Newsstands and other shops, the ghosts of a thriving economy, haunt New York City’s subway system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has about 100 empty plots of real estate, many awkwardly shaped and lacking proper electricity, gas or plumbing.
The M.T.A. wanted to give them new life, and in 2023, created the Vacant Unit Activation Program, inviting artists and nonprofit organizations to take over.
Janno Lieber, the head of the M.T.A., said inspiration came in part from the positive reaction to other art installations in the transit system. “What we wanted to do is to create activity and interest and fun in places where people are lingering or just passing by,” he said in an interview.
Here are some on display today:
Grand Army Plaza
Rex’s Dino Store
When Sarah Cassidy and Akiva Leffert, Rex’s creators, first asked to see the space, the locks were rusted shut. The floor had a hole “you could fit your foot through,” Cassidy said. But those were hardly a deterrent.
“To make the subway a more engaging, whimsical place, was such an exciting idea,” Cassidy said. “That really motivated us.”
Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue
LH Radio
Much of the appeal for artists comes from the fact that the city doesn’t have much available space. Retail vacancy rates, particularly in Manhattan, are low. Former artists’ enclaves have attracted luxury developments that priced out those artists.
The organization Los Herederos, in Queens, was in search of a permanent location to build a radio station. At the same time, it received a grant from the Library of Congress to research Jackson Heights’s Diversity Plaza, a center of the South Asian community there, and needed a space to do the work.
The vacant units program put them directly below the plaza.
81st Street-Museum of Natural History
The Soundbooth
The booth provides a colorful background for musicians. It is the site of parties that attract a crowd of dancers. One D.J. put on a light show. Gabriel Aldort, a musician in the subway system for 15 years, played children’s songs one weekend to a shy toddler waiting for the train with her mother. Her eyes brightened when he played “Wheels on the Bus.”
The A train periodically roared through the express lane. “Rude,” Aldort joked.
Michael Myers, who usually plays piano at the World Trade Center, said the Soundbooth has helped him make connections and build community. “When you see the people come by, most people in New York, they’re not happy,” he said. “They have angry looks on their face. But when they see what’s going on over here, it puts a smile on their face.”
63rd Drive-Rego Park
‘Glory’
The artists’ and the M.T.A.’s support for and faith in the Vacant Unit Activation Program has kept it going.
Lieber was especially enthusiastic. When asked if he had any other plans for the program, he replied emphatically: “More!”
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