The novelty of the Second Avenue Subway has probably worn out for the average straphanger. But to an artist, the subway can be a moving steel tube of inspiration. On August 25th, a drawing mob is planned for the subway line, with up-and-coming artists invited to see what they can create using the subway as their muse. The event, called DRAW, is an event hosted by the art consulting service Sugarlift and Young New Yorkers Art-Not-Jail program, which provides court-involved teenagers with an arts-based alternative to incarceration. The sketchbook of artworks to be produced from the event will be available for the price of a 30-day Metrocard, and 100% of proceeds will go towards Young New Yorkers.
Image courtesy Sugarlift, by Guno Park
According to Sugarlift, the plan is to have artists such as Robert Szot, Dina Brodsky, and Melanie Vote spend two hours riding the Q train from the Union Square station to 96th Street and back downtown. All the while, they will be making sketches based on their observations. At the end of their ride, the artists will take their sketches straight from their notebooks and hang them up at the 2 Rivington Street art gallery for the public to see and purchase. All interested artists and observers are invited to take part in DRAW, as well as the gallery show that follows. Find out how to participate here.
Guno Park, an organizer of DRAW and one of the artists taking part in the event, sees DRAW as an opportunity to make connections that wouldn’t ordinarily happen on a normal subway ride. “Shyness aside, we will observe the nuance of riders and translate their posture to lines and shapes,” Park said. “This act, as simple as it may be, can deepen our understanding of each other and of ourselves. With each mark we make in our sketchbooks, we’re creating a connection that will help us slow down, observe and appreciate the moment.”
You can also discover more secrets about the NYC Subway on an upcoming Underground Tour of the NYC Subway:
