beautifyMBTA

As the final for my Environmental Design class, we were to propose a project to be executed by Somerville to complement the Green Line expansion.

My project deals with public art in transit—there are many precedents for a program like this, but mine builds on them by more directly working with museums like the MFA or ICA. Under beautifyMBTA, subway cars could be given wraps like those pictured above to promote shows at museums around Boston. We augment rider's experiences with an app that can tell you more about the art around you, and we would curate reading material, music to listen to on your ride, and more.

I think the MBTA expansion into Somerville makes a good excuse for this project because this represents the first time since 1988 that we've built new T stations, and there's a really exciting opportunity to integrate art directly into the construction of these stations. Programs like New York's Percent for Art set aside 1% of the budget for construction projects and use that to sponsor public arts. Programs like this are relatively inexpensive to incorporate and do a lot to make the experience of riding public transit more enjoyable.