NJ TRANSIT UNVEILS TRANSIT ART PROJECT AT THE MORRIS PLAINS STATION
New Jersey State Council on the Arts and NJ TRANSIT Partner to Connect Commuters with New Jersey Artists.
October 20, 2026
MORRIS PLAINS, NJ — NJ TRANSIT and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts today announced the latest installment of the TRANSITional Art Project at the NJ TRANSIT Morris Plains Rail Station. Downtown Morris Plains also collaborated with NJ TRANSIT to help promote and highlight local Morris County and North Jersey talent. The TRANSITional Art Project is a partnership between the agencies that selects artists for temporary visual art exhibitions at NJ TRANSIT stations across the state.
The exhibition entitled Tracks Through Time: Movement, History, and Human Connection reflects on 250 years of American identity and transformation, the historical and cultural significance of railroads, and the lived experiences of people in transit both past and present.
This exhibition features the photography of Beyti Barbaros, two murals by Jonathan Yumi and a three-panel mural installation by Catherine Thurston.
“Railroads helped to build this nation, and as we mark 250 years of our shared history, there's no better place to tell that story than in the very stations where the past and daily life intersect," said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kris Kolluri. “Tracks Through Time captures the movement, the history, and the human connection that define both NJ TRANSIT and New Jersey, and we're honored to showcase these remarkable artists at our Morris Plains Station.”
Selected artists receive stipends from the TRANSITional Art Project to help offset the costs of developing their projects.
“The New Jersey State Council on the Arts recognizes that public art has the power to transform the places we move through every day into places where we can pause, connect, and see our communities in new ways,” said Danielle Bursk, Arts Council Director of Community Partnerships & Artist Services. “Through our partnership with NJ TRANSIT, we’re creating opportunities for New Jersey artists to interpret and illuminate the many stories that have shaped our state.”
Initially launched as a pilot program in 2019 at Newark Penn Station, this program has successfully launched exhibitions across the state including the Atlantic City Bus and Rail Terminals, Trenton Transit Center, New Brunswick Rail Station, Walter Rand Bus Terminal and Light Rail Station, Summit Rail Station and Rahway Rail Station.
"At Downtown Morris Plains, we believe that public art is essential to a vibrant downtown and thriving business district. We are thrilled to partner with New Jersey State Council on the Arts and NJ TRANSIT to bring the 2026 TRANSITional Art project to Morris Plains to help celebrate the borough's centennial. We know that the work of these talented local artists will help highlight our community as a special place to live, visit, and shop."
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Mural by Jonathan Yumi
“The artworks narrate the rail transportation journey of past to present in America. Our hope is they will resonate with both our customers and the surrounding Morris Plains community,” said Christine Blanco, NJ TRANSIT Director of Facility Signage and Transit Art Programs.
The goals of this program are to connect NJ TRANSIT customers and the surrounding community with invigorated experiences in their daily lives and to provide New Jersey artists with both exhibition opportunities and supportive experience creating public art in transit spaces. NJ TRANSIT and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts intend to continue providing new art exhibitions to other stations throughout the state.
About NJ TRANSIT
NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 264 bus routes, three light rail lines, 12 commuter rail lines and through Access Link paratransit service. It is the third largest transit system in the country with 165 rail stations, 62 light rail stations and more than 19,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York and Philadelphia.
About NEW JERSEY STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, created in 1966, is a division of the NJ Department of State and a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. Public support for the arts in New Jersey is drawn from a dedicated, renewable revenue source - the Hotel/Motel Occupancy Fee - as well as an annual, competitive federal grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Council was established to encourage and foster public interest in the arts; enlarge public and private resources devoted to the arts; promote freedom of expression in the arts; and facilitate the inclusion of art in every public building in New Jersey. The Council believes the arts are central to every element we value most in a modern society including: human understanding; cultural and civic pride; strong communities; excellent schools; lifelong learning; creative expression; and economic opportunity. Learn more at www.artscouncil.nj.gov.
About Downtown Morris Plains
Downtown Morris Plains is a volunteer-led non-governmental, nonpartisan non-profit organization established by residents who believe that a vibrant, thriving downtown and business economy is a "win" for everyone. Incorporated as a non-profit in March of 2023, we carry out our mission of economic, social, and cultural enrichment through partnerships, fundraising, projects and events.