Project Description

Using traditional linocut images, Marquez carves out Hawthorne’s landscape with bold black and white imagery. A skyward-bound rocket and aircraft honor the city’s aviation and aerospace heritage, while the iconic water tower and street life point toward everyday life. At the center of it all, a Metro bus glides through the scene – an invitation to hop on board and experience Hawthorne’s rich story firsthand.

This artwork was commissioned for Metro’s Through the Eyes of Artists poster series for display in the fleet.

Artist Statement

“My intent as an artist is to use the graphic qualities inherent to relief printmaking to honor this community, and to highlight its place as both a destination and hub of important sources of commerce.”

About the Artist

ÁLVARO D. MÁRQUEZ (b. 1981, Salinas, California) is a multidisciplinary artist, educator, scholar, and cultural strategist whose practice bridges socially engaged art and decolonial inquiry. Based in Los Angeles County for 18 years, they work across printmaking, mixed media, installation, and public art to examine cartography, place, memory, and displacement. Trained as a historian, Márquez brings a research-driven approach to the layered development of the Tongva Basin (now known as Los Angeles) tracing the historical forces, systems, and migrations that continue to shape the region and its communities.

About Through the Eyes of Artists

In the tradition of celebrating transportation through colorful travel destination posters, Metro Art commissions a diverse range of Los Angeles artists to create original artworks for the Through the Eyes of Artists poster series. Established in 2003, the posters are displayed onboard Metro trains and buses.

View other works in the series.

Display year: 2026