'Glove Cycle'

Porter Station is one of many subway stations located in the Cambridge area. It’s home to the longest escalator in Massachusetts, measuring 143 feet, and while riding it, you’re bound to notice a very peculiar oddity scattered throughout the station. Dozens of bronze glove sculptures are placed between the escalators, near benches, and even some are embedded into the floor. To the casual observer, the purpose of these gloves might appear confusing, but each of these small sculptures tells a story and is the result of a large-scale public arts program, which began in Massachusetts and spread across the country. 

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) began the program “Arts on the Line,” intended to bring artwork into the many subway stations in an effort to renovate and revitalize the locations. Over 20 art pieces were installed in the many stations throughout the area, and one of the most notable is Glove Cycle, created by Mags Harries in 1984 for $30,000. Unlike most sculptures, which usually consist of one or a few pieces placed in a singular location, Glove Cycle is comprised of 54 bronze gloves scattered throughout Porter Station. The gloves are representative of all the small items that are routinely lost and discarded by commuters daily. It symbolizes the busy life that exists within the city and how each of these lost things at one point belonged to someone and had value.

Many of the gloves depicted are winter gloves, which also represent all the gloves that are lost during the colder season and later found in the spring, symbolizing rediscovery and renewal. No two sculptures are alike, with each one having its own style and personality, with some even referencing other famous works of art. In many ways, the gloves act as a metaphor for life itself, with daily routines, loss, renewal, and the journey each person undertakes. Certainly, it’s worth taking a look next time you’re at Porter Station.