Subway Therapy: The Collective Art That Heals
Photos courtesy of Yoko Ono, Vigfus Birgisson, Adam Shorr, Matthew Levee Chavez, Aaron Cohen & The NAMES Project
Anonymous notes – carrying messages of hope, loss, confusion and anger – recently flooded the walls of New York City’s Union Square subway station. They weren’t the work of a Banksy-like vandal. Instead, they came from tens of thousands of people who were trying to make sense of the recent election and find some comfort in the feelings that stemmed from its results. That’s right: in one of the most bustling cities in the world, scores of people were compelled to pause, reflect and contribute to collective art that heals.
The Subway Therapy installation, created by artist Matthew “Levee” Chavez, collects the thoughts of commuters onto Post-it notes that cover subway walls all over the City. Community-based art depends on interaction and dialogue, and people of all walks of life have been more than willing to contribute to this conversation.
Chavez told Paste it “was never about the election…it was built around stress relief, inclusion, conversation and peaceful expression.” Participant Molly Jenkins felt that relief while reading other submissions on the wall: “It was a welcome reminder that people still care, that there is still love and hope, and that it can be found in ordinary people every day.”
Although Subway Therapy wasn’t created with the election in mind, peoples’ interactions with it have organically shifted its focus. As any such installation grows, it evolves and changes with the collective experiences of its participants, and creates a new narrative that reflects the viewpoint of the community. In this way, the artist, though pivotal in their role, loses some control over the development of the work and gives partial ownership to those who interacted with it.
After all, a collective voice is louder than a single one.
Another participant, Kelly Purkey, spoke about how the other responses reflected the divided mood of the community: “Subway Therapy was incredibly therapeutic and helped to offer a bright spot after what was a dark wave of disheartening experiences that followed the election.”
Considering the dismal atmosphere that Purkey references, the notes haven’t all been about the election. In fact, they remain mostly uplifting and generally inspiring. Jenkins says she simply wrote “you are loved” on her Post-it: “I hoped that anyone could read that and take some comfort if they needed it… sometimes we all need to be reminded of that.”
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