Arts on the Line
Encyclopedia
Arts on the Line was a program devised to bring art into the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
(MBTA)'s subway stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Arts on the Line was the first program of its kind in the United States and became the model for similar drives for art across the country. The first twenty artworks were completed in 1985 with a total cost of $695,000 USD, or one half of one percent of the total construction cost of the Red Line Northwest Extension, of which they were a part.
After the first 20 artworks were installed, Arts on the Line continued facilitating the installation of artwork in or around at least 12 more stations on the MBTA as well as a undertaking a temporary art program for stations under renovation, known as Artstops.
.
Before Arts on the Line was implemented, the MBTA did not have a comprehensive or formal arts program. The process for choosing station art was closed, with no public announcement or solicitation to local artists, creating a sort of resentment within the arts community. Artists that were chosen to install works in stations often had issues with contracts and contractors, and often had severe issues with just getting paid by the MBTA.
, Porter
, Davis
, and Alewife
, were created or remodeled as a part of this mass transit project. In 1977, The MBTA received a USD$45,000 grant from the Federal Government's Urban Mass Transportation Administration to create a program to install artworks into the new stations, and in 1978 the MBTA and the Cambridge Arts Council (CAC) joined in a partnership to reach this goal.
The Arts on the Line program was developed solely by the CAC and was administered by them as well. Meant to be a response to art installations in subway systems such as the Stockholm Metro
, Paris Métro
, Montreal Metro
, and Moscow Metro
, the new Arts on the Line program became the United States' first arts in transit program, and was to be a "pilot for similar projects in other U.S. cities."
There were between 10 and 15 people sitting on each selection committee. Each committee had at least one of each of the following: MBTA representatives, community development
representatives, members of local historical societies
, local residents and business representatives and an arts administrator
.
Each committee had two subgroups, an "advisory board" and an "art panel." The advisory board was tasked with collecting information about the future station and its surroundings. This included design of the station, history of the area and a profile of future station users. This information was passed along to the art panel, composed of three people: an artist, an art professional from outside of Massachusetts, and someone who lived near the future station. This panel was the group that actual chose the artworks.
A seven step process was devised to create a "systematic selection precess which would, nevertheless, provide flexibility." The steps were as follows:
After the placement of 20 artworks in the four stations of the Northwest Extension, the program expanded to include the creations of artworks in or around at least 12 more stations on the MBTA.
of the total construction cost of the Red Line Extension, and was funded partially by a $70,000 USD National Endowment for the Arts
grant.
The works were almost exclusively made with durable materials, stone, bronze, brick, etc., and many were placed so that it was physically impossible to reach them without assistance. This was to avoid normal wear and tear as well as vandalism
. The works are designed to last 75 years.
The following is a list of the first 20 artworks created for Arts on the Line, which were all installed along the Red Line Northwest extension.
† Artwork removed from station
, Park Street
, Kendall
, Washington Street
, Street, and Essex (Chinatown) stations
, which were all undergoing renovations in the mid-80s. These galleries hosted temporary works for 18 months, and each temporary gallery was allotted $20,000 USD to spend on art. In total 21 artists were chosen, each one being given a $3500 stipend to develop and create up to three projects for the station. When being asked about the instillation "Eat Here", by A.E. Ryan, a subway rider at Harvard stated, "It's worth coming down to the T just for the art."
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, often referred to as the MBTA or simply The T, is the public operator of most bus, subway, commuter rail and ferry systems in the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. Officially a "body politic and corporate, and a political subdivision" of the...
(MBTA)'s subway stations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Arts on the Line was the first program of its kind in the United States and became the model for similar drives for art across the country. The first twenty artworks were completed in 1985 with a total cost of $695,000 USD, or one half of one percent of the total construction cost of the Red Line Northwest Extension, of which they were a part.
After the first 20 artworks were installed, Arts on the Line continued facilitating the installation of artwork in or around at least 12 more stations on the MBTA as well as a undertaking a temporary art program for stations under renovation, known as Artstops.
Background
In 1964, the MBTA was created as the successor to the Metropolitan Transit Authority. The purpose of the MBTA was to consolidate transit systems in greater BostonGreater Boston
Greater Boston is the area of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts surrounding the city of Boston. Due to ambiguity in usage, the size of the area referred to can be anywhere between that of the metropolitan statistical area of Boston and that of the city's combined statistical area which includes...
