CENTRAL
PARK
SUBWAY STATIONS ART
by Janine Cohen
SUBWAY
STATION: Fifth
Avenue/59th Street
Artist: Ann Schaumburger in COLLABORATION with miotto mosaics
Art Work: Urban Oasis, 1997
Urban
Oasis made in 1997 is like a zoo full of animals and birds from Central Park.
This cute animals are made of glass mosaic. Ann Schaumburger says: "As a
painter and teacher, I wanted this piece to appeal to children and to the child
in the adult. I'm happy that the work is accessible and touchable." The creatures
fly, crawl, leap, swim, and interact with each other from floor to ceiling.
The
station features penguin mosaics while the main mezzanine at 60th street
features a full menagerie of colorful animals including butterflies, horses,
birds, chimpanzees, etc. Also on the platform are ceramic polar bear mosaics in
white.
To prepare
her designs, Schaumburger photographed animals and animal statues in the
Central Park Zoo. "We chose glass rather than ceramic for the mosaics
because of its greater translucency and color gradation," says
Schaumburger. "And I selected a color palette that echoes the colors in
the station's original historic tile work, much of which has been
retained."
SUBWAY
STATION: 81st
Street-Museum of Natural History
ArtistS: Arts for Transit
Collaborative
Art Work: For Want of a Nail, 2000
This
subway station is very entertaining and interesting. As the American Museum of
Natural History is directly above the station, the whole theme of this art is related
to the museum. To show that there is so much diversity and range in the museum,
the artist team used a variety of materials such as glass and ceramic mosaic,
handmade ceramic relief tiles, hand-cast glass, bronze and cut granite floor
tiles. The mosaics represent extinct (color grey) and living animals (color).
The work throughout the station gathers images from outer space to the earth’s
core and from the first organisms to emerge to mammals of today.
The artwork is inspired by an old proverb from which it took its title:
The artwork is inspired by an old proverb from which it took its title:
For want of a nail the
shoe was lost.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
For want of a shoe the horse was lost.
For want of a horse the rider was lost.
For want of a rider the message was lost.
For want of a message the battle was lost.
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.
SUBWAY
STATION: Cathedral
Parkway (110th Street)
Artist: Christopher Wynter
Art Work: Migrations, 1999
At
this station, Christopher Wynter created an artwork “Migration” in the year 1999. Wynter created three large mosaic
murals that represent the migration and African Homelands. "Overall, the
panels present the ideas of uprooting, migration, and progress in symbolic
form," says artist Christopher Wynter. Also every color, form, object is a
symbol and represents something about African culture.
Cathedral
Parkway is located below Frederick Douglass Circle. Douglass was the
abolitionist crusader and he is also depicted in the artwork.
SUBWAY
STATION: Central
Park North (110th Street)
Artist: Maren Hassinger
Art Work: Message from Malcolm, 1998
The
art work created by Maren Hassinger in 1998, honors Malcolm X, an American
Muslim minister and a human rights activist. The artwork consists of quotations
made out of mosaic panels that are placed in the stairway walls at the entrance
and on the station platform. Maren Hassinger said, "Basically, I wanted to
make something that behaved very physically with the site while also honoring
the memory of Malcolm X..." She
also added, “Here the idea of power, leadership, and spiritual support are linked.
Malcolm X believed that we as African Americans have the power to determine our
destinies. This station is a reminder of that truth."
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