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Railrider's Throne

116 St-Columbia University (1)

Railrider's Throne

Michelle Greene
Artwork in steel by Michelle Greene showing an oversized chair on the downtown platform.
“Railrider's Throne” (1991) by Michelle Greene at 116 St-Columbia University. Photo: Michelle Greene

About the project

With this artwork, an oversized and grand chair made of steel, artist Michelle Greene introduces humor into the station. The chair's design echoes subway motifs and achieves the subway founders' design mission to make the subway a pleasant and hospitable place. "I wanted to create a whimsical environment that allows the commuter to feel special as opposed to alienated," says the artist. "I believe that art in a public space has the potential to stir people from their daily routine." Rider comments show that the art succeeds in doing so, as transit users engage in conversation and interact with the chair while waiting on the platform.

About the artist

Michelle Green has created three public art projects for New York City. The art reflects a contemporary raw industrial elegance. She often repurposes items or ideas from a community's past, into new art forms. In addition to being a working artist, she has taught art at several Universities and is currently a part-time Associate Professor at the New School University and Parsons School of Constructed Environments.