.
Before Arts on the Line was implemented, the MBTA did not have a comprehensive or formal arts program. The process for choosing station art was closed, with no public announcement or solicitation to local artists, creating a sort of resentment within the arts community. Artists that were chosen to install works in stations often had issues with contracts and contractors, and often had severe issues with just getting paid by the MBTA.
History
Arts on the Line began with the planning of the Red Line Northwest Extension. four stations, HarvardHarvard (MBTA station)
Harvard is a station on the Red Line of the MBTA subway system in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The third-busiest MBTA subway station, Harvard saw 21,868 entries each weekday in 2010, with only Downtown Crossing and South Station being busier...
, Porter
Porter (MBTA station)
Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the...
, Davis
Davis (MBTA station)
Davis Station is located at the intersection of Holland Street, Elm Street, and College Avenue , in Somerville, Massachusetts. It opened on December 8, 1984. Davis Station is named after the Davis family of Massachusetts, a political dynasty whose members, over 220 years, have held at least...
, and Alewife
Alewife (MBTA station)
Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The...
, were created or remodeled as a part of this mass transit project. In 1977, The MBTA received a USD$45,000 grant from the Federal Government's Urban Mass Transportation Administration to create a program to install artworks into the new stations, and in 1978 the MBTA and the Cambridge Arts Council (CAC) joined in a partnership to reach this goal.
The Arts on the Line program was developed solely by the CAC and was administered by them as well. Meant to be a response to art installations in subway systems such as the Stockholm Metro
Stockholm Metro
The Stockholm Metro is a metro system in Stockholm, Sweden. The first line opened in 1950, and today the system has 100 stations in use, of which 47 are underground and 53 above ground. There are seven lines numbered from 10 to 19, in three groups identified by a color: the Green, Red and Blue lines...
, Paris Métro
Paris Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
, Montreal Metro
Montreal Metro
The Montreal Metro is a rubber-tired metro system, and the main form of public transportation underground in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada....
, and Moscow Metro
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...
, the new Arts on the Line program became the United States' first arts in transit program, and was to be a "pilot for similar projects in other U.S. cities."
Selection process
From 1979-1980, The Cambridge Arts Council, who was charged with choosing the artworks, went though the artist selection process and selected twenty artworks, five for each station. To select the works, an "arts committee" was formed for each of the stations, and an open call to artist was created. In total over 650 artists submitted proposals.There were between 10 and 15 people sitting on each selection committee. Each committee had at least one of each of the following: MBTA representatives, community development
Community development
Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
representatives, members of local historical societies
Historical society
A historical society is an organization that collects, researches, interprets and preserves information or items of historical interest. Generally, a historical society focuses on a specific geographical area, such as a county or town or subject, such as aviation or rail. Many historical...
, local residents and business representatives and an arts administrator
Arts administration
Arts Administration is the business end of an arts organization responsible for facilitating the day-to-day operation of the organization and fulfilling its mission...
.
Each committee had two subgroups, an "advisory board" and an "art panel." The advisory board was tasked with collecting information about the future station and its surroundings. This included design of the station, history of the area and a profile of future station users. This information was passed along to the art panel, composed of three people: an artist, an art professional from outside of Massachusetts, and someone who lived near the future station. This panel was the group that actual chose the artworks.
A seven step process was devised to create a "systematic selection precess which would, nevertheless, provide flexibility." The steps were as follows:
- Meetings with art committee
- Meetings with art panel, MBTA, architect, and review of "Artbank"
- Method for artist selection
- Open competition
- Limited competition
- Invitation
- Direct Purchase
- Artists develop proposals
- Artists presentations
- Art committee discusses proposals
- Art panel makes decision
After the placement of 20 artworks in the four stations of the Northwest Extension, the program expanded to include the creations of artworks in or around at least 12 more stations on the MBTA.
Artwork
In 1985 the first 20 artworks installed under the Arts on the Line program were unveiled. These works composed the largest collection of art, in a United States transit setting, at the time. The total cost of the artworks was $695,000 USD, or one half of one percentPercent for Art
The term "percent for art" refers to a program, often a city ordinance, where a fee, usually some percentage of the project cost, is placed on large scale development projects in order to fund and install public art. The details of such programs vary from area-to-area...
of the total construction cost of the Red Line Extension, and was funded partially by a $70,000 USD National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
grant.
