Queens is the Future

The mural originally depicted a subway car blasting off of its tracks as though powered by rocket fuel, with the words “Queens is the Future” painted in the upper left corner.

It quickly became an iconic image of the borough, inspiring the Municipal Art Society to name their walking tour of neighborhood after the work, as well as appearing in Sports Illustrated,[1] Time Out New York,[2][3] and a short documentary about the rise of Bronx and Queens Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Having both grown up in New York City in the 1980s, the artists were influenced by graffiti and other public art they saw as children and young adults including Keith Haring’s iconic Crack is Wack mural, which was also painted on a handball wall.

In the altered mural, Spider-Man lifts the subway car off the tracks “rescuing” children who've been inserted into the train's windows, a contrast to the original message of the work.

The materials ultimately selected for the work include primer designed specifically to integrate with concrete, paints used on the hulls of cruise ships, and sealants used on oil rigs.

[13] A recent book, All the Queens Houses, by Rafael Herrin-Ferri, included an introductory essay by Joseph Heathcott which was named after the mural and uses it as a jump-off point for its discussion of the borough.