Press Releases
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 4, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov
NYC DOT Commissions Five Public Artworks in Each of the Five Boroughs
In Partnership With Community Organizations and Artists, NYC DOT Is Funding Five Unique Public Artworks for Display Across the City, Including Sculptures and an Asphalt Art Mural
NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez today revealed plans for five temporary, site-specific public artworks on NYC DOT infrastructure in each of the five boroughs. NYC DOT oversees these projects through an NYC DOT Art program initiative known as Community Commissions where the agency collaborates with community-based organizations and artists to design and install new temporary, site-responsive public art. The artworks commissioned by NYC DOT include Public Access on Staten Island, Aunties in Manhattan, Limes in Brooklyn, Weaving the Future: A Vessel of Water, Roots, and Community in the Bronx, and About a Living Culture in Queens. Renderings and completed projects can be downloaded online.
“Each of these five installations uses our streets as canvasses to encapsulate New York City and the resilience of its residents,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Community Commissions is a cornerstone initiative of NYC DOT Art, and I thank our talented artists, and dedicated community partners, for their unwavering commitment to bringing these projects (and our streets) to life!”
About Community Commissions
Community Commissions is a signature NYC DOT Art initiative in which the agency collaborates with community-based organizations to commission artists to design and install temporary, site-responsive public art on NYC DOT infrastructure, including medians, triangles, sidewalks, and asphalt. NYC DOT displays artworks for up to 11 months at designated community sites. Artists were selected through the Community Commissions open call based on artistic merit and strong proposals that demonstrated a connection to the site’s cultural context and the partner organization’s mission. Community-based organizations were selected from a 2023 RFP for their mission and vision in supporting art that celebrates their communities. This iteration marks the return of this initiative for the first time since 2020. The program began in 2008 with the inception of NYC DOT Art.
About the Projects
Staten Island
Public Access by Mollie Hosmer-Dillard
Public Access by Mollie Hosmer-Dillard is on display at the asphalt pedestrianized space of Corson Avenue and Victory Boulevard on Staten Island
Public Access is an asphalt art mural completed at the end of September 2024 as the first of the five NYC DOT Art Community Commissions projects in this cohort. In the design, artist Mollie Hosmer-Dillard combined an infinity symbol and other shapes created in collaboration with members of the partner organization, On Your Mark, in the colors of the Disability Pride Flag. It aims to bring the social and cultural context of adults with disabilities being served by On Your Mark into daily pedestrian life. The new artwork not only invigorates the new pedestrianized space but also serves as a nearby extension to the organization's community-based programming to provide innovative and comprehensive community-based services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Public Access by Brooklyn-based artist Mollie Hosmer-Dillard in collaboration with On Your Mark is on display at the asphalt pedestrianized space of Corson Avenue and Victory Boulevard on Staten Island through August 2025.
Manhattan
Aunties by Fitgi Saint-Louis
Aunties by Fitgi Saint-Louis, sculpture is on display on 124th Street and Lenox Avenue in Manhattan
With Aunties, Fitgi Saint-Louis honors the women who passionately nurture and embolden the Harlem community. In Harlem, these cultivators of culture, organizers, and style icons have fearlessly called the community to action across generations. This assembly of large-scale figures reflects the monumental spirit of those uplifting the neighborhood. Created with layers of wood, the vibrantly painted material is a reminder of heritage craft traditions and connection to land. Aunties is intentionally positioned with open space between figures to invite people to stand with them. The installation recognizes the continued contributions of aunties to the collective fabric in the past, present and future.
Aunties by Harlem-based artist Fitgi Saint-Louis in collaboration with the West Harlem Art Fund is on display at 124th Street and Lenox Avenue in Manhattan through April 2026.
Brooklyn
Limes by Alumbra
Limes by Alumbra is on display at the Washington Empire Plaza in Brooklyn
Limes is a temporary art installation designed to transform Washington Empire Plaza into a vibrant community gathering place that celebrates Caribbean identity. The title references the Caribbean term, ‘lime,’ meaning to spend time with others. The installation features three metal benches with woven colorful patterns, offering a welcoming space for the community to come together to rest and engage in various activities. This project was created through a collaborative process that invited the local community to participate in the design and installation to foster a sense of ownership and connection to the space.
Limes by the Latina women-led artist collective Alumbra working between New York and Mexico in collaboration with I AM Caribbeing is on display at Empire Boulevard and Washington Avenue at Washington Empire Plaza in Brooklyn through April 2026.
The Bronx
Weaving the Future: A Vessel of Water, Roots, and Community by Yafatou Sarr
Left: Rendering of Yafatou Sarr’s Weaving the Future: A Vessel of Water, Roots, and Community’s steel structure which will be covered with crochet elements, to be installed at Grand Concourse and East Fordham Road in the Bronx Right: Photo of Sarr crocheting on the Concourse House fence. Photo Credit: ADISHOOTS Adiana Rivera (2021).
