MTA Arts & Design
About
Arts & Design creates meaningful connections between stations, neighborhoods, and our diverse ridership through a broad spectrum of artistic activity, including permanent art, posters, photography, digital art, live musical performances, and the Poetry in Motion program. Arts & Design also consults on architectural features within stations and subway cars, and other industrial design elements. Our permanent art program is one of the largest and most diverse collections of site-specific contemporary public art in the world, with more than 400 works by world famous, mid-career, and emerging artists.
As you travel through the MTA network, you will experience a first-rate art museum comprising works created in mosaic, terra cotta, metal, glass, and mixed-media. Use our free digital guide on the Bloomberg Connects app to find the artwork that enlivens your commute. You may hear music, read poetry, or enjoy illustrated posters in stations or rail cars. We invite you to discover and enjoy New York’s diverse and beautiful underground art museum.
Artwork credit: "Abstract Futures" (2025) © Hilma’s Ghost, 42 St-Grand Central Station. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Photo: Etienne Frossard.
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"In Service: MTA Photographs by Christopher Payne"
On view through March 2027
In Service: MTA Photographs by Christopher Payne reveals the unseen labor and craft that power New York’s transit system, drawn from rare access to operating spaces and manufacturing facilities across multiple MTA agencies and private rolling‑stock partners.
The MTA Arts & Design exhibition—presented across 52 large lightboxes—is the most extensive photography installation ever undertaken by A&D, and the first time work by a single photographer has been showcased simultaneously across the entire system.
At five transit hubs across Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Arts & Design programs
Permanent art
Artists are selected through a competitive process to create original, site-specific permanent artwork for new and rehabilitated stations. Calls for Artists are listed here on our website, Submittable, social media (Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook, and Instagram), national/local arts organizations, and arts councils. Professional artists who are interested in being considered for specific commission opportunities may check the Calls for Artists periodically.
Download the Call for Images Frequently Asked Questions. To contact MTA Arts & Design, submit an inquiry through the MTA Customer Feedback Form by selecting “Other MTA agencies and departments,” then choosing “Arts and Design.”
Digital art
Arts & Design invites new media artists to create digital artwork for MTA’s Fulton Center, and digital display network as opportunities arise. New Media artists who are interested in being considered may submit applications via Submittable during the annual Open Call.
Download the Call for Submissions Frequently Asked Questions. To contact MTA Arts & Design, submit an inquiry through the MTA Customer Feedback Form by selecting “Other MTA agencies and departments,” then choosing “Arts and Design.”
MTA Music auditions
There are currently no auditions scheduled for MTA Music. We look forward to announcing future opportunities for performers to join our program.
Daily performances will continue with our current roster of musicians. Please see our Instagram for upcoming MTA Music events and check this page for updates. Sign up for our e-newsletter to be the first to get news from MTA Arts & Design.
Posters
Arts & Design produces and exhibits posters and art cards through our Posters program. Learn more about this transit-related artwork.
Photography
Arts & Design presents exhibitions of photography by in select stations throughout the transit system. Learn more about the program.