Most New Yorkers know the ins and outs of the public transportation system, but they may be slightly less familiar with the Transit Museum, a space dedicated to shedding light on the beauty of subways, buses, and stations in the city. The at-times under-appreciated MTA gets explored through history, artwork, and plenty of fun programs and activities. From musicals and after school classes to a special family party, the New York Transit Museum has got it covered when it comes to great activities for kids!
Transit on the Spectrum
One of the museum’s current exhibits, “Transit on the Spectrum: The Art of Pure Vision” features work from the Pure Vision Arts studio, a gallery for adult artists with autism and other developmental challenges.
“It’s this great studio space where these self-trained artists go and do all kinds of paintings, collages, and sculptures,” said Elyse Newman, the Education Manager at the New York Transit Museum. “Many of the artists who are part of the Pure Vision Arts program really love transit and have done transit-related art.”
The exhibition features a vast array of this beautiful work, including paintings of animals riding the subway, detailed architectural drawings of the city (with the subway going underneath it), and accurate sculptures of trains.
“What’s great about it for families, is that it’s a really colorful, playful exhibit,” Newman said, “and when you walk in, you kind of have this warm feeling like ‘Ah, there’s the bus and there’s the train!’ It’s got a really playful and familiar imagery.”
“Sharin’ a Ride”
The Transit Museum is celebrating Earth Day in April with a slew of musical performances all about the environment! “Sharin’ a Ride”, an original play which runs at various times from April 12-22 and is recommended for ages 4 and up, emphasizes the importance of using public transportation when it comes to sustainability.
“There’s some call and response songs, we did a quick history of public transportation in New York City and how it evolved, and one of the characters, Carbon Footprint Man, learns about how driving into the city by himself has a larger carbon footprint than taking a bus or taking a train,” said Newman.
Picture Book
For older kids ages 9 and up, the Picture Book workshop is a unique opportunity to explore the aesthetics of the transit system. Families will meet at the museum, walk to Borough Hall (three blocks away), and use either their own or borrowed digital cameras to take interesting photos.
“They can take digital pictures of signage, of mosaics, of subway cars as they’re coming and going,” said Newman, “and the idea is to sort of look at the artistry within the station and to re-frame the everyday experience of riding the subway and…really open everybody’s eyes to all these different, intricate parts of the station.”
After families snap their photos, they’ll be able to edit and convert them into digital picture books at the museum’s computer lab and bring them home on a disk. The program is being offered Saturdays, May 3 and May 10; limited capacity, please call 718-694-1792 to register.
Subway Sleuths
This after school program, for children on the autism spectrum from 2nd to 5th grade, helps the “sleuths” hone their social skills through working on projects with each other, including activities on the vintage subway cars, with the museum’s collections, and inspired by special exhibits.
“A lot of children on the spectrum really love trains and come to the transit museum with their families frequently on the weekends,” said Newman, “so this program sort of harnesses their energy and excitement and knowledge of trains and uses that to teach them how to work in a group.”
The innovative program takes place when the museum is closed, so the children have the whole place to explore, learn to follow leaders, and interact with other kids their age. To register, send an email to Elyse.Newman@nyct.com.
Transit Time Capsules
Perfect for all ages, this special family party is the first of its kind! The evening takes place July 10 and celebrates the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the Worlds Fairs in Flushing, New York. During the summer night, the museum will teach families all about the Westinghouse Time Capsules, which were sealed for 5,000 years and each contain items that are supposed to represent the year they were buried. Later, guests will get the chance to enjoy refreshments and make their own time capsules, filling them with metro cards, maps, and tales of transit.
