Here: Arts & Culture Along the K
Here: Arts and Culture Along the K is a companion publication to the multimedia art exhibition showcasing the Metro Art K Line art program at the Museum of African American Art at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
Here: Arts and Culture Along the K is a companion publication to the multimedia art exhibition showcasing the Metro Art K Line art program at the Museum of African American Art at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.
Rebeca Méndez’s two mosaic murals transform the concourse wall into a sublime panorama of the sky as seen from Los Angeles. Articulating the progression of time over 24 hours, vertical segments portraying the stars and the moon flank an ethereal cloud-scattered azure.
Carlson Hatton’s densely layered, rhythmic murals capture the soundtrack of Hyde Park and its surrounding areas.
Kim Schoenstadt’s murals portray hybrid structures based on existing and historical buildings from the surrounding Inglewood neighborhood, including the Broadway Federal Bank, Centinela Adobe, Crozier Middle School, Jet Car Wash, Los Angeles International Airport Theme Building and Randy’s Donuts, to name a few.
Erwin Redl’s dynamic artwork Inside Out – Outside In – Inside Out at the street-level entrance of Expo/Crenshaw Station takes advantage of the changing position of the sun to reflect an array of colors onto surrounding surfaces by day and transforms the glazed pavilion into an illuminated jewel box by night.
Jaime Scholnick’s frieze-like collages are based on hundreds of studies and more than 11,800 photographs of the surrounding neighborhood. Progressing from dawn to night, the artist spent many hours documenting the area around the station and talking to local residents about their visions for the artwork.
Mara Lonner’s artwork is inspired by the surrounding Leimert Park neighborhood, of which she was a long-time resident.
Shinique Smith’s mosaic mural playfully visualizes the cultural richness of South Los Angeles by collaging elements pulled from fashion, pop culture and calligraphy. Honoring the station’s namesake, the artwork also includes a selection of empowering words inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s speeches and autobiography.
Sherin Guirguis’s richly colored artworks reflect the countless individuals who have migrated to the area, many of whom have risen above tremendous obstacles.
Kenturah Davis created Sonder with the aim to encourage connections between strangers, even temporarily while riding transit.
Ingrid Calame collaborated with youth through the RightWay Foundation to create rubbings of the physical environment—from furniture and instruments to architectural elements such as doorways and signs, all found in the neighborhood.
Dean Erdmann’s porcelain enamel art panels depict double-exposed photographs of natural elements in Leimert Park interspersed with images of the transit environment.
Mickalene Thomas’s mosaic was inspired by the quality of light, cultural and visual richness, and iconic structures in the surrounding Leimert Park neighborhood.
Rendered with bold, flat colors on a stark backdrop, Geoff McFetridge’s striking artworks depict communities of people interacting with large abstract shapes.
Eileen Cowin aims to spark the imaginations of transit riders through a poetic juxtaposition of photographic vignettes inspired by the potential stories of passersby.
The Here: Arts & Culture Along the K art exhibition presented by Metro Art shares the work of artists, cultural producers and culture bearers connected by the K Line. The K Line serves the neighborhoods of Crenshaw, West Adams, Jefferson Park, Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Inglewood, Westchester, El Segundo and more.
The K Line serves the communities of West Adams, Jefferson Park, Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, Hyde Park, Inglewood, Westchester and more. Fourteen artists were commissioned to create integrated public artworks at the stations: Ingrid Calame, Eileen Cowin, Kenturah Davis, Dean Erdmann, Sherin Guirguis, Carlson Hatton, Mara Lonner, Rebeca Méndez, Geoff McFetridge, Erwin Redl, Kim Schoenstadt, Jaime Scholnick, Shinique Smith and Mickalene Thomas.