The works were almost exclusively made with durable materials, stone, bronze, brick, etc., and many were placed so that it was physically impossible to reach them without assistance. This was to avoid normal wear and tear as well as vandalism
Vandalism
Vandalism is the behaviour attributed originally to the Vandals, by the Romans, in respect of culture: ruthless destruction or spoiling of anything beautiful or venerable...
. The works are designed to last 75 years.
The following is a list of the first 20 artworks created for Arts on the Line, which were all installed along the Red Line Northwest extension.
| Title | Artist | Image | Station | Year | Medium | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Untitled | Richard Fleischner Richard Fleischner Richard Fleischner is a Providence, RI based environmental artist. Born in New York in 1944, he received a BFA and MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and began working in the 1960s.-Installations:-Awards:*Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts... |
Alewife Alewife (MBTA station) Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The... |
1985 | Granite, pavers, plantings | A 3 acres (12,140.6 m²) large environmental work containing an artificial pond and large granite blocks | ||
| Untitled | David Davidson David Davidson David Davidson may refer to:*David Davidson , Swedish economist*David Davidson , Scottish pyramidologist*David Davidson , Scottish politician... |
Alewife Alewife (MBTA station) Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The... |
1984 | Porcelain tiles | 200 feet (61 m) of abstractly painted, light blue tiles arranged in various ways | ||
| Alewife Cows | Joel Janowitz | Alewife Alewife (MBTA station) Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The... |
1985 | Paint on steel panels | A mural of a false exit to the bus terminal with cows grazing in a pasture outside. | ||
| Untitled (Kiss and Ride) | William Keyser, Jr. | Alewife Alewife (MBTA station) Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The... |
1984 | Maple, stainless steel | Two sculptural benches | ||
| The End of the Red Line | Alejandro and Moira Sina | Alewife Alewife (MBTA station) Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The... |
1984 | Neon | 1000 neon tubes suspended from the ceiling of the station directly over one of the tracks | ||
| Untitled | Nancy Webb | Alewife Alewife (MBTA station) Alewife, located at the intersection of Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridgepark West in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a local intermodal transportation hub. It is the northern terminus of the MBTA's Red Line, and a bus terminal for several local routes and one intercity route. It opened in 1985.The... |
1984 | Bronze tiles | 100 6" square tiles scattered throughout the station lobby with low relief images of plants and animals found in the Alewife Brook Reservation Alewife Brook Reservation Alewife Brook Reservation is a Massachusetts state park located in Cambridge, Arlington, and Somerville. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.-Description:... |
||
| Untitled Davis Square statues The untitled Davis Square statues are life-sized cast masonry public sculpture, created by James Tyler, located in Davis Square, Somerville, Massachusetts at the Davis, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway station. The statues are based on people that lived near Davis Square in the 1980s... |
James Tyler James Tyler James Tyler is the name of:* James Tyler , American lutenist and early music researcher* James Hoge Tyler , American politician and governor of Virginia* James Manning Tyler , United States Representative from Vermont... |
Davis Davis (MBTA station) Davis Station is located at the intersection of Holland Street, Elm Street, and College Avenue , in Somerville, Massachusetts. It opened on December 8, 1984. Davis Station is named after the Davis family of Massachusetts, a political dynasty whose members, over 220 years, have held at least... |
Masonry | Life-size people created out of cement placed in areas around Davis Square Davis Square Davis Square is a major intersection in the northwestern section of Somerville, Massachusetts where several streets meet: Holland Street, Dover Street, Day Street, Elm Street, Highland Avenue, and College Avenue.- Location :... |
|||
| Children's Tile Mural | Jack Gregory and Joan Wye | Davis Davis (MBTA station) Davis Station is located at the intersection of Holland Street, Elm Street, and College Avenue , in Somerville, Massachusetts. It opened on December 8, 1984. Davis Station is named after the Davis family of Massachusetts, a political dynasty whose members, over 220 years, have held at least... |
Tile | Many tiles created by children placed on the brick wall of the station mezzanine | |||
