Arts for Transit and Urban Design

MTA Arts for Transit commissions
public art that is seen by hundreds of thousands of city-dwellers as well as national and international visitors who use the New York City Transit, Metro-North Railroad, Long Island Rail Road, and Bridges & Tunnels.

As the MTA rehabilitates subway and commuter rail stations through its Capital Program, it uses a portion of the funds to install permanent works of art. Arts for Transit's projects create links to neighborhoods with art that echoes the architectural history and design context of the individual stations. Both well-established and emerging artists add to a growing collection of works created in the materials of the system -mosaic, ceramic, tile, bronze, steel and faceted glass. The art can be seen in the miles of walls within the system and in the gates, windscreens, plazas and the architecture.

Through the permanent art program, Arts for Transit works closely with the architects and engineers at MTA NYC Transit, Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad, to determine the parameters and sites for the artwork that is to be incorporated into each station scheduled for renovation. Artists are chosen through a competitive process that uses selection panels comprised of visual arts professionals and community representatives which review and select artists. Depending upon the project, artists may be considered through an Open Call or Invitational process. Arts for Transit managers research artists' slide registries and constantly conduct research to identify artists to be considered. In addition, AFT utilizes the Percent for Art Slide Registry of the City's Department of Cultural Affairs.