Art On the Ride

...and so it seems that lightrails are the latest venues for viewing art. In "Set In Glass, Artists Ode to Bronx Life is Acclaimed” artist Daniel Hauben is recognized for creating large stained glass pieces for Freeman station, a small subway post located in the Bronx.

By displaying this kind of art in the Bronx, Hauben has given new viewers access to his work. Not only does his work allow those who frequent Freeman station to look at a new type of art, but his work asks those who want to see his stained glass mosaics to travel to an unfamiliar area of the city. We can be certain that his project challenges current notions of of art and public viewership.

Several graffiti artists in the St. Louis area have also decided to transform lightrail passengers into viewing audiences. At various points along the route, the artists have posted their artwork and tags on the sides of buildings. The appearance of the graffiti indicates the existence of groups of artists who are handy with paint-cans and comfortable using concrete as a canvas.

In many respects, the lightrail provides the artists with daily, captive, traveling audiences. The pace of the lightrail ride makes it difficult to discern the graffiti at first glance. But multiple rides along particular routes rewards those who wish to make sense of what the artists are trying to express with their stylized lettering and images.

Who would have guessed that the creation of a lightrail could also inspire these displays of art? And how are those who produce the graffiti viewed—as artists or vandals?