MTA ARTS FOR TRANSIT

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority launched its Arts for Transit program in the 1980s as part of a massive effort to revitalize the subway system with an initial project to transform the subway gates. The collection has expanded to include anything that might enrich the commuting experience. Works can be found in underground and aboveground stations, subway cars, and even lightboxes.

PUBLIC ART FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS

"Art is essential to a complete education and intrinsic to a child's development" (Mayor MIchael R. Bloomberg). Michelle Cohen, former Director of the Public Art for Public Schools program of the New York City School Construction Authority, adds "art inspires students and teachers and reaffirms the value of education."

The City's Department of Education manages the collection of over 1,500 artworks in schools around the city.

PERCENT FOR ART

The City’s Department of Cultural Affairs oversees the Percent for Art Program, an initiative which mandates that one percent of a city-funded construction project’s budget be spent on public art.  Passed in 1982, the Percent for Art law is responsible for over two hundred works that enrich the City’s buildings and public spaces. 

ART IN PARKS

The Department of Parks and Recreation is responsible for curating, installing, and maintaining the City's large collection of sculptures, memorials, fountains, murals and plaques in public parks. An important component of the program Art in the Parks traces its beginnings to a 1967 outdoor exhibit called Sculpture in Environment which re-envisioned underutilized public spaces as outdoor galleries in which to display contemporary art. Notable temporary exhibitions include the Gates and this summer's Sol Lewits in City Hall Park.