Saturday, January 24, 2009
After a six year hiatus, I returned to work last week at the New York Academy of Medicine. NYAM is located on the corner of 103rd and 5th in Manhattan. I live in Forest Hills, Queens, so to get to NYAM I take the R train to 59th & Lex, and transfer to the Uptown 6. The 6 takes me to 103rd and Lexington, which is just 2 blocks away from NYAM.I actually enjoy the subway, and for the most part my commute is as I remember it from six years ago. However, a few details have changed:
1) Arts for Transit Posters- For those of you unfamiliar, the MTA commissions two or three artists each year to create a transit-related poster for display in the subways. When I last worked, the Subway Whale and Centennial Game posters were everywhere. The current posters are Fire Escape and In Flight.
2) Dr. Zizmor? Dr. Zizmor's subway ads were a fixture of my commute from 1993-2002. His ads are noticeably absent now. Maybe this is why?
3) SVA Ads- I have always enjoyed the School of Visual Arts subway posters. When I last worked, SVA was still running the Art Is . . . . campaign. I saw this poster in the station yesterday, and I wholeheartedly approve.
4) Make 'Em Laugh Posters - PBS is running a very clever ad campaign for its Make 'Em Laugh series. The posters take up half the subway car, and essentially thank everyone who has been the subject of ridicule over the past few decades: Thank you men with mullets, thank you women with big hair, thank you bald men, thank you shallow men, thank you Dubbya, thank you Monica, thank you Hillary, thank you New Jersey, thank you France, etc. I unfortunately can't find a picture of the posters, but you get the idea. They are a welcome addition to my commute.
So that's what's new in subway advertising. It's good to be back.
