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The 'Subway Therapy' Wall Will Be Preserved In Book Form
By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Dec 22, 2016
Modified Dec 22, 2016
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By
Gaby Del Valle
Published Dec 22, 2016
Modified Dec 22, 2016
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The Subway Therapy Post-It walls that formed after the election have been coming down, and in addition to being preserved at the New-York Historical Society, many of the messages from the project will be bound into a book. Unsurprisingly, it will be titled Subway Therapy.
Artist Matthew "Levee" Chavez set up the first Subway Therapy wall the day after the presidential election in the tunnel connecting the 1/2/3 station at 14th Street and Seventh Avenue and the F/M/L station at 6th Avenue. "Because of how stressful the last couple of days were, I thought it would be nice to have something that people could do really quickly so that they could maybe get something off their chest," he told ABC7 in November.
Other Post-It walls soon emerged, including one at Union Square, where Governor Cuomo left his own message, and another at Atlantic Terminal that was ultimately taken down by MTA workers. At the time, Chavez told Gothamist he supported the additional walls, and that he "structured the project in a way that encouraged community building and being an active participant. I think all the walls (all over the nation!) are great. I've been talking with several people internationally about starting them, and I'm really excited to see the seeds spreading."
According to a spokesperson at Bloomsbury, the book's publisher, Chavez will be donating some of the proceeds to growing the project. "Money from the project will go into making toolkits we will send to individuals, organizations, and schools so they can help support and grow connections with people in their community," Chavez said in a statement through the publisher. It's not yet clear whether all proceeds, or just a percentage, will be put toward these toolkits.
"I started this project to help people feel less stress and connect with their community. It is my hope that these books will inspire people to explore new pathways of expression and understanding," Chavez said.
Subway Therapy, the first of Chavez's two books with Bloomsbury, will be published in October 2017. In the meantime, be advised that the Post-It notes recovered from the project are not currently on view at The New-York Historical Society. A spokesman says the Society "does not yet have plans to display the Post-Its from Union Square. They are in the process of archiving and preserving the documents."
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