An Early Look at All the Artwork Coming to the Metro Crenshaw Line
Westchester, Inglewood, and Hyde Park are getting more than a train
The Los Angeles Metro devotes a percentage of its budget to commissioning artworks for each station. The Crenshaw Line, a currently under construction new line of stations, will include works by 14 artists, including two from UCLA. Rebeca Méndez, professor of Design Media Arts, and Deanna Erdmann, New Genres Lab Area Supervisor in the department of Art, will contribute artworks to the Expo/Crenshaw and Leimert Park Stations.
"An often unheralded aspect of a new L.A. rail line is all the public art it brings with it. Metro devotes a percentage of its construction budget to commissioning work from artists who’ll embellish each station with their vision.
The Crenshaw Line—which will connect the Crenshaw District, Hyde Park, Inglewood, and Westchester beginning next year—is no different. Stations are now sprouting up along the 8.5-mile line and it won’t be long before art is added above and around the platforms.
Here’s a sneak peek at the works coming to eight stations (a ninth stop connecting to a forthcoming LAX people mover will open after next year’s ribbon cutting), along with details on the artists and the concepts behind their work. All images courtesy of Metro.
[The Expo/Crenshaw Station] —which will serve as a transfer point between the Expo and Crenshaw lines—has three different artists working on it. Erwin Redl is designing the street-level subway entrance, which pays homage to the gorgeous West Angeles Cathedral across the street. Stained glass depict sunbursts, with colorful ground reflections during the day, while the piece will glow like a “jewel box” at night.
Rebeca Méndez is working on the concourse level, building two wall mosaics that will measure over 10 feet tall. Depicting images of the sky that Méndez photographed over a 24-hour period, the mosaics will help reorient subway riders to the bright California sunshine.
Meanwhile on the underground platform level, Jaime Scholnick recreates the community above with slice-of-life imagery that was informed by local community input and thousands of self-taken photos.
[The Leimert Park Station] is located in the heart of L.A.’s African-American community. For the glass entrance pavilion that sits next to historic Leimert Park, Ingrid Calame focused on rubbings taken from nearby doors, signs, and architectural details of buildings. Local youth helped Calame produce the markings.On the concourse level, Mickalene Thomas found inspiration in the city’s sunshine, reproducing iconic local landmarks like the Vision Theatre, LAX’s Theme Building, and the fountain at Leimert Park in a clean, eye-catching, Pop Art-esque style.
Deanna Erdmann‘s work is found on the platform level, where the full-time Metro user decorated the waiting area with nature-imbued photographs that highlight the greenery found directly above at Leimert Park and the cultural richness that surrounds it."— Neal Broverman , Jan. 22, 2018
This post is an excerpt, read the full article at the Los Angeles Magazine website.
Stay engaged. Use #UCLAarts to stay connected.
