Vaz Joins the MTA After Having Served as Deputy Director, Chief Brand and Communications Officer, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced the appointment of Tina Vaz as Director of MTA Arts & Design. Vaz will be responsible for leading the MTA’s comprehensive range of visual and performing arts programs, as well as design initiatives that contribute to the cultural vitality of the transit system used by millions of riders daily. Her oversight will include Poetry in Motion, MTA Music, digital art, photography, and the Permanent Art Program, which consists of work commissioned by more than 400 established and emerging artists and has distinguished New York’s transit system with one of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of site-specific contemporary art. Vaz officially begins her new role Sept. 18.
With expertise in art, culture, and brand communications, Vaz brings proven leadership, artistic vision, and creative strategy to MTA.
“For 40 years, MTA Arts & Design has been bringing world-class art, musical performance and poetry to millions of transit riders,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. “We are excited to have Tina’s creative expertise to help us reach even more New Yorkers and visitors with art that reflects the dynamism of New York and the transit system.”
“I am thrilled to have Tina join the MTA,” said MTA Chief of Staff & Strategic Planning Juliette Michaelson. “Her vision and leadership align with our mission at the MTA to connect with riders in new and inspiring ways.”
“Art has the power to transform everyday experiences, and I can’t imagine a more extraordinary canvas than the transit system, where millions of New Yorkers and visitors live out their daily stories,” said MTA Arts & Design Director Tina Vaz. “I'm honored to become part of the MTA, an organization central to the culture of New York and recognized around the world. I look forward to collaborating with our talented team, artists, and communities to create work that resonates with riders and reflects the energy and diversity of New York.”
Most recently, Vaz served as Deputy Director, Chief Brand and Communications Officer for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, leading communications, marketing, design, digital, and external affairs for Guggenheim New York while overseeing brand strategy for the Guggenheim's international constellation of museums in Bilbao, Venice, and Abu Dhabi. Under her leadership, the Guggenheim established its first true logo: a bold, dynamic “G” symbol based on the museums’ architectural forms. Vaz initially joined the Guggenheim in 2011 and led communications strategy for a range of Guggenheim global initiatives until 2019.
From 2019 to 2023, Vaz led Meta’s Open Arts program, which commissioned contemporary artists, collaborated with cultural institutions, and integrated art into Meta's physical spaces and digital platforms. During Vaz’s tenure, the program delivered more than 600 physical and digital commissions, programmed 13 million square feet of physical space, including the James A. Farley Building in New York City, and reached 8 million Meta users through digital artwork and strategic communications supporting company initiatives on vaccine awareness and voting.
Vaz serves on the Boards of The Municipal Art Society of New York and Williamstown Theatre Festival and is a member of the Finnish Cultural Institute in New York. She holds a degree in journalism from Boston University.
About MTA Arts & Design
MTA Arts & Design encourages the use of public transportation by providing visual and performing arts in the metropolitan New York area. The Percent for Art program is one of the largest and most diverse collections of site-specific public art in the world, with more than 350 commissions by world-famous, mid-career and emerging artists. Arts & Design produces Graphic Arts, Digital Art, photographic Lightbox exhibitions, as well as live musical performances in stations through its Music Under New York (MUSIC) program, and the Poetry in Motion program in collaboration with the Poetry Society of America. It serves the millions of people who rely upon MTA subways and commuter trains and strives to create meaningful connections between sites, neighborhoods, and people.