Explore the Art of Moynihan Train Hall on This New Tour – Untapped New York

When the newMoynihan Train Hallopened in January, one of the big stars of the hall was the public art installed throughout. Installations by Kehinde Wiley,Stan Douglas, and duoElmgreen & Dragsetbrought excitement and creativity to the brand new space. The$1.6 billion hall transformed the oldJames A. Farley postal building, a 1912 Beaux-Arts-style design byMcKim, Mead and White, into a museum of its own.

Join Untapped New York on a tour of the artistic side of Moynihan, with a little bonus trip over toPenn Stationto talk about a rarely recognized artistic remnant of the old Penn Station. Of course, there will be frameable handouts!On the in-person tour, unearth all the exciting art in Moynihan Train Hall. Hear the stories about the creation of the art and the artists themselves. Learn about some of the new art on the way to Moynihan. Explore some of the outdoor art which usually gets ignored. And discover a Penn Station remnant art piece not featured on our publicRemnants of Penn Station tour. The event is free forUntapped New York Insiders(and get your first month free with code JOINUS).

Moynihan Train Hall Art Walk

The artworks, which cost $6.7 million, were commissioned through a partnership between Empire State Development and thePublic Art Fund. Kehinde Wiley created a hand-painted glass triptych titledGofor the ceiling at the West 33rd Street entrance.This was Wileys first permanent site-specific installation in glass. The work depicts Black New Yorkers in breakdancing-inspired poses against a blue sky, drawing from some of his earlier works.Wiley also based a woman pointing her finger on MichelangelosCreation of Adamat the Sistine Chapel. The artist stated that he wished to play with the language of ceiling frescoes because in ceiling frescoes, people [express] a type of levity and religious devotion and ascendancy. Wiley is best-known for works likeNapoleon Leading the Army over the Alpsand the official portrait of PresidentBarack Obama, which is on view at the Brooklyn Museum.

Stan Douglas conducted archival research to recreate nine moments from the old Penn Station. To capture this history, he cast 400 actors to dress in period costumes over four days 100 on each day of shooting then used digitally recreated interiors of the demolished building as a backdrop. Douglass photographic panels, including one in which Blackvaudevilleperformers staged a show for passengers after a 1914 snowstorm and another of a depiction of outlaw Celia Cooney, hang along the stations 80-foot-long waiting area.

As part of Emgreen & Dragsets workThe Hive, over 30,000 pounds of futuristic skyscrapers hang upside down by the West 31st Street entry. The 91 real and fictional buildings contain windows that glow with tiny lights of 72,000 LEDs, and six of the buildings can change colors. DragsettoldThe New York Timesthat the installation was named The Hive to reflect how the diversity and richness of cities can function because people accept certain rules for coexisting.

In a global city synonymous with art and culture it is fitting that these works which dazzle in their beauty, humanity, ambition, and technical mastery capture the spirit of this remarkable new transit hub, said Public Art Fund director Nicholas Baume in a statement. Captivating and powerful, each work is inspired by New Yorks rich heritage, its diverse and talented people, and its irrepressible creativity.

Join Untapped New York on a tour of the artistic side of Moynihanwith a little bonus trip over to Penn Station to talk about a rarely recognized artistic remnant of the old Penn Station. The event is free forUntapped New York Insiders(and get your first month free with code JOINUS).

Moynihan Train Hall Art Walk

Next, check out Justin Rivers Op-Ed Moynihan Trail Hall is Not Perfect, But its Close Enough.

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Explore the Art of Moynihan Train Hall on This New Tour - Untapped New York