MBTA now says ‘no final decision’ on the Green Line extension artwork
After informing artists that the artwork the MBTA previously commissioned for new stations on the Green Line extension would be difficult to fund and was likely to be scrapped, the agency told artists Monday there may still be hope.
Last week, the MBTA informed eight artists who had contracts to design and install the public artwork at new stations that the project would not be able to continue “without an outside funding source.’’
But at a MBTA Fiscal and Management Control Board meeting Monday, Joseph Aiello, chairman of the board, said the cuts previously announced aren’t final.
“We have asked the staff to reach out to each of the artists … to let them know that no final decisions have been made about the artwork,’’ Aiello said. “We are trying to understand what the stations might look like over the long-term and whether the artwork that had been commissioned for each of thosee stations is consistent with the way the stations will be evolving.’’
Last week’s cancellation came as a way to cut costs for the project’s budget, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. The Green Line extension is estimated to be as much as $1 billion over budget, and the MBTA has considered both cutting back on some aspects of the project or even cancelling it.
Last week, following the notice to artists, Pesaturo told Boston.com that it “would be fair to call it a cut at this point in time’’ rather than just put on hold.
As of the Monday meeting, the artwork, which would cost around $1.9 million to complete, is back on the table.
“After consulting with the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board, MBTA staff today called the artists, and asked them to continue working on their GLX projects,’’ Pesaturo said in a statement on Monday. “The earlier decision is on hold while the [Control Board] continues to gather and analyze information pertaining to each and every element of the Green Line extension project.’’
The MBTA has already spent around $208,500 for the commissioned art, Pesaturo told Boston.com last week.
“I’d like to apologize for any distress this has caused the particular artists,’’ Aiello said at the meeting. “That’s not the way we intend to do business around here, to sort of target small businesses.’’
MBTA leaders are scheduled to hear about what went wrong with the Green Line extension’s bloated budget on November 30, and a strategy about how the project should move forward on December 9.
Adam Vaccaro contributed to this report.
Related gallery: The busiest MBTA stations
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