Subway Stations as a Canvas for Personal Expression

In addition to all the art that the MTA sanctions at subway stations, I love to chance upon – or make an effort to visit – subway stations where transit riders use them as a canvas to express themselves regarding current events.

In November 2016, there was a post it project at the Union Square subway station as a means for subway riders to express themselves regarding the political situation in the US. The area was running out of space for all the post its that people were putting up.

In 2020, the Bryant Park subway station was used to pay tribute to Kobe and Gigi Bryant after their unexpected passing –

In 2018 – and this was a more organized event – the Broadway Lafayette station was converted into a tribute to David Bowie to promote his exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum. He lived just a few blocks away from this. But, even within this, the New Yorker that changed the Bowery sign to David Bowery after his passing did it again, this time at the subway station! There is a fabulous article about how this originally came to be here.

And here is what the rest of the Broadway Lafayette subway station looked like –

#gottalovenewyork