Transit Gets You There

One fundamental drawback to riding the subway is that it runs underground. In contrast to modes of transportation that operate at street level, the subway has no landmarks, and consequently riders can easily become disoriented. Furthermore, signage in the stations offers relatively little assistance because more often than not it simply conveys street numbers or names. There is no other identified relationship between the underground station and the city above. It would seem that of all the problems the city faces with regard to its subway system, this one is relatively easy to rectify.

Steve Gianakos, Untitled [subway poster]
Steve Gianakos (b. 1938, New York City, NY) created a poster for the Bronx Zoo, which is one of the six major New York City institutions chosen for the 1989 Public Art Fund project. Gianako’s poster includes eleven penguins—dressed in bowties, pearls, and the Bronx Zoo uniform—observing and feeding animals at the Bronx Zoo, including alligators, a walrus, a monkey, a giraffe, and a turtle. The aim of the project is to enhance subway stations while supporting local artists and local facilities.

Jerry Kearns, Untitled [subway poster]
Jerry Kearns (b. 1943, Petersburg, VA) created subway posters that depict his version of a Coney Island image. They are posted in unused advertising space of NYC subway stations and provide directional information to Coney Island.

Justen Ladda, Untitled [subway poster]
As part of the “Transit Gets You There” subway poster series, Justen Ladda (b. 1952, Grevenbroich, West Germany) created a poster advertising the American Museum of Natural History. The poster features a warped, smiling dinosaur with the text “. . . come up and see me sometime . . .” written across its torso and with directional information to the museum at the bottom.

Annette Lemieux, Untitled [subway poster]
Annette Lemieux (b. 1957, Norfolk, VA) created a poster that includes an image of the Brooklyn Public Library with the text “It’s Never Too Late. The Brooklyn Public Library,” and “To get to the Brooklyn Public Library Literacy Program’s Adult Learning Centers.” The poster also includes subway and bus directions for each of the five centers.

Anton Van Dalen, Untitled [subway poster]
Anton Van Dalen (1938–2024, b. Amstelveen, Holland) created a poster for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden with MTA directional information.

Nancy Dwyer, Untitled [subway poster]
Nancy Dwyer (b. 1954, New York City, NY) created subway posters for Shea Stadium/Flushing Meadows.

Cosponsored by the Public Art Fund, Inc. and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Art for Transit Office.