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January 2021
Digital Discussion – Underground Heroes: New York Transit in the Comics
New York City’s rich visual vernacular is a colorful setting for illustrated stories, so it comes as no surprise that our iconic transportation system has played a starring role in comics and graphic novels. Over the years, artists have been inspired to place the stories of humans, superheroes, monsters, and more in the city's neighborhoods and on public transit.
Join Associate Curator Jodi Shapiro as we take a virtual ride through the recent exhibition, “Underground Heroes: New York Transit in the Comics”. Discover the ways that satirical cartoons, comic strips, and comic books by a range of visual storytellers have been used to bring the stories- and histories- of New York to life.
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Digital Discussion: William Barclay Parsons – Engineering the Early Subway
On October 27th, 1904, a nine-mile section of New York City subway track opened that was largely the pioneering work of William Barclay Parsons, the Chief Engineer of the Rapid Transit Commission from 1894 to 1904. A graduate of Columbia’s School of Mines, Parsons was a brilliant engineer and skilled negotiator who traveled widely to analyze the achievements and flaws of subway systems abroad as he began to devise plans for New York City. Parsons successfully persuaded politicians, bankers, and citizens alike to get on board with his ideas, which enabled him to plan and build the first route of the Interborough Rapid Transit Company in a mere four years.
Join Curator Kathleen Hulser for a digital discussion to examine the accomplishments and challenges Parsons faced during the construction of the New York City subway, as well as the key decisions he made that shaped the system that still moves millions of New Yorkers today.
Find out more »Digital Discussion: Ferries
Ferries once dominated the waterways as the only way to travel between the boroughs in New York City, and helped knit together different parts of the city that otherwise would have been difficult to reach. Though ferries are not a main mode of transport for many New Yorkers today, there has been a resurgence in recent years and more people are experiencing how desirable commuting by boat can be.
Join Senior Education Coordinator, Cassie Wood-Triplett, for a digital discussion to hear about boats over time and their impact on New York City, and how they’ve evolved from canoes, to horse-powered paddle boats, to steam engines, to the diesel vessels we use today
Limited spots available! RSVP here >
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