For its 15th anniversary celebration of Through the Eyes of Artists Series, artworks by twelve artists conveying the vitality of transit-accessible Los Angeles neighborhoods are now on view inside the passageway gallery that connects the East and West sections in a new exhibition at Los Angeles Union Station.
Journeys: L.A. Communities through the Eyes of Artists, artworks have been commissioned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) and are part of an ongoing series showcasing artists’ personal interpretations of the region.
Each artwork focuses on a particular neighborhood or city within Los Angeles County and highlights special, often lesser known or under-appreciated facets of those communities. Lush urban gardens, backyard barbeques, street parades, cemeteries and even a fantastical underwater world are among the subjects for these idiosyncratic works of art.
The twelve artists featured in the exhibition and the communities they have highlighted are:
- Jonathan Anderson (Gardena)
- Walter Askin (Pasadena)
- Sarajo Frieden (Venice)
- Wakana Kimura (Inglewood)
- Christine Nguyen (Long Beach)
- Mary Ann Ohmit (Azusa)
- Sam Pace (Leimert Park)
- Jane Gillespie Pryor (Whittier)
- Aaron Rivera (Lakewood)
- Artemio Rodríguez (East Los Angeles)
- Shizu Saldamando (Little Tokyo)
- Edith Waddell (Glendale)
“Artists notice details in our environments that many of us don’t,” said Maya Emsden, head of Metro’s Art & Design Programs. “This exhibition showcases artists’ observations and their distinctive, sometimes quirky interpretations of the communities they know well. We hope that commuters, travelers and others passing through the station are inspired by these artists’ visions to journey to neighborhoods all over the county beyond the more well-known destinations like Hollywood.”
The exhibition will also feature artist-led tours throughout the summer. The exhibition and tour kick off a year of activities celebrating this award-winning series that will run through 2018. Metro Art is also on Instagram and Facebook.
Established in 2003, the Through the Eyes of Artists series was created in the tradition of colorful travel destination posters to encourage riders to explore communities throughout the expanding Metro transit system. The posters are displayed on board Metro trains and buses. More than 40 artists have been commissioned to date.
In addition to the exhibition, the award-winning and innovative Metro Art Program has organized a series of free artist-led tours of Journeys at Union Station in July, August and September. Interested members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the artworks.
The summer tour schedule is as follows:
July 22
Tour led by artists Walter Askin, Sarajo Frieden, and Sam Pace
August 19
Tour led by artists Wakana Kimura, Christine Nguyen and Shizu Saldamando
September 23
Tour led by Jane Gillespie Pryor, Aaron Rivera and Edith Waddel
Additional artist-led tours and poster signings are planned TBA.
Photo courtesy of Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Long Beach, Christine Nguyen, artist
