Re-creation of Public Spaces: Sandra Bloodworth at TEDxCapeMay
The speaker argues that art integrated into public infrastructure, specifically the NYC subway, serves to refresh and recreate both the physical space and the community's feeling toward it. This was demonstrated historically by the initial aesthetic designs of the subway and powerfully revived in the modern era through curated artworks, exemplified by the 'groovy green glazes' referencing early terracotta work. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker: Unnamed individual involved with MTA Arts for Transit and Urban Design. - Role: Has been part of a team for 24 of the 27 years MTA Arts for Transit has existed. - Context: Discussing the history and revitalization of public spaces, drawing parallels between recreation/refreshment and infrastructure renewal. - Historical backdrop mentioned: 130 miles north, New York City, suffered from high crime and urban decline in the late 1970s, making subways necessary but undesirable public transport. ## Theses & Positions - MTA Arts for Transit was founded due to the power of art to encourage ridership and deter graffiti. - Art is essential for rebuilding and renewing public infrastructure, allowing people to feel a sense of *recreating* a place. - The resurgence of New York City's quality of life began with this renewal program. - The art within the transit system functions as a vital beacon, connecting disparate parts of the city and its history. - Showcasing the MTA system as a cultural asset: *“The most underrated art museum in New York City is the subway system.”* ## Concepts & Definitions - **Recreate/Refresh:** Coming to Cape May to *recreate* to refresh mentally and physically. - **Associative symbols:** The architectural technique of taking elements from above ground (what was visible) and bringing them below ground into the subway design. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Initial Subway Design:** William Barkley Parsons convinced founders that the subway needed to be *aesthetically pleasing*; this requirement was included in the very first contract. - **Modern Renewal Strategy:** Incorporating art into the infrastructure alongside physical repairs; using durable materials like mosaics and bronze. - **Art Integration:** Encouraging artists to incorporate their work into the architecture itself, not just on plaques. ## Timeline & Sequence - **Late 1970s:** NYC suffering from high crime/urban decline; subways deteriorated and ridership plummeted. - **Early 1980s:** Economic improvement led MTA to begin cleaning up the system and strategizing renewal. - **1904:** Opening of the first subway line at Columbus Circle, utilizing "groovy green glazes" terracotta. - **Period extending into the 1920s:** Subway building continued with an aesthetic approach. - **World's Fair of 1939:** A subsequent line was built incorporating a more modernist aesthetic. - **Today:** There are over **240 permanent artworks** in the MTA system. ## Named Entities - **Kate May** — A destination referenced for its ability to facilitate mental and physical refreshment. - **MTA Arts for Transit and Urban Design** — Organization involved in revitalizing public transit spaces. - **William Barkley Parsons** — Chief engineer who ensured aesthetic consideration in the original subway contract. - **Hines and Lafarge** — Architects hired to create finishes, also architects of St. John the Divine. - **St. John the Divine** — Location on the Upper West Side whose architects were involved in the subway’s early finishes. ## Tools, Tech & Products - **Groovy Fants of Boston** — Specific, fine terracotta material used in early subway design. - **MTA Arts for Transit app** — Application for viewing the artwork collection. - **Metrocard vending machines** — Industrial element designed by Antenna and curated at Taoma's Talk to Me Show Museum of Modern Art. - **Handel point** — New industrial element being developed by the team. ## Numbers & Data - MTA Arts for Transit history: **27 years** in operation. - Speaker's involvement: **24 years** with the team. - Subway ridership (current): **7.5 million** subway riders every workday. - Subway ridership (commuter lines): Another **half million** on commuter lines. - Year of first subway art visibility: **1904** (Columbus Circle). ## Examples & Cases - **Astoria Place:** Featuring a terracotta plaque depicting the beaver, referencing the local fur trading business. - **Bleecker Street:** Showcasing Groovy Glazes and the latest work by Leo Villa Riel. - **59th Street in Lexington:** Featuring Elizabeth Murray's mosaics depicting stepping shoes and coffee cups. - **Under Time Square:** Roy Lichtenstein's mural, which has become an icon of arts for transit. - **Times Square:** Jane Dixon's artwork, *Times Square revelers*, celebrating daily life. - **53rd and Lex:** Al Hell's *passing through*, abstractly capturing skyscrapers energy below ground. - **Under Bryant Park:** *Sam Coun on 42nd Street*, providing a view of the roots and rock outcroppings. - **96 Street:** Ziggy Moss Linger's *Blumendal*, referencing the Dutch name for the neighborhood. - **Below Museum of Natural History (Upper West Side):** A space evoking stepping into a museum. - **34th Street:** Eric Fishell’s *Circus of Earthly Delights*, evoking a circus under the big top. - **Bedford Lehman:** Featuring Andrea Dezo's community garden recreation. - **Bronx Riverviews:** Barbara Gagudas' sculptural seating opening views to the river. - **Coney Island (Veto Akanchi):** Using HDR Architects to recreate the subway experience by opening platforms to ocean views. - **Stillwell Avenue (Robert Wilson):** A **370-foot wall** evoking Coney Island heyday using historic postcards. - **Fulton Transit Center (Grimshaw and Jamie Carpenter):** Bringing light from above to illuminate the cable net below. - **Second Avenue subway:** Future art installations including Chuck Close's larger-than-life portraits at 86th Street. - **Zenobia Bailey:** Bold colorful mandalas for the number seven on the west side of Manhattan. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The initial state of the system in the 1970s was characterized by deterioration, grimy stations, constant train breakdowns, and graffiti, leading to plummeting ridership. - Early subway building was costly, requiring specific contractual elements to mandate aesthetic considerations. ## Conclusions & Recommendations - The program's benefit includes increasing ridership and addressing sustainability issues. - The speaker recommends following the journey online via website, Tumblr, Facebook, and Twitter, and downloading the MTA Arts for Transit app. ## Implications & Consequences - The successful integration of art validates the belief that art is necessary not just for decoration, but for civic revitalization and utility preservation in a massive urban system. ## Verbatim Moments - *"I come to Cape May to recreate to refresh ourselves to refresh mentally and physically."* - *"All parts of the structure where exposed to public sight shall therefore be designed, constructed, and maintained with a view to their beauty as well of their appearance as well as to their efficiency."* - *"They used some of the finest terracotta of the time, in particular one of the finest, Groovy Fants of Boston."* - *"This is opening in 1904 at Columbus Circle."* - *"The most underrated art museum in New York City is the subway system."* - *"My husband Fred May and I come to Kate May to recreate to refresh ourselves to refresh mentally and physically."*