How did you travel to work or school today? How was your commute home? If you live in a large metropolitan area, it is likely that you used public transportation. New York City’s subway system moves more than 4.3 million people every day, and almost a third of Londoners take the Tube daily. Artists and designers are finding innovative opportunities to enhance the experience of these millions of commuters. From posters and mosaics to stylish seating and digital installations, elements of art and design entertain, educate, and provide comfort for a fast-moving public. In celebration of Cooper Hewitt’s current exhibition, Underground Modernist: E. McKnight Kauffer, this dynamic discussion will trace the increasing impact of women in the design of the transit experience from the early 20th century to the present in London and New York. This panel will reflect on the stories of women hired to modernize the London Underground, including textile designer Marion Dorn, Kauffer’s frequent collaborator, who would later become his wife. Her geometric upholstery fabrics were used in train cars for decades, bringing modernism to the masses. Using Dorn’s pioneering career as inspiration, this talk will explore how and where women have transformed the London Underground and New York City Subway system with their creative talents. Moderated by Emily M. Orr, Assistant Curator of Modern and Contemporary American Design at Cooper Hewitt, panelists will include Katherine Bradford, artist; Yaling Chen, Curator & Deputy Director at MTA Arts & Design; and Zorian Clayton, Assistant Curator of Prints at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.