Yoko Ono has designed new murals for the 72nd Street subway station that reopened on Thursday, with blue skies, clouds and inspirational sayings.
Thanks to Carol, Justin, Bobby and David for the photos.
Photos: Yoko Ono Mosaics Brighten New Station
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With all due respect to Yoko Ono – this is what we get for having the station closed for four months? Really???
thanks for the timely messages that don’t otherwise readily spring to mind, especially during today’s troubling political discourse.
This is wonderful… this is what we need more culture and thank you Yoko Ono for keeping our culture here on the upper West side and let’s spread the word to other artist get involved and spread this kind of culture in to all to see.
First – how is it culture? Only because it was designed by Yoko Ono? What if he something was bought at IKEA?
Second – was she paid for it? If yes, why? It is a tribute to her husband as per her own words and we, regular mortals, normally pay for the memorial for or loved ones, not the other way around. Also, if this mosaic was paid for by MTA, no matter what their budget regulates (“1% for art and stuff..”), this would be a completely unnecessary spending. First things first , let’s fix most important things and then worry about secondary.
And before anyone jumps my throat – I enjoy culture, go to theater and museums on regular basis, good cinema, etc. But we have to realize that subway is in a early bad shape and every single cent should be invested to fix he basics.
So I guess I’m trying to make two points:
1 Can we afford set when subway is falling apar5 and trains and not running as they should?
2 Is it really art just because it is done by a celebrity who wanted to commemorate their loved ones? Especially of the latter, it should have been donated.
We can split hair about every point, but the entire thing doesn’t come across as the right choice.
Thank God. Mosaics by Yoko Ono. Now I can go on,
Disappointing that the change is purely cosmetic and does nothing to address ADA.
Inoffensive and pleasant enough, but an open invitation to graffiti vandals.
Imagine accessibility!
“Imagine Peace”? How about the MTA imagining more trains that run on time and less crowded cars. It’s hard to Imagine Peace on the 2 or 3 trains at 8:30 in the morning. Lots of other things come to mind though…
Totally agree. They look beautiful, but we need more trains, newer trains and trains that run on time. This was probably the cheapest thing the MTA could do to make it LOOK like they’re improving the system.
It looks like a lovely mural.
Hopefully Yoko Ono donated it – not like she needs the money.
She, like us, can be enriched by the pleasure of looking at it every morning on the way downtown to work.
If she didn’t donate it, hopefully there was a competition with other deserving artists to decorate the station with our tax dollars.
Murals are nice, but they won’t be of any help to handicappped people in getting up and down from the street to the platform. What stupidity to renovate a station so extensively and not provide an elevator or escalator.
Good grief. I could have done that for $100. And it looks as though they spent even less that that!
Too bad Gov. Cuomo made sure nobody could design elevators for the station so people with mobility impairments would be able to get around town!
Really nice touch. Get ready to navigate past IG’ing tourists. But smart. Bet NYers paid a fortune for the renovation.
oh, yoko…you can do no wrong.
Is it finished? I stopped by yesterday and it didn’t seem finished. The ceiling and floor were unfinished, is that how they are going to leave it?
FELICITACIONES DESDE ESPAÑA !!
MARAVILLOSA INICIATIVA
GRACIAS
I don’t see blue skies….
So amazing that they can inconvenience an entire neighborhood for months and months, and that’s the redone station? Gum stains still on the steps, would have been nice to powerwash…ceiling looks like it wasn’t even painted…🎼does anybody care, is anybody there…does anybody see what I see🎼
#accountability
What is troubling? Someone who has a different opinion than you?
Ok, this is nice. MTA, any suggestions for the fact that I can’t even get up and down the stairs to the subway anyway?
Imagine the train showing up within a reasonable amount of time.
The murals are beautiful!Thank you.
Imagine Peace? She should have written, “Imagine a country that doesn’t have a racist, sexist, psycho as President. PS–if you’re waiting for a train, bring a book–you’ll need it.”
Wow, what talent. A bunch of clouds.
Murals are nice but an escalator or elevator would have been nicer.
Beautiful, thanks Yoko ❤️
This will be now on the tour list for places to see and go here on the Upper Westside. Hopefully the MTA will grant the tours “no charge” to view this beautiful work down under by Yoko Ono.
Meh, nothing more than buying indulgences for being responsible for the Beatles breakup.
SO BEAUTIFUL! Thank you, Yoko, for this gift to New Yorkers.
Who said this was a gift?
From anything I can see this was paid for by NYC taxpayers and MTA riders from the mandatory public art expenditure.
It would have been better if this money was available in a competition for all artists rather than just one semi-famous, wealthy, well connected person who wanted to make a memorial to her late husband.
I agee – cosmetic changes are lovely but
meaningless when the infrastructure is in such disrepair and the station remains handicapped inaccessible.
Imagine B and C trains running more often.
LOVE THE MOSAiICS
Thank U , YokoOno
the churlishness above by some towards Yoko Ono, an UWS icon, is astonishing.
i’m sure Yoko didn’t take payment for this. And she has nothing to do with late trains or ADA compliance! she’s trying to make the mornings of the riders just a little bit more pleasant.
thank you Yoko!!
I don’t think anyone is blaming Yoko Ono for the lack of ADA compliance at this station, but it is certainly fair to question the renovation priorities of the MTA. I’m still far from sure refusing to add elevators was even legal here.
Sarah,
a lot of people are going beyond the mTA and criticizing Yoko Ono. Please read the comments over.
I really hope she was not paid for that. There are countless better uses for the money than that.
I frequent the 86th Street 1 station and the art work by local students is a great way to add a little color to the station and costs virtually nothing while being a great showcase for talented students. I’m not sure why that wasn’t sufficient for this station.