BUFFALO, N.Y. — In 1979, the NFTA board of directors advertised in national magazines, putting the call out for artists.
They picked 70 artists to submit proposals for public art to adorn the soon-to-be-built metro-rail. They were awarded $1.15 million in various federal grants to commission the public art project.
What we have today is a series of gallery-quality artwork in every metro-rail station.
Gretchen Grobe works at Buffalo's AKG, and also conducts tours of the Metro-Rail collection for Explore Buffalo. She took me on a tour of a portion of our unknown, subterranean art gallery. "People that are in our collection at the Buffalo AKG. They're in the Burchfield Penney, they're at the Met, they're in the MOMA. They're in San Francisco, they're in Europe and here they are right in our stations."
Our tour began at the U.B. South Campus and a work by Beverly Pepper, who has created large works around the world, including at the AKG.
The sculpture frames Hayes Hall perfectly and depicts a drill bit emerging from the ground. "When you're in a subway, you're coming up from the you know, from the Earth." Within the station, artist Stephen Antonakos lights things up with his neon and metal sculpture hanging from the ceiling, helping to direct the traffic flow.
It is a total of 22 artworks by 22 artists in every Metro Rail station from the Allen Street to UB.
Some of the artists on display:
- Allen/Hospital - Charles Clough
- Summer/Best - George Sugarman, John Pfahl
- Utica - George Smith, Craig Langager
- Delavan/College - Sam Gilliam, Carson Waterman, George Woodman
- Humboldt/Hospital - Milton Rogovin, Sharon Gold, Joyce Kozloff
- Amherst Street - Aleksandra Kasuba, Ray Hassard, Robert Lobe
- LaSalle - Richard Gubernick
- South Campus - Stephen Antonakos, Harvey Breverman, Beverly Pepper
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