A series of eight glass mosaic portraits have been added to the 167th Street subway station in the Bronx—celebrating cultural, political, and artistic icons in the community’s history.
The beautiful murals are title Beacons and were created by artist Rico Gatson in collaboration with the MTA Arts & Design program. These permanent mosaics can be found on the B,D lines at the 167th Street station with four on the southbound platform (Gil Scott-Heron, Audre Lorde, Celia Cruz, and James Baldwin) and the other four located on northbound platform (Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Reggie Jackson, Tito Puente, and Maya Angelou).
Gatson’s gorgeous work features four men and four women that are prominent figures in the history and culture of the Bronx, and as the MTA says, it celebrates “the energy and spirit of individuals who have been influential within the Bronx community and have received positive acclaim for their cultural, political and artistic contributions.”
According to the artwork’s description:
Gatson juxtaposes the black and white portraits with hard-edge geometric lines using a palette of red, orange, yellow, black, grey, and green, which act as a metaphor for beaming light.
From up close you can see the incredible attention to detail within each portrait, and from afar the mosaics truly capture that “beaming” essense that is overwhelming inspiring and uplifting. Gatson’s work conveys a powerful message and beautiful reminder of the greatness that the Bronx community has produced into the world.
featured image source: via MTA Arts & Design