They are credited with bringing creative inspiration to millions every day - a simple idea that has been copied in cities across the world. In 1986 the first Poems on the Underground appeared in Tube carriages, and both commuters and visitors to London have been pondering their meaning ever since. Transport for London will be marking the 40th anniversary of this "art for all" project with new works, poetry readings and displays of poems at London Underground stations.
Become a paid member to listen to this article As 2025 comes to a close, we take a look back at our top 10 stories that got the most attention this past year. Our most popular articles span the topics you care about most-from transit and art to historic preservation, film locations, and the hidden secrets of NYC. Enjoy our countdown and let us know what your favorite story was this year!
The small artworks are the calling cards of San Francisco artist DraINvader, who's on a mission to cover sewer drain holes with something worth noticing. "The idea is, every piece solves a real problem while adding something beautiful," he said. For the past several months, DraINvader has been steadily installing his pieces on city sidewalks. Each customized square plate features a 3-D printed image, such as a butterfly, a Day of the Dead skull or Star Wars' R2-D2.
Tracking down pandas from a 2004 art project. In 2004, artists made 150 panda statues that were scattered across DC as part of PandaMania, a public art project that captured the city's imagination.
The 100 metre long Falcon Road underpass runs under the railways to the eastern side of Clapham Junction station and is the only route north-south under the railways in the area. Despite how busy it is, it has long been a very shabby route, with two narrow pedestrian paths, walls lined with stained and broken tiles, and the floor covered in pigeon droppings.
Bold blocks of color and chunky geometric forms define The Walala Lounge, Camille Walala's permanent public installation in downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. Spread across the streets of the market district, the project transforms benches and planters into oversized sculptural steel , using saturated hues and graphic contrasts. Curated by justkids, the pieces work collectively to establish a visual cadence along the street, transforming moments of rest, waiting, and gathering into shared encounters with form and color.
Titled "Migration," the project marks the second phase of a broader cultural initiative that began with the landmark restoration of Harlem Renaissance sculptor Richmond Barthé's "Exodus and Dance" frieze. The restoration received the 2025 Moses Award for Preservation Projects from the New York Landmarks Conservancy and the 2025 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award from the Preservation League of New York State. The heritage walk honors the "Great Migration" and features 35 illuminated steel sculptures ranging from six to 12 feet high, spread across the 16-acre campus. The installation amplifies the voices, memories, and aspirations of Kingsborough residents while honoring the recently restored, monumental 8-foot-by-80-foot frieze, installed in 1941.
A community-inspired mural project aims to beautify and revitalize a neighborhood in East San Jose. Artists gathered for the East Side Stories mural painting festival Saturday, complete with a DJ and lowrider cars around Tropicana Liquors on Story Road. Muralists created images of the Virgin Mary, lowriders and Mesoamerican symbols on the liquor store's exterior walls. They also transformed the exteriors of Car & Truck Auto Clinic, East Hills Veterinary Clinic and Wash America on Story Road and S&S Market on Capitol Expressway. The festival, curated by 1Culture art gallery owner Andrew Espino, celebrated the heritage and traditions of immigrant cultures in the area.
When the sculptor Joel Shapiro created Blue, the piece that stands around the back of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, looking out over the Potomac River in Washington, he wanted to tap into a number of elements. The giant matchstick figure denotes movement and energy, risk and possibility. As Shapiro himself has said, it is supposed to reconfigure depending on how you look at it.
When the legendary sculptor Isamu Noguchi was tapped to redesign a blighted public park in Miami, he conceived of the project as a village green-a place where the community would gather with purpose, rather than just a manicured lawn. Originally built in 1925 after three years of construction, the park had fallen into complete disrepair by the time Noguchi was approached.
Outdoor art can become a crucial element of a place's identity, but long-term and permanent pieces face particularly complex conservation issues. As these works weather the elements-which can include intended and unintended public interaction-they are subjected to damage and decay, leaving those in charge of their care with the difficult and costly task of ongoing maintenance. But who exactly is responsible can be complicated, leading to disrepair, litigation and even the eventual removal of works.
SAN FRANCISCO - An inflatable giant with a cartoonish skull-and-crossbones head perches on the roof of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, like a car-lot tube man, advertising the exhibition KAWS: Family inside. The big balloon is various shades of gray, reminiscent of another large sculpture just a few blocks away on the Embarcadero Plaza, a 40-foot-tall naked woman fabricated from steel mesh.
What should Oshawa's arts and culture sector look like 10 years from now? That's a question city staff are asking the public as they prepare to create a new culture plan a roadmap intended to guide Oshawa's next decade of action to support cultural initiatives. This will be the city's second culture plan, replacing one that's been in place since 2014, says Catherine Richards, the city's senior manager of special events and culture.
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