Second Avenue Subway stations to get $5M in public art upgrades

Artist Chuck Close has been tapped to create a series of Mosaics For The 86th Street Second Avenue Subway station. DNAinfo reported that the project will total $1 million.

“The idea is to reflect the riding population,” Close told the New York Times last week. “I’m going to do as many as 12 separate mosaics, mainly from pictures of artists I’ve taken over the years.”

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Each mosaic made of glass pieces will span 10 feet in height and over 1,000 square feet. The station will open in 2016. This project comes as part of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Arts for Transit program, which has an approximate $5 million budget to install public art at four stations along the Second Avenue line.

In addition to Close, artist Jean Shin will have an installation displayed at The 63rd Street Second Avenue Subway station. Sarah Sze, a sculptor, will install drawings on ceramic tiles at the 96th Street station. A fourth artist will be selected to Design A Display For The 72nd Street station. [DNAinfo] and [NYT, 2nd item]