8. Andrew Leicester’s “Ghost” series

Andrew Leicester Ghost series
An Andrew Leicester mural in Penn Station.

Andrew Leicester’s “Ghost Series,” installed throughout the Long Island Rail Road section of Penn Station, consists of five bas-relief terra cotta murals that point to the 1910 Pennsylvania Station building. The murals symbolically reveal the old building hidden behind new walls. A 500-square-foot mural called “Day and Night” (currently covered due to ongoing construction) reimagines Adolph Weinman’s namesake sculpture that depicts two women flanking a gigantic clock. On the clock’s face, Leicester added the date when the original building was demolished, October 28, 1963.

“Mercury Man” is another mural in the series that reproduces another sculptural figure. Leicester also included a porcelain-on-steel rendering of blueprints for the demolished building. The artist who was born in England and now lives in Minneapolis also creates art that forms links between its specific location and the host community, often as a result of extensive research.