsworth Ausby decorate this deep Brooklyn station.
Entitled Space Odyssey, the colorful art is representative of Earth being its own train, traveling through space. A unique take on subway travel.
Arthur Kill
This brand new station on the Staten Island train line is decorated with some beautiful laminated glass pieces by Jenna Lucente.
Representing the local community of Tottenville, her art includes a lot of the local wildlife from the surrounding marshland, something we take for granted living in a bustling place such as New York City.
With one of the largest rail transportation systems in the world, it’s hard to list what is so great about each mural.
A full list provided by our very own NYC Subway has all the murals you’re dying to see.