Valerie Maynard's “Polyrhythmics of Consciousness and Light” was commissioned as part of a phase of renovation of the station that followed earlier work and the installation of “Open Secret” by Houston Conwill. Maynard's work consists of glass mosaic murals along mezzanine and stairway walls that bring layers of pattern and color to an abstracted geometric field. Against the backgrounds are figural representations of musicians and others in joyful postures. Maynard's images, in her words, "capture the boundless energy, the beacon of light that was and is our own homegrown Mecca: the Harlem of our dreams, our imaginings and our reality. Maynard dedicates the work above the stairwells to artists, in recognition of their "flights of creativity."

Born in Harlem, Valerie Maynard (1937-2022) spent much of her artistic career between New York City and Baltimore. A sculptor, printmaker, educator, and designer, Maynard’s practice centered on themes of social inequities and civil rights. Her unique ability to combine diverse techniques of assemblage, pochoir, and monotype allowed Maynard to create work that was deeply personal and profoundly political. During her decades-long career, Maynard established herself as instrumental figure in the Black Arts Movement and the Harlem art scene, as well as a dedicated advocate for the preservation and restoration of traditional arts by People of Color. Maynard's work has been exhibited at institutions and private venues nationally and internationally.