When you think of Times Square, what first comes to mind Rowdy New Years Eve celebrations Street vendors selling hot dogs and pretzels Magic tricks and threecard monte Billboards and neon lights that brighten the night sky The list goes on and on. Whatever the case, chances are you will find them in the artwork, titled Times Square 35 Times, located along the glass block wall at the Times Square passageway. A lifelong New Yorker, artist Toby Buonagurio used to think of the Times Square subway station as the very center of the universe. When Buonagurio received the commission to create artwork for the station in 1988, she turned the glass block wall on the lower mezzanine into a theatrical display to showcase her childhood fantasy about the heart of New York City. Times Square 35 Times is composed of thirtyfive ceramic relief panels, each installed in an illuminated shadowbox in a wall of glass block. The glass block wall connects the 7th Avenue subway lines with the Broadway and 8th Avenue lines at the station. As you hustle through the passageway, you may want to slow down and catch a glimpse of the glittering figures that remind us of Times Squares myriad of wonders both high and low. The colorful ceramic figures are brought vividly to life as the result of the artists close observation and depictions of people, places, and objects. Buonagurio made multiple visits to the Times Square area to capture the parade of life by day and night, all of which became the source materials for the creation of Times Square 35 Times. The images were then carefully selected, edited, and translated into clay. Finally, abundant color and surface are applied as the final touch to intensify the visual and whimsical quality of these ceramic reliefs.The figures in the artwork can be easily recognized. They are divided into three main themes Performing Arts, Fashion, and Street Life, each reflect the vigorous activities that energize midtown Manhattan. The Performing Arts theme includs theater, musical performance, cinema and light entertainment. The Fashion theme refers to the array of mens and womens clothing, jewelry and accessories. Finally, the Street Life is depicted with daytoday scenes such as billboards, street vendors, and colorful people. Each relief sculpture is a unique depiction of the hustlebustle atmosphere of everyday activities in the Times Square area.Toby Buonagurio has worked as a ceramic sculptor for almost 30 years. She has been a faculty member at State University of New York in Stony Brook. Buonagurio is best known for her vividly colored offbeat ceramic work, which often included tongueincheek or satirical overtones. To the artist, common images are important symbols of American culture. As with Buonagurios other work, the inherent sense of irony and humor is evident in Times Square 35 Times. The artwork joined other works by Roy Lichtenstein, Jacob Lawrence, and Jack Beal, at Times Square in 2005. Taken together, these works are an historic and artistic journey through time at a transportation hub in a city that never sleeps.