Alberto Ríos, Arizona’s inaugural Poet Laureate, is the author of 11 collections of poetry, including "The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body," a finalist for the National Book Award. His most recent book is "A Small Story About the Sky," preceded by "The Dangerous Shirt" and "The Theater of Night," which received the PEN / Beyond Margins Award. He has also written three short story collections and a memoir, "Capirotada," about growing up on the Mexican border. Ríos is also the host of the PBS program "Books & Co.," University Professor of Letters, Regent’s Professor, and the Katharine C. Turner Chair in English. He has taught at Arizona State University for over 35 years. In 2017, he was named director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Creative Writing.

Doug and Mike Starn are American artists and identical twins. Their glass and mosaic installation at South Ferry station references Battery Park and the organic nature of circulation and connection. The Starns are primarily known for working conceptually with photography, and they are largely concerned with themes of interconnection and interdependence. Over the past two and a half decades, they have continued to defy categorization, effectively combining traditionally separate disciplines such as photography, sculpture, and architecture. Their art has been the object of numerous solo and group exhibitions in museums and galleries worldwide.