MTA Arts & Design

We encourage the use of public transit by presenting visual and performing arts throughout the MTA system.

About

MTA Arts & Design encourages the use of public transportation by providing visual and performing arts in the metropolitan New York area.

Arts & Design creates meaningful connections between stations, neighborhoods, and our diverse ridership through a broad spectrum of artistic activity, including permanent artpostersphotographydigital art, live musical performances, and the Poetry in Motion program. Arts & Design also consults on architectural features within stations and subway cars, and other industrial design elements. Our permanent art program is one of the largest and most diverse collections of site-specific contemporary public art in the world, with more than 400 works by world famous, mid-career, and emerging artists.

As you travel through the MTA network, you will experience a first-rate art museum comprising works created in mosaic, terra cotta, metal, glass, and mixed-media. Use our free digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects app to find the artwork that enlivens your commute. You may hear music, read poetry, or enjoy illustrated posters in stations or rail cars. We invite you to discover and enjoy New York’s diverse and beautiful underground art museum.

 

Artwork credit: "Perasma I & II; Dappleganger" (2018) © Stephen Westfall. Located at 30 Av. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Photo: James and Karla Murray.

New and notable
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MTA Arts & Design's book featuring permanent artworks installed between 2015-2023
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CAU-three quarters

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CAU-three quarters
Three-quarter view of a book
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See the artwork in the terminal's cultural corridor
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Explore on the Bloomberg Connects app
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Bloomberg Connects_Homepage Mockup

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Bloomberg Connects_Homepage Mockup
Figure holding a cell phone with a Bloomberg Connects digital guide on the screen.
Arts & Design programs
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More than 350 artworks in mosaic, glass, metal, and more installed throughout the MTA system
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Diane Carr, "Outlook" (2018) NYCT Broadway Station

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Diane Carr, "Outlook" (2018) NYCT Broadway Station
Light filters through the stained glass window of a subway station, creating a colored pattern of light on the ground
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New media artworks commissioned for the 52-channel network at Fulton Center in lower Manhattan and the digital network system-wide
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Ezra Wube, "Fulton Flow" (2019) Fulton Center

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Ezra Wube, "Fulton Flow" (2019) Fulton Center
People walk past a large LED screen in a subway station, with the screen showing Ezra Wube's digital art in blue and purple and a subway entrance to the right.
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Photography exhibitions curated for lightboxes in five MTA stations
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Atlantic-SanMiguel-ImageSingle

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Lightbox project
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Yohey Horishita, "Harlem Serenade" (2017)

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Yohey Horishita, "Harlem Serenade" (2017)
A poster shows an illustration of the Apollo theater, with other Harlem landmarks represented and subway trains moving along piano keyboards
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Collaboration with the Poetry Society of America that marries poems with Arts & Design permanent art projects
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Armando Mariño, "The Guardian Angel" (2018) LIRR Brentwood | The Owl by Arthur Sze

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Armando Mariño, "The Guardian Angel" (2018) LIRR Brentwood | The Owl by Arthur Sze
Lines of Arthur Sze's poem "The Owl" on a yellow background, with a painted owl in the bottom right corner and red flower petals on the left by artist Armando Mariño..
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350+ performers bring joyous and engaging music to the commuting public
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Music The Ladybugs

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Music The Ladybugs
Musicians playing brass, string and percussion instruments perform in front of a banner that says Music Under New York
Artist opportunities

Permanent Art

Artists are selected through a competitive process to create original, site-specific permanent artwork for new and rehabilitated stations. Calls for Artists are listed here on our website, Submittable, social media (Twitter, TumblrFacebook, and Instagram), national/local arts organizations, and arts councils. Professional artists who are interested in being considered for specific commission opportunities may check the Calls for Artists periodically.

Download Call for Images Frequently Asked Questions, or email arts@mtahq.org.

Digital Art

Arts & Design invites new media artists to create digital artwork for MTA’s Fulton Center, and digital display network as opportunities arise. New Media artists who are interested in being considered may submit applications via Submittable during the annual Open Call.

Download Call for Submissions Frequently Asked Questions, or email arts@mtahq.org.

MTA Music Audition

Arts & Design holds Audition for the MTA Music (Music Under New York) program each year in May. To apply, visit Audition to learn more, and follow the application instructions via Submittable.

Download Call for Performers Frequently Asked Questions, or email music@mtahq.org.

Poster

Arts & Design produces and exhibits posters through our Poster program. Artwork must relate to New York City, its neighborhoods, or transit system, and be suitable for diverse audiences. Illustrators and graphic artists who want to be considered may send an email with the "Poster" program area noted in the subject line to Arts & Design.

Photography

Arts & Design produces and exhibits photography through our Photography program. Artwork must relate to New York City, its neighborhoods or transit system and be suitable for diverse audiences. Photographers who want to be considered may send an email with the Photography program area noted in the subject line to Arts & Design.

Learn more about MTA Arts & Design
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GoC_History-Glaser

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GoC_History-Glaser
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"Where the Sweet Waters Fall" by Kim Cridler at MNR Mamaroneck.

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"Where the Sweet Waters Fall" by Kim Cridler at MNR Mamaroneck.
Artwork in steel, aluminum and concrete by Kim Cridler showing a bright green arch.

Contact Information

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