Harlem Timeline (1995) © Willie Birch, NYCT 135 St. Commissioned by MTA Arts & Design. Photo: MTA Trent Reeves.
“Harlem Timeline” serves as a tribute to Harlem luminaries, combining portraiture with visual references to African American quilts, textile designs of Mexico and Africa, and visionary folk art. Learn more about this piece and view more photographs on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority website.
Discussion Questions
- Which images or quotes from the “Harlem Timeline” do you recognize? What pattern unites these selections?
- What is the dominant color in this artwork? What does it symbolize?
- How does the form and location of this artwork—as well as what is depicted in it—contribute to its meaning?