MTA Arts & Design completed four public art projects in Astoria, Queens, an extremely diverse urban neighborhoods home to residents from African America, Asian, Greek, Hispanic, and Muslim cultures. Under a new station improvement program to transform the customer journey, four elevated stations were updated to include new technology, better wayfinding, high-quality design elements and integrated glass artworks by Sarah Morris, Maureen McQuillan, Diane Carr, and Stephen Westfall.

Hellion Equilibrium by Sarah Morris is derived from an abstracted rendering of the 39 Av-Dutch Kills station’s GPS location, radiating with an evolving spectrum of color and hard-edged shapes that invite the viewer to reflect upon the concepts of motion, scale, light, and mapping.

Crystal Blue Persuasion by Maureen McQuillan features vibrantly hued and mysteriously suspended forms that reference the diverse social fabric at 36 Av station. The simple forms, such as stripes and diamonds, become dynamic patterns when repeated, reflecting the repetitive nature of commuting, that is familiar and always different.

Outlook by Diane Carr is an imaginary landscape depicting the native flora, deciduous woodlands, swamps, and conifer forests that were once dominant around the Broadway station. The artwork palettes are inspired by nearby architecture, storefronts, and public spaces, evoking the neighborhood’s past and present.

Perasma I & II; Dappleganger by Stephen Westfall is a procession of geometric patterns to rhythmically invoke universality alongside cultural identity. The scale, mirrored patterning, and merging movement invokes the classical friezes and the municipal movement in contemporary life.

These stations are a bold and visionary expression of the intent to produce clean, attractive, and well-designed public spaces. Highly visible in the station and from the street below, the “striking art brightens the space considerably”* acting as a catalyst for the transformation, that reflect the vibrant communities in Astoria. (*E. Goldstein, Pres. Municipal Arts Society.)