Standing six feet tall, Weaving the Future: A Vessel of Water, Roots, and Community is a structure inspired by traditional African water vessels adorned with crochet created by artist Yafatou Sarr, a Concourse House mother, artist, and former resident, in collaboration with Concourse House’s community. The imagery, developed through a series of participatory workshops with resident mothers and their children reflects themes deeply rooted in The Gambia, West Africa, the artist’s homeland. The design incorporates a woven sun, flowing river, fish, and an intricate network of mangroves, symbolizing resilience, sustenance, and cultural connection. Through this collaborative process, the sculpture embodies the interwoven narratives of water, heritage, and community, celebrating both ancestral traditions and the future they shape.
Weaving the Future: A Vessel of Water, Roots, and Community by Bronx-based artist Yafatou Sarr in collaboration with Concourse House will be on display at Grand Concourse and East Fordham Road in the Bronx through June 2026.
Queens
About a Living Culture by IMAGINE
IMAGINE (a.k.a Sneha Shrestha) pictured with her 2023 work, Dwarpalika (Temple Guardian). Photo Credit: Jane Louie. This sculpture is representative of her Community Commissions sculpture, About a Living Culture to be installed at Diversity Plaza at Roosevelt Avenue and Broadway in Queens.
The first public sculpture of Nepali artist IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha) is a nearly six-foot tall golden sculpture in the shape of an arch made of repeating rows of 'Ka,' the first letter of the Nepali alphabet. In Nepal, religious and sacred environments feature variations in the form of archways. These ubiquitous structures encourage passersby to look through and get blessings from the divine. The sculpture will invite the public to experience a meditation and send it out to the universe as they embark upon their pathways through Diversity Plaza.
About a Living Culture by IMAGINE (a.k.a Sneha Shrestha) in collaboration with the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art will be on display in Diversity Plaza at Roosevelt Avenue and Broadway in Queens through November 2025.
About the Artists
Mollie Hosmer-Dillard is a Brooklyn-based painter working in the field of social practice. She has a BA from Oberlin College and an MFA from Indiana University. Hosmer-Dillard’s recent artistic research investigates working with communities to create large-scale “multi-vocal” paintings, images that celebrate a diversity of visual art styles and challenge traditional Western art’s emphasis on the isolated individual. As part of her social practice work, Hosmer-Dillard has worked extensively with incarcerated people, unhoused people, seniors, people with cognitive and physical disabilities, and immigrant youth.
Fitgi Saint-Louis is a multidisciplinary artist based in Harlem, NY. Her work considers the layered and intertwined nature of identity, remembrance, and community within African, American and Caribbean cultures. Appearing in paint, textiles and sculpture, her abstracted figures honor the multifaceted ancestry of the African diaspora. With a background in design, Saint-Louis utilizes form and color to present Black figures in vibrant and contemplative imagery.
Alumbra is a Latina women-led collective of artists, educators, and community organizers, with members between the US and Mexico. They collaborate with youth in marginalized neighborhoods to create responsive, site-specific artistic light installations that transform underused community spaces into safe, creative places, bringing neighbors together at night. The team recognizes the power of open-air public spaces to strengthen cohesion when designed and built with community members.
Yafatou Sarr is a Bronx-based textile artist from The Gambia. Her work spans crochet, weaving, and sewing, creating both functional pieces and public art installations that reflect her African heritage and her local community. Sarr transforms traditional craft techniques into contemporary designs, sharing her artistic vision through collaborative public art projects with the Concourse House community where Sarr was previously a resident mother.
IMAGINE (aka Sneha Shrestha) is a Nepali artist who incorporates her native language and meshes the aesthetics of Sanskrit scriptures with graffiti influences. She has shown her meditative works in several exhibitions, commissioned works and public walls around the world from Kathmandu to Boston. Sneha’s painting Home416 was recently acquired into the Permanent Collection of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston making her the first contemporary Nepali artist to ever be acquired in the history of the MFA.
About the Community Partners
On Your Mark provides innovative and comprehensive community-based services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across their lifespan. They are committed to helping each individual experience the highest quality of life possible by providing person-centered programs that promote community and social inclusion, health and fitness, daily activity participation, independence, self-empowerment, and productivity.
The West Harlem Art Fund (WHAF) is a twenty-six-year-old public art and new media organization. WHAF seeks opportunities for artists and creative professionals throughout NYC and beyond, wishing to showcase and share their talent. WHAF presents art and culture in open and public spaces to add aesthetic interest; promote historical and cultural heritage; and support community involvement in local development.
I AM Caribbeing is a multidisciplinary cultural venture dedicated to showcasing Caribbean culture, art, and lifestyle in Greater New York City and around the world. They celebrate and amplify Caribbean culture and lifestyle, supporting businesses, building community, as well as documenting and creating culture. The award-winning cultural venture is based in Flatbush, also known as Little Caribbean since 2017.
Concourse House: Home for Women and their Children works to eliminate homelessness by providing families with safe, stable, transitional housing. Concourse House works with each family according to their own individual needs and provides services based on those needs. Concourse House emphasizes stability and healthy independent living. By providing the women and children with a supportive, engaging environment, Concourse House hopes to instill the tools needed to make a successful transition into permanent housing for every family we serve.
