This past Saturday I biked from the corner of Allen and Main to South Campus. Along the way I stopped and photographed the public art, much of which I had never seen before. There are only a few pieces of art that are actually visible from Main Street. The rest of it can be found in the bowels of the transit system. These installations are all part of a nationwide search for artists conducted previous to 1985 when the system opened.
With the help of tear sheets from the Art in Transit documents, I have detailed the $1.15 million project here, along with a number of other public art projects in the city (all totaling 99 so far). Seeing that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I must admit that there are some works of art along the Metro Rail route that are appealing, while there are a few that make me wonder how they made it on the list.
Special thanks to the local band Free Henry! for providing the music for this slide show. Throw on some headphones and have a listen.