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MTA Launches Living Memorial to Honor Transit Workers Lost to COVID-19

MTA
Updated Jan 25, 2021 9:00 a.m.
TRAVELS FAR Memorial

Digital Art Installation Named After ‘TRAVELS FAR Poem Written by Former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith; Features Poignant Portraits of Transit Workers Shared by Families

 

Memorial Will Appear on 138 Three-Panel Digital Screens Across System Today Through Feb. 7  

 

Visit the Online Memorial

 

View Memorial Unveiling

 

The global pandemic has led to unimaginable loss to the MTA family, with 136 employees dying of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. To honor and pay tribute to those who have been lost too soon, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority today launched an engaging visual memorial to those employees, heroes who dedicated their lives to moving New Yorkers through the city and region. 

Built around photographs shared by family members, the memorial was designed by MTA Arts & Design at the request of Sarah Feinberg, Interim President of MTA New York City Transit. It is entitled “TRAVELS FAR” after a poem by Tracy K. Smith, former U.S. Poet Laureate, that was commissioned for this project and will appear in multiple languages at stations. The online version is accompanied by an original score of the same name by composer Christopher Thompson, which was also commissioned for the memorial. This special tribute involved many people in various disciplines including New York City Transit liaisons to the family, and in-house talent from marketing, web and digital content teams. 

The memorial will appear as an eight-minute video running on 138 three-panel digital screens at 107 subway stations today, Monday, Jan. 25, through Sunday, Feb. 7. The video will play twice consecutively three times per day, at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. and is available to view on a website featuring the memorial and portraits.

"COVID-19 has been a devastating scourge on our entire country and, tragically, that includes the MTA's workforce," said MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye. "We quickly made sure that those families who lost an MTA worker to COVID were taken care of financially, but the launch of today's memorial is aimed at personalizing the legacies of those who died during the pandemic. It is a moving tribute to the members of our heroic workforce who lost their lives and we will continue to make sure those who perished are not forgotten." 

“The pandemic has marked an unimaginably challenging and painful time at New York City Transit,” Feinberg said. “Today marks the next step in our ongoing efforts to honor the colleagues, friends and family members who were taken from us too soon. These men and women were the heroes of the transit system - conductors, bus and train operators, cleaners – but they were also mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters. We think of them daily and we continue to mourn them with their friends and families.”

“TRAVELS FAR, with its poignant title and thoughtful words by Tracy K. Smith, helps us remember these courageous members of the MTA family in a way that pays tribute and honors them and their workplace contributions,” said Sandra Bloodworth, Director of MTA Arts and Design. “Surrounded by a spectrum of colors, the portraits in black and white allow us a glimpse into unique personalities known to their families and colleagues. This memorial shows that art can be a powerful messenger, conveying loss and honoring the memory of our colleagues.”

“Transport Workers Union Local 100 will never forget our union brothers and sisters who perished in service to the city,” said Tony Utano, President, Transport Workers Union Local 100. “It’s our fervent hope that with this memorial the riding public also keeps them in their hearts and minds. Stop for a moment during your daily travels and reflect on these departed heroes, the lives lost, and the heartbreak being carried by their families and co-workers. May they rest in peace.”

TRAVELS FAR by Tracy K. Smith   

What you gave—    

brief tokens of regard,    

soft words uttered    

barely heard,     

the smile glimpsed    

from a passing car.

Through stations    

and years, through    

the veined chambers            

of a stranger’s heart—             

what you gave    

travels far.

A full list of the stations where the memorial will appear is included below.

103 St 
137 St-City College 
145 St 
157 St 
18 St 
23 St 
50 St 
59 St 
66 St 
79 St 
86 St 
Canal St 
Cathedral Pkwy (110th St) 
Christopher St 
Cortlandt St 
Houston St 
Rector St 
103 St 
110 St 
116 St 
23 St 
33 St 
51 St 
77 St 
96 St 
Astor Pl 
Bleecker St 
Canal St 
Spring St 
Court House Sq 
Hunters Point 
Times Square 
Vernon Blvd-Jackson Av 
Times Square 
116 St 
125 St 
135 St 
Bergen St 
Borough Hall 
Fulton St 
Wall St 
Atlantic Av 
Bowling Green 
Fulton Center 
Wall St 
125 St 
14 St-Union Square 
59 St 
86 St 
Dyckman St 
59 St-Columbus Circle 
W 4 St 
23 St 
Clinton-Washington 
Franklin Av 
Kingston-Throop 
Lafayette Av 
Nostrand Av 
Ralph Avenue 
103 St 
116 St 
135 St 
81 St-Museum of Natural History 
96 St 
161 St-Yankee Stadium 
Grand St 
42 St-Bryant Park 
50 St-Rockefeller Center 
Broadway-Lafayette St 
Avenue H 
Avenue J 
155 St 
50 St 
Jamaica Center Parsons/Archer 
5 Av-53 St 
Court Sq-23 St 
21 St-Queensbridge 
Bergen St 
Delancey St 
4 Av 
Ft. Hamilton Pkwy 
Smith-9 Sts 
14 St 
Broadway 
Classon Av 
Clinton Washington Avs 
Court Square 
Flushing Av 
Fulton St 
Greenpoint Av 
Metropolitan Av 
Myrtle Willoughby 
Nassau Av 
Essex St 
Flushing Av 
Hewes St 
Lorimer St 
Marcy Av 
Broad St 
Fulton St 
Kosciusko St 
14 St-Union Square 
3 Av 
Bushwick Av 
Dekalb Av 
Graham Av 
Grand St 
Halsey St 
Jefferson St 
Lorimer St 
Montrose Av 
Morgan Av 
Central Av 
Knickerbocker Av 
36 St 
46 St 
63 Dr 
65 St 
Elmhurst Av 
Northern Blvd 
Steinway St 
Woodhaven Blvd 
Spring St 
Canal St 
14 St-Union Square 
45 St 
49 St 
5 Av 
77 St 
9 St 
Canal St 
City Hall 
Cortlandt St 
Pacific St 
Rector St 
Union St