The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art is a global museum dedicated to presenting Himalayan art and its insight through exhibitions, participatory experiences, partnerships, and a dynamic digital platform. Inspired and informed by Himalayan art, the Rubin invites people to contemplate the human experience and deepen connections to the world around them in order to expand awareness, enhance well-being, and cultivate compassion.
About NYC DOT Art
The New York City Department of Transportation’s Art Program (NYC DOT Art) partners with community-based, nonprofit organizations, and professional artists to present temporary public art on NYC DOT property throughout the five boroughs for up to eleven months. Artists transform streets with colorful murals, dynamic projections and eye-catching sculptures. Sidewalks, fences, triangles, medians, bridges, jersey barriers, step streets, public plazas and pedestrianized spaces serve as canvases and foundations for temporary art. Since 2008, NYC DOT Art has produced over 500 temporary artworks citywide. For more information, visit nyc.gov/dotart or @nyc_DOTArt on Instagram.
Mollie Hosmer-Dillard (Artist, Staten Island Community Commissions artist):
“Taking on an NYC DOT Art Community Commission is like channeling a lightning bolt of momentum and creativity: It’s a high-stakes opportunity to make an artwork devoted to the city’s commons – an artwork that becomes part of the living fabric of the neighborhood - while also working to reflect the culture of a local partner organization. Honoring and synthesizing those concerns revitalized my artistic practice.”
Nadia Fabozzi (Director of Development, On Your Mark, Staten Island Community Commissions partner):
“Working on the NYC DOT Art Community Commissions project with Mollie Hosmer-Dillard and the NYC DOT has been a truly meaningful experience. Collaborating on a public art piece that reflects the creativity and spirit of the individuals we serve at On Your Mark highlights the importance of inclusion and representation in our shared spaces. Public art has the power to bring communities together, and this project celebrates the voices and talents of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in a beautiful and lasting way.”
Fitgi Saint-Louis (Artist, Manhattan Community Commissions artist):
“It's a true honor to represent Manhattan in the NYC DOT Art Community Commission cohort and to have this work mounted in my own neighborhood. Accessible public art is vital in creating inspiration in our urban landscape and affirming in reflecting our daily lives. I chose to create a piece highlighting a collective of women and their integral role within our community of Harlem.”
Savona Baily-McClain (Executive Director, West Harlem Art Fund, Manhattan Community Commissions partner):
“Our mission is to bring exceptional public art to Harlem and the surrounding areas of NYC. By introducing modern art into urban environments, we aim to bring new perspectives and voices to a wide range of communities. Additionally, we include narratives from many diasporas around the world.”
Alumbra (Artist collective, Brooklyn Community Commissions artist):
“Placemaking is about communities turning a space into a place they call their own. When we use light as a tool to transform space, we unlock the power to create safer, more vibrant, and welcoming places for everyone.”
Shelley V. Worrell (Founder and Cultural Entrepreneur, I AM Caribbeing, Brooklyn Community Commissions partner):
“I AM CARIBBEING is thrilled to partner with the New York City Department of Transportation and Alumbra on this innovative public art project inspired by Caribbean culture and heritage. Public space has the power to have a transformational effect on communities and Washington Empire Plaza is positioned to be exactly that– a vibrant space for civic engagement and artistic expression in the heart of Brooklyn’s Little Caribbean.”
Yafatou Sarr (Artist, Bronx Community Commissions Artist):
“This sculpture honors the cultural traditions of Gambia while celebrating the creativity and resilience of Bronx mothers and children. Through weaving, crochet, and shared storytelling, we’ve created more than a sculpture—we’ve built a symbol of nourishment, connection, and community pride. I’m deeply grateful to collaborate with Concourse House and bring West African heritage to life in this vibrant public space.”
Jess Rolls (Arts Program Curator, Concourse House, Bronx Community Commissions Partner):
“Concourse House, Home for Women and Their Children, is delighted to work with Yafatou Sarr and Concourse House families alongside community collaborators, Mothers Art Crew, Studio For and Yougie Iron Works Inc. Weaving the Future follows Yafatou’s journeys of migration, motherhood, and transition from Concourse House and welcomes many hands from our community into the production process. True to our mission at Concourse House, the sculpture fosters a feeling of home, belonging, collaboration and friendship.”
IMAGINE (a.k.a. Sneha Shrestha, Artist, Queens Community Commissions artist):
“This sculpture is a homage to the Himalayan diaspora's living traditions. Through the interplay of light, form, and script, it creates a contemplative space that honors ancestral roots while embracing the diverse narratives of Jackson Heights.”
Michelle Bennett Simorella (Director of Global Projects and Collections, Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Queens Community Commissions Partner):
“The Rubin is committed to making Himalayan art accessible in innovative ways. This partnership with NYC DOT Art builds on this vision by bringing a new public artwork to Jackson Heights, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the city. It’s wonderful to bring IMAGINE’s vision to life and provide New Yorkers of all backgrounds with a moment of inspiration.”