Project Description

Spirit of the San Gabriel River by Andrea Myklebust and Stanton Gray Sears honors the various communities that over the centuries have benefitted from the rich Duarte-area landscape and nearby San Gabriel River. The artwork includes a series of cast-bronze pavers on the station platform and four stone-and-painted-steel columns on the platform and in the parking lot. The columns feature hand-carved limestone capitals set atop seven-foot-tall cut-metal pillars. Each of the capitals visually references a unique aspect of local history, including a topographical map of the area, California live oak leaves, a native Gabrielino-Tongva basket pattern and a 19th-century tooled leather Mexican saddle. The local citrus groves prevalent during the 20th century are represented in the bronze platform pavers. The eight-inch-square low-relief designs feature orange branch, blossom and fruit imagery patterned after the early citrus industry’s iconic crate labels.

Andrea Myklebust and Stanton Gray Sears, Spirit of the San Gabriel River

Artist Statement

“Our work explores the natural and cultural histories of the place for which it is designed. In the city of Duarte, this meant working within the context of the San Gabriel River, and an examination of the history and artifacts of the many people who have lived and worked in the area over time.”

About the Artist

ANDREA MYKLEBUST and STANTON GRAY SEARS reside in Stockholm, Wisconsin and began working collaboratively in 1993. Myklebust earned a bachelor’s degree in art from Macalester College. Sears earned master’s degrees in architecture from Harvard Graduate School of Design and Boston Architectural Center, a Master of Fine Arts from Pennsylvania State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Rhode Island School of Design. He is an associate professor of art at Macalester College. Together, the artist team has completed numerous public commissions throughout the United States, including artworks for airports, transit stations, universities, hospitals and municipal buildings.