Urban Garden Rail

2017 Van Siclen Ave (2, 3, 4, 5) New York City Transit

Inspired by the transformation of East New York’s vacant lots into cherished local gardens, Saya Woolfalk created "Urban Garden Rail" to reflect the people of the community, who work side by side to cultivate the land and enrich the local community. Many of the unused locations have been reclaimed by the local gardeners, resulting in thousands of pounds of produce that is consumed by the neighborhood residents as well as people who patronize the gardens and the local farmers’ markets.

Fabricated into two layers of painted stainless steel panels, "Urban Garden Rail" is located along the windscreen walls of the elevated stations’ platforms while many of the farms can be seen and are located within steps of the stations. Through the artwork, Woolfalk depicts figures within the gardens while integrating background patterns from various cultures, seeking to capture the beauty, pride, and intergenerational collaborations embedded in these spaces.