Art at Amtrak Expands to Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan Train Hall with Installation of Karen Margolis' 'Continuum'

Amtrak is continuing its celebrated Art at Amtrak public art program, expanding to the Metropolitan Lounge at Moynihan Train Hall with new work from multidisciplinary visual artist Karen Margolis. Comprised of four panels measuring approximately 6’3”x 6’8” each, the recently unveiled creation is the latest from Margolis’ Continuum series, which includes handmade linen, abaca laminated over wire, maps, thread, cotton-covered wire, acrylic, chicken wire, and found materials into a form that dissolves into nebulous clouds of color and texture. 

“We are thrilled to build on the highly successful inaugural year of Art at Amtrak with this captivating new work by Karen Margolis that improves the customer experience,” said Amtrak Vice President, Northeast Corridor Service Line Jina Sanone. “As the only first class travel lounge in New York City, the Metropolitan Lounge is a perfect home for Art at Amtrak to showcase the region’s creative vibrancy and provide a platform for artists who live, travel and work here.”

Margolis’ new Continuum installation includes map fragments of Amtrak stops all over the country as a way of bringing people and places together. The series represents a blueprint of metaphysical possibilities for repairing tears in the fabric of the universe. The work grows and transforms with the addition of components in each new installation.

Amtrak launched Art at Amtrak in June 2022 and has commissioned temporary installations for New York Penn Station by local artists including Saya Woolfalk, Dahlia Elsayed, Dennis RedMoon Darkeem, Ghost of a Dream, and, most recently, Derrick Adams. 

Art at Amtrak is curated by Debra Simon Art Consulting. Simon was Director of Public Art at the Times Square Alliance; created Arts Brookfield, the largest privately funded public art program in the United States; and co-founded the River-to-River festival.

Photo credit: David Plakke