| Poetry | Richard C. Shaner, Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Bishop Elizabeth Bishop was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1956 and a National Book Award Winner for Poetry in 1970. Elizabeth Bishop House is an artists' retreat in Great Village, Nova Scotia... , Sam Walter Foss Sam Walter Foss Sam Walter Foss was an American librarian and poet whose works included The House by the Side of the Road and The Coming American.-Biography:... , Erica Funkhouser Erica Funkhouser Erica Funkhouser is an American poet.She graduated from Vassar College with a BA and from Stanford University with a MA. She teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.... , E.J. Graff, Denise Levertov Denise Levertov -Early life and influences:Levertov was born and grew up in Ilford, Essex.Couzyn, Jeni Contemporary Women Poets. Bloodaxe, p74 Her mother, Beatrice Spooner-Jones Levertoff, came from a small mining village in North Wales... , James More, Peter Payack, Anna M. Warrock, Emily Dickinson Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Born in Amherst, Massachusetts, to a successful family with strong community ties, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life... , and Walt Whitman Walt Whitman Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse... |
Davis Davis (MBTA station) Davis Station is located at the intersection of Holland Street, Elm Street, and College Avenue , in Somerville, Massachusetts. It opened on December 8, 1984. Davis Station is named after the Davis family of Massachusetts, a political dynasty whose members, over 220 years, have held at least... |
Poetry | Lines of poems are embedded into bricks on the station platform walls | |||
| Sculpture With a D | Sam Gilliam Sam Gilliam Sam Gilliam is internationally recognized as one of America's foremost Color Field Painter and Lyrical Abstractionist artists.... |
Davis Davis (MBTA station) Davis Station is located at the intersection of Holland Street, Elm Street, and College Avenue , in Somerville, Massachusetts. It opened on December 8, 1984. Davis Station is named after the Davis family of Massachusetts, a political dynasty whose members, over 220 years, have held at least... |
Painted Aluminum | A large scale, brightly colored, abstract work | |||
| Gift of the Wind Gift of the Wind Gift of the Wind is a large-scale public kinetic sculpture, by Susumu Shingu, located in Porter Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts at the Porter, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority subway and commuter rail station... |
Susumu Shingu |  |
Porter Porter (MBTA station) Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the... |
1983 | Steel, Aluminum | a 46 feet (14 m) tall kinetic sculpture with three large red "wings" that move in response to the wind | |
| Ondas | Carlos Dorrien Carlos Dorrien Carlos Dorrien, born in 1948 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and of Mexican descent, is an American sculptor who specializes in public art installations, creating large-sized abstract sculptures in granite that are often inspired by ancient history, architecture, archaeological ruins, and human figures.... |
Porter Porter (MBTA station) Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the... |
1983 | granite | A 24 feet (7.3 m) tall piece of undulating granite affixed to the station wall both inside the station and outside | ||
| Glove Cycle | Mags Harries | Porter Porter (MBTA station) Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the... |
1984 | Bronze | A large number of bronze gloves of varying types and sizes scattered inside the station including on the escalator | ||
| Untitled | William Reimann | Porter Porter (MBTA station) Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the... |
1983 | Granite | Six granite bollards with various ethnic designs carved into them | ||
| Porter Square Megaliths | David Phillips David Phillips David Phillips may refer to:*David Phillips , Canadian actor*David Phillips , former Canadian international... |
Porter Porter (MBTA station) Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the... |
1984 | Field stone, bronze, pavers | Four boulders with large "slices" removed and replaced with bronze casts of the missing pieces | ||
| The Lights at the End of the Tunnel † | William Wainwright William Wainwright William Wainwright may refer to:* William Wainwright , late 19th and early 20th century developer of Rockaway Beach, Queens in New York* William L. Wainwright, member of the North Carolina General Assembly... |
Porter Porter (MBTA station) Porter is a train station in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Somerville Avenue . It also serves portions of Somerville. The station was designed by Cambridge Seven Associates and opened on December 8, 1984. At 105 feet below ground, it is the... |
1984 | Aluminum and mylar | A large scale reflective Mobile located in the stations Mezzanine. (Removed in 1993 due to lead weight that fell off. ) | ||
