Students from several New York City schools have repurposed expired MetroCards into original works of art as part of a program organized by the Transit Museum and MTA Arts and Design. The initiative aimed to honor the legacy of the MetroCard, which has been a key transit payment method for decades before its recent phase-out.

The project involved five schools, including the NYC Lab School for Collaborative Studies in Manhattan, where 15-year-old sophomore Amayra Talwar assembled a mosaic of the Plaza Hotel logo using pieces cut from dozens of old MetroCards. Talwar described the effort as a meaningful way to pay tribute to the card's significance in the daily lives of New Yorkers.

The students’ artworks were exhibited in a pop-up gallery at Grand Central Terminal, providing commuters and visitors an opportunity to view the creative interpretations. Many of the young artists drew inspiration from their local boroughs, incorporating iconic city imagery such as Yankee Stadium, subway trains, and bagels into their designs.

This initiative reflects both a practical and artistic approach to recycling, giving a new dimension to a once-ubiquitous piece of the city’s transportation system. It also offers a generational nod to the MetroCard, connecting the memories of past and present transit users through creative expression.