Archives

Terry Schoonhoven, Traveler

Traveler

Artist(s):

Traveler, a tile mural located at the bottom of the escalator at the east entrance of the subway station, depicts travelers from different eras in a Los Angeles “timescape” that features historical references such as Spanish galleons, the Pico House, Olvera Street and actress Carol Lombard.

Pae White, The Beppins

The Beppins

Artist(s):

Created in collaboration with architect Tom Marble, this arrangement of organic sculptural benches with circular paving medallions provides seating for this busy Metro Rapid stop.

Richard Wyatt People Coming People Going

People Coming / People Going

Artist(s):

Project Description Wyatt has designed two 52-feet long ceramic tile murals for the end walls of the Wilshire/Western Station. People Coming presents portraits of members of the community as they approach the viewer; People Going shows some members of that group walking away. Portions of the famous Wiltern Theater, located just across from the station entrance, can be seen in the back-ground. Painted in Wyatt’s realistic and dramatic style, the mural’s theme is at once the diversity of Los Angeles, its possible future, and a metaphor for a city always in transition. Artist Statement “I am interested in connecting with people through my art. In today’s corporate world the human element seems often to get lost—I try to bring back the human connection by monumentalizing people rather than buildings and objects. Hopefully, people will connect to the idea of how important they are to making the city, and mass transit, work. It was a challenge trying to translate the sensitivity of painting into tile. I spent over six months just experimenting with this new medium. Most of the finished …

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Artist(s):

Bob Zoell has abstracted the appearance and arrangement of typographic design symbols to create a bold and graphic series of ceramic tile murals. The artwork covers four columns at station platforms at Wilshire/Vermont Station.

Stephen Antonakos, Neons for Pershing Square

Neons for Pershing Square

Artist(s):

In 1924, the first neon sign in the United States was posted around the corner from Pershing Square. Commemorating this art form, neon artist Antonakos created Neons for Pershing Square, a series of neon sculptures suspended from the station’s high ceiling.

MacArthur Park site (1991-92)

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This temporary construction fence, which consisted of 30 painted plywood panel murals, was erected around the drained lake in MacArthur Park in an effort to mitigate construction of MacArthur Park Station.

Into the Light

Artist(s):

In Statom’s work, Into the Light, five ordinary objects—house, ladder, leaf, cone and diamond—become extraordinary when suspended in the Westlake/MacArthur Park Station’s skylight area.

In the Living Rock

Artist(s):

Artist Samm Kunce’s artwork explores ideas gathered from science and literature. The celebration of inherent beauty of natural materials is a recurrent theme in her work. Kunce’s tile mural at the 1st and Hill St. entrance to the Civic Center station runs the length of the curved planter bed wall.

I Dreamed I Could Fly

Artist(s):

In a reflection of the universal motif of flight as spiritual journey, Jonathan Borofsky’s I Dreamed I Could Fly is an interpretation of the artist’s dreams of soaring above ground. The six fiberglass figures, all resembling the artist, hover and cast large shadows in the high bay area of Civic Center Station.

Festival of Masks Parade

Artist(s):

Project Description Romero’s Festival of Masks Parade is a sixty-foot curved mural located at the west end of the Wilshire/Normandie Station. This colorful and festive mural depicts the annual parade of masks held along Wilshire Boulevard each fall. Many characters in full regalia stroll along the Boulevard including a Chinese dragon, people in African masks, a Native American eagle dancer, a Korean traditional dancer, a group from a Brazilian carnival, a giant calavera puppet, a marching band and bagpipe player, and the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz. A bright red convertible leads the parade. In the mural’s background one can see a sampling of local architecture: the Craft and Folk Art Museum, an art deco camera store, the Brown Derby, the El Rey Theatre, Bullock’s Wilshire and the May Co. Building. The whole scene is framed by a sky that goes from night to day, with a bright moon and tall slender palm trees. Artist Statement “I selected this theme because the parade is a popular event which celebrates the rich multi-ethnic cultural traditions of Southern California …

Francisco Letelier, El Sol / La Luna

El Sol / La Luna

Artist(s):

Echoing the vibrant color scheme which dominates the Westlake/MacArthur Station, intense blues, reds, and yellows are woven together in two ceramic tile murals which enrich the mezzanine end walls.

Civic Center Benches

Artist(s):

Peter Reiquam specializes in the design and fabrication of public furnishings that are both fun and utilitarian- a sleek series of four subway ‘sofas’ for the Civic Center Station platform.

May Sun, Richard Wyatt, City of Dreams/River of History

City of Dreams/River of History

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The artwork is a unique collaboration between two artists, May Sun and Richard Wyatt, who worked together to develop all elements of the artwork’s multiple interlinking elements including the 80 foot long mural, aquarium, floor tiles and river bench to create a sense of place resonant of the history and pre-history of the site.

A-Train, Bill Bell

A-Train

Artist(s):

Passersby may discover unexpected images that are hidden in the light patterns, and by speaking near a hidden microphone can activate a responsive sound system.

People Over Profit

Artist(s):

Meleko Mokgosi’s platform level station artwork will recognize everyday people who work in Beverly Hills. The artwork will celebrate both the important work of historic labor leaders who fought for worker’s rights, and contemporary workers

Gathering of the Waters

Artist(s):

Rigo 23’s artwork engages Beverly Hills’ history as Tongva land and a place called “a gathering of waters.” In the artwork, water will be depicted in different stages of stillness and motion, animated as the Metro rider walks by. A waterscape framed by plant life strengthens connectedness to the natural world and history’s slower tempo, while also offering a respite from the hustle and bustle of the commute. Enlarged portraits of indigenous plants represent gifts to Spanish explorer Portola’s expedition by local Tongva representatives, a gesture of welcoming and generosity at the center of Los Angeles’ origin story. This generosity would not be reciprocated by the waves of European arrivals. The Tongva people and their culture were nearly erased by foreign cultural and religious impositions as well as the introduction of diseases to which the locals had no defenses. This project aims to contribute to the reversal of a multi-century long process of erasure, forgetting and replacing.

Untitled

Artist(s):

Sarah Cain’s artwork for the station’s entrance is intended to be a welcoming, oasis of color and design in contrast to the density of metallic high-rise buildings in Century City.

Allegorical Portal to the City Within a City

Artist(s):

Phung Huynh explores the origin story of Century City through her unique approach of urban folklore and community voices. The artwork will include portraits of recognizable actors from the area’s early history as a film studio back lot and renowned architects who built Century City, as well as everyday people who work and own businesses in the area.

Lenticular Americana

Artist(s):

Oscar Magallanes was inspired by Century City’s history in the motion pictures industry. Their design for the station artwork weaves together a narrative of stories told through film and the complex histories of the communities surrounding the future station.

Terra Firma

Artist(s):

Analia Saban is creating a semi-fictional underground world constructed in geologic layers of color and texture. Buried in the layers, riders will find an unexpected montage of objects from symbols of local culture to prehistoric fossils found during Metro’s station excavation.