In conjunction with the Archtober 2025 festival theme, Shared Spaces, we're celebrating the city’s public life with a closer look at the series of illustrations depicting various public spaces around NYC, from The Davis Center at the Harlem Meer and the Adams Street Library to the Louis Armstrong Center. This series highlights a festival illustration (created by Greater Studio) and features a short Q&A about the organization or initiative featured.

Our final feature for this year's festival is the 81st St–Museum of Natural History MTA Station, representative of a public space that connects all New Yorkers daily. This local station, served by the A, B, and C trains, displays mosaics and reliefs depicting extinct, existing, and endangered animals, inspired by the museum’s collections. The project is featured in our Archtober Coloring Sheets, available to download and print for free. Learn more about the space and the MTA's Arts & Design program from Tina Vaz, Director, MTA Arts & Design, in our Q&A below!

Q: The MTA Arts & Design program has been ongoing since the 1980s. Can you speak about its mission and what it provides in terms of public space?

MTA Arts & Design programming spans the MTA system’s 5,000-square-mile travel area. Our permanent art collection has been described as “New York’s Underground Art Museum,” with more than 400 artworks. Unlike traditional museums, our "audience"—which exceeds 4 million riders each day—can enjoy our work 24/7/365. Beyond permanent installations, we present rotating digital art, photography, musical performances, and our Poetry in Motion series with the Poetry Society of America. Our programming celebrates the power of transit to bring people together and elevates daily travel through art that reflects the energy and character of New York.

Q: How is the art chosen or commissioned, and is each piece selected specifically for a station or location?

All works are site-specific. Artists submit through open calls, and selection panels include community representatives and other stakeholders. Many artists have direct connections to a given location—like Jorge Luis Rodriguez, whose sculpture was recently installed on the Park Avenue Viaduct-East 116 Street in Harlem. We seek artists who reflect the diverse experiences of our ridership. Artists of all mediums are invited to apply and there is no requirement to have worked on a public commission in the past. The artwork selected is typically translated by a fabricator into a durable medium such as mosaic or glass, with direction from the artist and oversight from the MTA.

Q: Tell us about the 81st–Museum of Natural History station in particular—we understand the mosaics were created after interviews with the museum and its neighbors?

The artwork at 81 St-Museum of Natural History station, For Want of a Nail, was installed in 2000. For 25 years, it’s welcomed riders to the museum the moment they step off the train. MTA Arts & Design (then Arts for Transit) designed the work in consultation with museum staff. Using a range of materials such as glass and ceramic mosaic, bronze, and granite, the work relates to each of the museum’s 10 key disciplines. Riders can pass through the earth’s shimmering moon or an underwater scene before going inside to learn more about astronomy or ichthyology. The dinosaur fossils cast in bronze are a particular fan favorite. A little-known fact: the grey shadows beside some of the mosaic mammals represent extinct species. The title, For Want of a Nail, is taken from a proverb that encourages viewers to consider the universe broadly and the ways in which everything it contains is connected.

Q: How have you seen attitudes toward and interactions with public space shift over time?

People spend more time on screens in public spaces, making them a little harder to reach. That’s why we’re expanding digital content through subway screens and the Bloomberg Connects app. Yet our sold-out Open House New York tours earlier this month and the crowds around Music Under New York performers prove customers engage live with our programming. The transit system is one of world’s great public spaces, and we're creating opportunities that respond to our moment while standing the test of time.

Q: What upcoming projects are you most excited about?

MTA Arts & Design is marking its 40th-anniversary year through September 2026 with commemorative projects and new work. We recently released digital artworks at Fulton Center and Grand Central Madison, plus two new poems in subway cars and stations. New posters and art cards are coming soon, along with exciting permanent installations. Follow @mtaartsdesign for updates!