Workers

1991 Hartsdale (Harlem Line) Metro-North Railroad

In his silhouetted figures at the Scarsdale and Hartsdale stations, Tom Nussbaum directly acknowledges and celebrates those most likely to view his artwork there: commuters and railroad workers. At the Hartsdale station, 21-one life-sized figures are placed along the center of the open space between the two train tracks. In addition, monumentally-scaled people made of iron are seen in the station's track bed, busy working: guiding trains, keeping the track in good repair and throwing switches. Nussbaum says, "My approach to this kind of figurative work reflects an on-going interest in American folk sculpture of all kinds, especially whirligigs and weather vanes." (See Scarsdale for the other work in the series.)