Metro's new Expo Line Extension is finally open, and long lines are forming to ride the exciting new train. If you should find yourself waiting at one of the new stations today—or at any point, really—why not take some time to admire the custom art installed at each stop along the 6.6 miles of new track. This station art is painstakingly planned and created by skilled artists in Southern California and beyond. If you really want to take a close look, Metro is offering free art tours, but in the meantime, here's a look at some of the newest pieces.
Palms Station
Shizu Saldamando sketched in pencil on wood panels, supplementing these images with designs cut out of Japanese washi paper. The works celebrate the Japanese-American community in Palms, and the wood panels are a subtle tribute to Saldamando's grandfather, who made wood sculptures while living in a Japanese internment camp during the second World War.
Westwood/Rancho Park Station
Abel Alejande has been working in Los Angeles for years, even creating a mural for the 1984 Olympic Games. His work at Westwood/Rancho Park Station depicts commuters from unexpected perspectives, often showing only the legs of adult riders. The illustrations often reference elements of the surrounding community—a soldier on crutches, for instance, offering a reminder of the former Sawtelle Veterans Home.
Expo/Sepulveda Station
Susan Logoreci invites riders passing through the city to observe it from above in her series of drawings at the Expo/Sepulveda Station. Using photos taken from a helicopter as a model, Logoreci has rendered a series of vibrant and colorful illustrations of the area surrounding the station.
Expo/Bundy Station
Nzuji de Magalhães uses a variety of images interwoven into long, billowing sashes to represent the important people, places, and things that have made the surrounding neighborhood what it is today. One piece even incorporates an artistically rendered map of the Expo Line's newly extended route.
26th Street/Bergamot Station
The pieces at this station were inspired by walks that artist Constance Mallinson took through the neighborhoods nearby. The resulting artwork represents different elements of the community and natural landscape. As a tribute to the nearby Bergamot Station Arts Center, Mallinson drew upon unique movements in art history for each work.
17th Street/SMC Station
Carmen Argote drew upon the wide array of fashion styles that can be seen during a daily commute, and in LA in general, to create a series of works created from different articles of clothing. The clothing speaks to the rhythms of transit, and to the intersection of commuters from diverse backgrounds.
Downtown Santa Monica Station
For the westernmost station in Los Angeles's ever-growing transit network, accomplished muralist Judithe Hernández created pieces that honor Southern California as a cross-continental gathering place. Using images culled from a multitude of cultures, Hernández pays tribute to the area's past and anticipates an international-oriented future.
- Expo Line Extension to Santa Monica [Curbed LA]
- Take an Audio Tour of the Art at the New Gold Line Stations [Curbed LA]
Loading comments...