Back to the Garden

2007 Pelham Parkway (2, 5) New York City Transit

Tomie Arai's “Back to the Garden” consists of 24 faceted glass windows at Pelham Parkway in the Bronx. The work contains seasonal floral imagery-spring blossoms, summertime wallflowers, and autumn foliage. The species shown are common to the area of Pelham Parkway, which links Pelham Bay Park with the Bronx Zoo, and New York Botanical Garden. Highlighting the historic nature of the station and the community, Arai insets historic black and white photographs into her colorful images. The photos have been screened and fired onto the glass surface. Taken from archival photographs, they span the period from 1899 to 1969 and capture views of the surrounding streets and buildings. The artwork's title refers to lyrics in a Joni Mitchell song about returning to the simple life, the life back in the garden.