| Gateway to Knowledge | Anne Norton Anne Norton Anne Norton is an American professor of political science and comparative literature. She currently holds a chair in political science at the University of Pennsylvania.-Early life:... |
Harvard Harvard (MBTA station) Harvard is a station on the Red Line of the MBTA subway system in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The third-busiest MBTA subway station, Harvard saw 21,868 entries each weekday in 2010, with only Downtown Crossing and South Station being busier... |
1983 | Brick | A 20 in 6 in (6.25 m) high brick structure divided vertically down the center by a gap but still attached at the top. One half is slightly forward of the other. | ||
| New England Decorative Art | Joyce Kozloff Joyce Kozloff Joyce Kozloff, b. 1942, is an American artist commonly associated with the Pattern and Decoration movement of the 1970s - and with artists whose work is based on cartography since the early 1990s.... |
Harvard Harvard (MBTA station) Harvard is a station on the Red Line of the MBTA subway system in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The third-busiest MBTA subway station, Harvard saw 21,868 entries each weekday in 2010, with only Downtown Crossing and South Station being busier... |
1985 | Ceramic Tile | An 83 feet (25.3 m) long mosaic split up into 8 sections, each resembling a quilt. | ||
| Omphalos | Dimitri Hadzi | Harvard Harvard (MBTA station) Harvard is a station on the Red Line of the MBTA subway system in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The third-busiest MBTA subway station, Harvard saw 21,868 entries each weekday in 2010, with only Downtown Crossing and South Station being busier... |
1985 | Granite | A grouping of pillars holding up various shapes that intersect at odd angles. Many different types and polishes of granite are used. | ||
| Blue Sky on the Red Line | György Kepes György Kepes György Kepes was a Hungarian-born painter, designer, educator and art theorist. After emigrating to the U.S. in 1937, he taught design at the New Bauhaus in Chicago... |
Harvard Harvard (MBTA station) Harvard is a station on the Red Line of the MBTA subway system in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The third-busiest MBTA subway station, Harvard saw 21,868 entries each weekday in 2010, with only Downtown Crossing and South Station being busier... |
1985 | Stained Glass | A large stained glass wall composed of mostly blue glass with the exception of a red band that runs the length of the work. | ‡ Located on the upper level of the busway adjacent to platform for the #96. (No long lit.) | |
† Artwork removed from station
ArtStops
After the success of Arts on the Line adding artwork to the Red Line Extension , the program continued in other forms. In 1986, Arts on the Line began a program titled "ArtStops" with the goal of providing artwork to stations under renovation as a way to distract riders from the mess and confusion of the renovation work. The MBTA installed temporary galleries in six subway stations; CentralCentral (MBTA station)
Central is an MBTA Red Line subway station located at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Western Avenue, Prospect Street, and Magazine Street at Central Square, in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
, Park Street
Park Street (MBTA station)
Park Street is a rapid transit and light rail station of the MBTA subway system in Downtown Boston. One of the four subway hub stations, Park Street is a transfer point between the Green and Red Lines. Park Street is the fourth-busiest station in the MBTA network, with an average of 19,836 entries...
, Kendall
Kendall/MIT (MBTA station)
Kendall/MIT is a station on the rapid transit Red Line in Kendall Square at the intersection of Broadway and Main Street, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Trains emerge from the Red Line tunnel just east of the station to cross the Charles River via the Longfellow Bridge...
, Washington Street
Downtown Crossing (MBTA station)
Downtown Crossing Station of the MBTA, located at the corner of Washington Street and Summer Street and the corner of Chauncey Street and Summer Street in Boston, is the main transfer point between the Orange Line and the Red Line....
, Street, and Essex (Chinatown) stations
Chinatown (MBTA station)
Chinatown is an MBTA subway station on the Orange Line, located at the intersection of Washington and Boylston Streets, roughly at the northwestern corner of Boston, Massachusetts' Chinatown neighborhood....
, which were all undergoing renovations in the mid-80s. These galleries hosted temporary works for 18 months, and each temporary gallery was allotted $20,000 USD to spend on art. In total 21 artists were chosen, each one being given a $3500 stipend to develop and create up to three projects for the station. When being asked about the instillation "Eat Here", by A.E. Ryan, a subway rider at Harvard stated, "It's worth coming down to the T just for the art."