How much has Greater Boston broadened its horizons? Thirty-five years ago, when the MBTA began installing art in Red Line stations, the region set many of the standards for incorporating public art into transit systems still used today. New York, Seattle, and Los Angeles all followed suit. Locally, though, it’s now residents who are pushing for cutting-edge art on the planned Green Line extension into Cambridge and Somerville.
The selections, which the T is expected to announce April 1, provide an opportunity to pick artists who will bring beauty to the stations — and also to put forward a fresher face on Boston for visitors arriving by T.
The last major round of public art in stations, the highly regarded “Arts on the Line” initiative in the late 1970s and 1980s, produced some memorable pieces, like Susumu Shingu’s 46-foot red-winged “Gift of the Wind” in Porter Square. But it wasn’t necessarily the T’s idea — funding for the art installations was required by the state and supplied by federal grants. As those monies dried up in the 1990s, the program floundered.
But in December, with Green Line plans advancing, state Secretary of Transportation Richard Davey announced the T will again solicit art for stations, with a budget of $225,000. Artists this time won’t create pieces of art but instead have a hand in designing construction features, such as fencing, tile work, and windscreens. Dozens of sculptors, painters, architects, and graphic designers applied.
The Globe asked the 10 artists who made the final cut for an example of the kind of work they would install (nine responded) — and art, urban planning, and transportation critics to weigh in on how those works could enrich the city.
THE EXPERTS
Mimi Graney, executive director, Union Square Main Streets
Valeri Fletcher, executive director, Institute for Human Centered Design
Judith Klausner, curator, Union Square’s Mµseum
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