Inspired by MetroCard — Transit Museum Exhibit

The New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central Gallery is showing “Inspired by MetroCard” over Memorial Day weekend, a free exhibition built around one of New York’s most familiar transit objects. The show opened on March 16 and remains on view through Oct. 26, according to the museum and NY1. It gathers works that use the yellow-and-blue fare card as material, subject and symbol, from miniature paintings to mosaics and garments. The exhibition arrives as the MetroCard, introduced in 1994, is being phased out across New York City transit. ### Where is the exhibit and how long is it up? Grand Central Terminal is home to the museum’s Gallery & Store, which sits off the main concourse in the Shuttle Passage, adjacent to the Station Master’s Office, according to the New York Transit Museum. The museum lists the address as 89 E. 42nd St. in Manhattan and says the Grand Central gallery is free to visit. (nytransitmuseum.org) Oct. 26 is the closing date listed by NY1 for “Inspired by MetroCard.” NY1 also included the exhibition in its May 23-25 weekend guide, pointing readers to the Grand Central outpost for visitor information during the holiday weekend. ### What is actually in the show? The exhibition features paintings, collages, mosaics and clothing made from or inspired by MetroCards, according to NY1’s March report on the show. (nytransitmuseum.org) The museum says the exhibition explores how the fare card became “a powerful artistic medium and source of inspiration for artists, designers, and cultural institutions over three decades.” (ny1.com) Twenty-six artists are represented in the exhibition, NY1 reported. Jodi Shapiro, a curator at the New York Transit Museum, told NY1 that the participants work across forms: “Some are people who make collages, some are people who paint on the MetroCards, some are people who make paintings and incorporate MetroCards into them.” ### Which artists stand out in the reporting? (ny1.com) VH McKenzie is one of the artists highlighted by NY1. The report said McKenzie paints small oil scenes on individual MetroCards, including New York subjects such as the Brooklyn Bridge, CBGB and the blue Anthora coffee cup. McKenzie told NY1 the cards “take some time to dry” but become “a really nice original oil painting on a very small surface.” (ny1.com) Nina Boesch is another artist featured in the coverage. NY1 said Boesch has been making MetroCard collages for 25 years and works at scales ranging from a single card to hundreds fused together. In the same report, Boesch said she had about 90,000 MetroCards, with roughly 70,000 in storage and 10,000 at home. Juan Carlos Pinto also appears in NY1’s account. (ny1.com) The outlet said Pinto turns MetroCards into mosaics, including images of birds such as Flaco, the owl that drew attention in Central Park, and species found in Prospect Park. ### Why the MetroCard, and why now? The MetroCard debuted in 1994, according to the New York Transit Museum, and the museum’s separate “FAREwell, MetroCard” exhibition describes it as a fare card that reshaped daily life for millions of riders. (ny1.com) NY1 said the card is now being phased out across New York City transit, giving the Grand Central show the feel of a cultural afterlife for an object many riders still recognize instantly. The museum’s framing is broader than nostalgia. Its exhibit page says “Inspired by MetroCard” tracks how an everyday transit object evolved into an artistic medium over 30 years, linking design, daily travel and New York identity. ### What should visitors know before going? The New York Transit Museum says the Grand Central Gallery is free. The museum’s visitor page directs people to the Grand Central outpost for hours and admission information, while NY1’s weekend guide lists the exhibition among things to do from May 23 through May 25. (nytransitmuseum.org) The exhibition remains on view through Oct. 26 at the New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central Gallery & Store in Grand Central Terminal, according to NY1. (nytransitmuseum.org) Visitors looking beyond the holiday weekend can also use the museum’s exhibits and visitor pages for current details on access and hours. (ny1.com) (nytransitmuseum.org)