Al Mullen Turns 1 West 4th Newsstand Into Free Subway Art Project

Q: How did a free subway zine turn a shuttered West 4th newsstand into an MTA-approved art project with rat’s foot key chains?

It happened by turning a small, homemade transit joke into a broader public-art proposal with institutional backing. Al Mullen, a 37-year-old comedian and writer, began in 2022 by creating *Public Transport Magazine*, a free zine he left around the subway. Its playful focus on the quirks of New York transit built the concept and audience for something larger: a physical space dedicated to delighting riders. That idea became viable when Mullen partnered with Art on the Ave NYC, which specializes in activating vacant storefronts with art, and the David Prize, a philanthropic initiative of the Walentas Foundation. With their support, he secured a one-year license from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to use the long-shuttered newsstand on the downtown B, D, F and M platform at West 4th Street. The result is an MTA-approved installation that reimagines the old stand as a free, transit-themed art project rather than a retail business. Inside, commuters can pick up novelty items tied to subway culture, including trading cards about retired conductors and train operators, fake rat’s foot key chains billed as bringing “good train luck,” and even a bucket hat with a sliding veil for private crying. Mullen’s stated aim is simple: not commerce, but improving the mood of daily travel. In that sense, the zine served as both proof of concept and creative seed, while the partnerships provided the legal, financial and organizational path to reopen the kiosk officially.

1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 28

Aug. 1 marks the opening of a former newsstand on the downtown B, D, F, M platform at West 4th Street as a free transit-themed art project.
Al Mullen, 37, stocked the space with giveaway items including trading cards about retired subway workers, fake rat’s-foot key chains and a bucket hat with a privacy veil for crying.
The installation is meant to amuse, intrigue or console riders and grew out of Mullen’s Public Transport Magazine, a free zine he has been leaving on trains and in stations since 2022.
A one-year MTA license for the shuttered stand was secured through partnerships with Art on the Ave NYC and the David Prize, extending Mullen’s playful subway-focused work into a physical station space.