On July 1, the House passed the Saving Transit Art Resources (STAR) Act provision within the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act of 2021, potentially allowing local transit authorities to incorporate art into federally funded transit projects.

Reintroduced by Rep. Alma Adams (D-NC) in April 2021, the STAR Act aims to restore local control to transit authorities regarding the integration of art and non-functional landscaping into federally funded transit projects and facilities. Although Reps. Bob Gibbs (R-OH) and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) proposed amendments to strike the provision from the bill, both attempts failed, and the STAR Act provision remained intact in the INVEST in America Act.

Public art has been incorporated into U.S. transportation projects since the 1800s, and federal support for art to embellish public facilities is a longstanding tradition that began in the mid-1930s under the Works Progress Administration (WPA). In 2015, however, Congress prohibited local transit authorities from using Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funds for art in transit.

The STAR Act provision will reverse the 2015 rule and give local transit authorities the opportunity to reap the numerous benefits of art in transit. Incorporating art into transit locations encourages ridership, improves customer experience, engenders a positive perception of transit, galvanizes communities, deters vandalism, and increases safety and security.

Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and sponsor of the INVEST Act, said, “So we should just have bare concrete tunnels? […] If the Russians can have tilework and chandeliers [in transit projects], we can at least have artwork.”

Looking forward, the INVEST Act, including the STAR Act provision, will go to the U.S. Senate for consideration.

Pictured: Xenobia Bailey, “Funktional Vibrations,” 2015, glass mosaic, NYCT 34th St–Hudson Yards (7). Photo by Patrick Cashin.