Art at Amtrak Program Expands in Philadelphia at Gray 30th Street Station

New art installation premieres on the Cira Skybridge

PHILADELPHIA – Nearly a year after Amtrak launched Euphonic & Chromatic Drift,  a large-scale vinyl mural gracing the windows at William H. Gray, III 30^th Street Station, America’s Railroad is continuing its celebrated Art at Amtrak public art program in Philadelphia. In partnership with Brandywine Realty Trust, Amtrak commissioned a new site-specific art installation entitled Flourish, created by Philadelphia-based artist, Roxana Azar. Flourish is featured on the Cira Skybridge, the glass pedestrian bridge over Arch Street, connecting the Cira Centre office building to Gray 30th Street Station. An additional element of the piece will also be featured hanging in a public space within the station.

“The Art at Amtrak program’s vision to spark surprise and engagement through art in public places proudly continues with our newest public art installation in Philadelphia,” said Art at Amtrak Director Sharon Tepper. “By showcasing the work of a local artist, Amtrak is transforming and enhancing the Cira Skybridge, enriching the daily lives of the many travelers, local residents and employees who utilize it, and provoking thought and emotion through this dynamic visual experience.”

The newest art installation at Gray 30^th Street Station follows several free public performances by PHILADANCO!, which delighted customers and station guests alike this past spring as a special presentation by the Art at Amtrak program.

As the third busiest station in Amtrak’s national system, Gray 30th Street Station serves over 4 million Amtrak rail passengers and over 12 million SEPTA and NJ TRANSIT rail commuters annually. On an average weekday the station complex welcomes well over 100,000 people. Together, Cira Centre and Gray 30^th Street Station serve as a gateway to Schuylkill Yards, a $3.5 billion development and innovation ecosystem master-planned by Brandywine in partnership with Drexel University.

“As longtime partners with Amtrak since the inception of Cira Centre almost two decades ago, we are thrilled to collaborate once more to offer a dynamic art experience for our building tenants and station visitors,” said Brandywine Executive Vice President and Senior Managing Director Jeff DeVuono. “This installation captures the vibrant energy and momentum of our evolving Schuylkill Yards neighborhood, one of the most exciting master-planned developments in the country, greatly enhanced by its prime location just outside the historic William H. Gray III 30th Street Station.”

The art installation opens in September. In addition to the Art at Amtrak program at Gray 30^th Street Station, Amtrak is notably in the process of a large-scale restoration and renovation project to modernize the station.

🎨 About the Art:

Azar focused on how a greenhouse creates and sustains the conditions for botanical transplants to flourish, despite the plant’s change in location and climate. For this project, the artist created two digital compositions and worked with them in layers, starting with photographs taken of plants from greenhouses across the country. The artist abstracted the photos with digital manipulation, bold colors and simple gestures to construct playful compositions.

Azar chose to activate the space, which elicits a glasshouse/greenhouse structure, with botanical-inspired works to evoke the vitality of a thriving, lush environment where there is constant movement and transportation with people from all over the country. A dynamic visual experience of both the image and object is created where there are color-shifting shadows, transparency and reflections all at once.

As part of the design, the artist also considered how plants move water and nutrients from their roots to their leaves in connection with how transportation allows cities and communities to flourish and grow.

🖌️ About the Artist:

Roxana Azar is a Philadelphia-based artist whose light art, digital compositions and dichroic plexiglass sculpture work utilizes photography, digital collage and manipulation and sculpture. Their work includes holographic vases, mobiles, furniture and florals with images of collaged greenhouses and gardens.