Grand Central to Host NYC’s Largest Public Art Installation

Grand Central Terminal has seen a lot in its 112 years—commuters, film shoots, flash mobs, the cast of Severance—but never this. For two weeks this fall, the landmark will transform into the city’s largest public art installation in decades, courtesy of Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton.

From October 6–19, the project Dear New York will take over the entire terminal, clearing Grand Central of advertising for the first time in its history. Instead of shoe ads and train alerts, more than 150 digital screens will pulse with thousands of portraits and stories from Stanton’s 15-year archive, creating what organizers call a “visual love letter” to the city.

The centerpiece is set for the Main Concourse, where 50-foot projections designed with Broadway heavyweight David Korins (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen) will flood the iconic space. Down below, both levels of the subway tunnels will be wrapped in imagery by design firm Pentagram, marking the most extensive art use of that subterranean real estate to date. Even Vanderbilt Hall is getting in on the action, hosting live programming and new works by emerging New York City artists, including contributions from public school students.

And here’s the kicker: It’s all free, all day, all night. You could roll through at rush hour or 3 am and still be part of the city-sized gallery.

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The installation is more than a spectacle. Funded entirely by proceeds from Stanton’s forthcoming book, Dear New York represents an unusual model for public art: one not underwritten by corporate sponsorships, but by a single creator reinvesting back into the city. 

Collaborators span disciplines and institutions—the MTA, NYC Public Schools, Korins, Pentagram—reflecting the kind of eclectic team you’d expect for a project this ambitious. Each element has been designed to fold Grand Central’s architecture and daily bustle into the experience, making the portraits feel less like an exhibition and more like part of the city’s ongoing story.

In a town where art can sometimes feel walled off in ticketed museums and galleries, Dear New York promises the opposite: a gift of scale, emotion and pure accessibility. For two weeks, the busiest building in the city will also be its biggest canvas.