"Just Jazz" is an unusual project for MTA Arts & Design. The project — developed by LIRR to provide parking for commuters and the Wyandanch Rising development — offered the opportunity for a large-scale exterior installation that will be a landmark for the community. 

For the artwork, 28 glass panels were hand-painted with bold color, expressive brush strokes, and a vibrancy that is an exciting counterpoint to the new parking structure and tower's geometric order. The glass faces the site of a community green space. 

Artist Moe Brooker's five-story painted glass work is an inviting and welcoming beacon, particularly when illuminated from within at night. The artwork reflects the jazz-inspired rhythms and movement that Brooker cites as influencing his free-flowing work. Jazz is part of the community's history as well, with musicians such as John Coltrane making their home in nearby Dix Hills.

Brooker's abstract work has passages that evoke exuberance as well as reflection. The glass artwork was interpreted by Mayer of Munich from an oil pastel drawing. The artist has never witnessed his work at the scale it is here, and was profoundly moved by the experience. It is a fitting work to be located near the future planned home of the Long Island Hall of Fame at the Wyandanch Rising development, which is being built in conjunction with the parking facility and a new station coming soon to the community. 

Moe Brooker (1940-2022) was an artist and teacher from Philadelphia. He received BFA and MFA degrees from Tyler School of Fine Art at Temple University in Philadelphia. Music was influential to his brightly colored and boldly patterned abstract paintings, through which he explored the vibrant and joyous aspects of African American culture and textiles without representational iconography. He served on the faculty of the Cleveland Institute of Art, Parsons School of Design, the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, and the Moore College of Art and Design. His work is represented in numerous public and private collections, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and The Studio Museum in Harlem. He is represented by The Sande Webster Gallery in Philadelphia and the June Kelly Gallery in New York City. Brooker earned several honors and awards including the Artist of the Year Award from Governor Edward G. Rendell of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the James Van Der Zee Lifetime Achievement Award from the Brandywine Workshop.