Hidden Canvas

Hidden Canvas

Rochester’s Underground Art Space and its Future

By Taylor Moe

For Community Journalism

March 5, 2024

Running across the flowing Genesee River is a bridge that holds an abandoned subway system beneath it. With various city projects underway, the potential reconstruction of this subway system is under discussion, but since its termination in 1956, local artists have found an alternative use for its vast tunnel system.

As you walk through the dark tunnels below Broad Street, you will find walls covered in graffiti, murals, and other forms of painted art. With its abandonment, the walls throughout the subway system have become a canvas for local artists to express themselves. However, since this is not a legal form of expression, these artists use graffiti names to hide their identities and claim their artwork.

One such artist goes by the name ‘Manta,’ and she frequently visits the subway tunnels to pursue her passion for art without the pressure of conforming to a specific art style.

“When I started doing graffiti, there was less of a stake in it,” said Manta. “It didn't really lead back to me, so it was no judgment. It was just producing work that I could be proud of, but it didn't really matter what else anyone had to say about it.”

Manta’s mother introduced her to the tunnels as a child and as she grew up, Manta began exploring them on her own and with friends. Manta often frequents the subway system with her partner, who is also a graffiti artist under the name Poy.

At the time Manta began exploring the area, the city had begun to close the entrances to the subway system in preparation for any type of demolition or reconstruction that might take place, making it a prime area to practice graffiti, since the art wouldn’t be negatively impacting the area.

“When I was younger, my mom would take student groups to the subway. And as I got old enough to walk around and start exploring on my own, right around 2016, when they were making plans to build an apartment building right on top of the entrance to the subway,” said Manta. “So, I just started going every single day. I just thought, maybe it won't be here that long, so I'm just gonna go on my own with friends and just learn everything about it that I can.”

For many years, the city of Rochester has been focused on freshening up the downtown area by building new structures and rebuilding old ones, also known as the ROC the Riverway project. Its main focus being the rehabilitation of the areas surrounding the Genesee Riverway.

However, the abandoned subway system has been a major focus for a specific section of the ROC the Riverway project, the Aqueduct Reimagined project, since its conception in April 2022. The Aqueduct Reimagined project aims to refurbish the area surrounding the Erie Canal Aqueduct, which includes the immediate surroundings of the Broad Street Bridge, as well as the bridge itself.

For nearly two years, there has been idle discussion on a range of plans to either rebuild, refurbish, or ignore the entirety of the Broad Street Bridge, including the subway system beneath it. With the various community opinions being taken into consideration, it has been difficult for a decision to be made on the fate of the subway system.

RIT Associate Professor Jessica Lieberman, and consultant for the Aqueduct Reimagined project, shares her thoughts on the importance of artistic expression within the subway system.

“[The subway system] has actually been an abandoned subway tunnel that, in the 1984-85 years, became a part of this incredibly important hip hop culture and artistic revolution,” said Lieberman. “Which has now led to modern graffiti, which is considered in the arts community to be America's longest running, most influential and most profound art movement.”

While there is push from many demographics within Rochester to initiate a change regarding the Broad Street Bridge, any form of demolition or construction to the structure would negatively impact the artistic expression that has accumulated in the subway for decades. The subway system has fostered a community of artists by providing them with a safe haven to unleash their creativity.

Although, the elimination of a sheltered area to paint may not have the desired effect on the graffiti community for either party. Manta expresses her concerns on the impact of having less artistic freedom, as well as the benefits of providing artists access to these types of areas.

“I think that graffiti is something that's gonna happen in the community no matter what. So even if there weren't spots where you could just freely paint in Rochester, there would still be just as much graffiti everywhere and then it would be on city buildings and small businesses and places where people really don't want it,” said Manta. “Having these spaces helps the people who really care about art develop specific styles and put a lot more effort into it. And give rise to new muralists and people who are gonna actually build the art scene in the city.”

With the final plan for the Broad Street Bridge still up in the air, artists continue to use the space until all the walls are covered or crumbled.