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NJ TRANSIT UNVEILS TRANSIT ART PROJECT AT NEW BRUNSWICK RAIL STATION

New Jersey State Council on the Arts and NJ TRANSIT Partner to Connect Customers with New Brunswick and Middlesex County Artists

September 16, 2022

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — NJ TRANSIT and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts today announced the latest installment of The TRANSITional Art Project, a temporary public art partnership between the agencies, that selects artists for visual exhibition. This year, the Art Institute of Middlesex County also collaborated with NJ TRANSIT to help promote and highlight local talent.

“NJ TRANSIT is pleased to showcase these local artists at one of our centrally-located rail stations,” said New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti.  “This is a unique way of bringing art to life for our customers.”

“The New Brunswick rail station is a key transit hub for our customers on the Northeast Corridor, so it’s only appropriate that it be decorated with original art created by artists from the same area,” said NJ TRANSIT President & CEO Kevin Corbett. “The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has been a great partner over the years in helping us bring this cultural experience to our customers at stations across our system.”

“The State Arts Council is very proud of our on-going partnership with NJ TRANSIT,” said Danielle Bursk, Director of Community Partnerships & Artist Services for the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. “Bringing unique public art opportunities to New Jersey artists and engaging art encounters to residents, commuters, and visitors alike is a perfect example of public service agencies working together to infuse arts and culture in our daily lives in innovative ways. Working together with the NJ TRANSIT team and the Arts Institute of Middlesex on the New Brunswick TRANSITional Art Project was a terrific way to elevate accomplished local artists while also enhancing the experience of passing through the New Brunswick station. ”  

“Since its establishment, the Arts Institute of Middlesex County has promoted projects and programs that make a significant contribution to the arts, while providing public programing that celebrates the rich talent our County has to offer,” said County Commissioner Chanelle Scott McCullum. “Through collaborative partnerships, Middlesex County has become a beacon of artistic and cultural achievements. Not only is this partnership with NJ TRANSIT and their TRANSITional Art Program an exciting opportunity to showcase local artists, but it is a unique way to bring art to our community.”

“We are thrilled to be hosting the TRANSITional Art project in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, along with the support and collaboration of the Art Institute of Middlesex County,” said NJ TRANSIT Assistant Director of Facility Signage and Transit Arts Christine Blanco. “The exhibition, we hope, will delight and brighten the customer experience.”

The exhibition - entitled ‘Take a Breath’ - officially launched at New Brunswick rail station today and will be on view until late November 2022. The exhibition will include 2D illustrative art in the tunnel and bus shelters located on Somerset Street, photography in the waiting room, and fiber art displayed on the exterior columns.

Selected artists receive stipends from The TRANSITional Art Project to help offset the costs of developing and installing their projects.

The goals of this program are to connect NJ TRANSIT customers and the New Brunswick community with new and exciting experiences in their daily lives and to provide New Jersey artists both exhibition opportunities and a 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.

Artists selected for this TRANSITional Art Project installation include Kate Eggleston, Peiche Waite, RH Doaz, and Hailey Potter. Images and details about the exhibit can be found on the NJ TRANSIT website HERE.

About the 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. 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 receives direct appropriations from the State of New Jersey through a dedicated, renewable Hotel/Motel Occupancy fee, as well as competitive grants from the National Endowment for the Arts. To learn more about the Council, please visit www.artscouncil.nj.gov.

About NJ TRANSIT

NJ TRANSIT is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system providing more than 925,000 weekday trips on 253 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 166 rail stations, 62 light rail stations, and more than 18,000 bus stops linking major points in New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia.