An art exhibition titled “We Are … Portraits of Metro Riders by Local Artists” will debut in the Union Station Passageway Art Gallery today. The exhibition includes 35 portraits celebrating the diversity of Metro’s ridership, with transit riders of different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds included.
In a portrait titled “Legacy,” artist Bodeck Luna Hernandez painted his mother, who has been riding Metro to and from Long Beach since 2002. In another portrait, titled “Jose Carrillo, El Taquero,” artist Javier Carrillo depicts a street vendor who commutes on Metro for work. Maria Pineres’ portrait“Leo” features a teenager who uses the transit system to connect with friends and visit skate parks between downtown Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
Other artists whose work is included in the exhibition are: AiseBorn, Eric Almanza, Kristina Ambriz, Jazmine Atienza, Susu Attar, Christen Austin, Moses X. Ball, Daniel Barajas, Chelle Barbour, April Bey, Carolyn Castano, Gregg Chadwick, Sean Cheetham, Cat Ferraz, Carla Jay Harris, Alepsis Hernandez, Lanise Howard, Bryan Ida, Sheila Karbassian, Kaylynn Kim, Miles Lewis, Jose M. Loza, Cody Lusby, Rosalind McGary, Samuel Pace, Adele Renault, LP AEkili Ross, Carlos Spivey, Edwin Ushiro, Dave Van Patten, J Michael Walker and Angela Willcocks.
Metro worked with riders, artists and curatorial advisors with ties to Los Angeles’ neighborhoods and cultural organizations to complete the exhibition, which is presented in collaboration with Metro’s Office of Civil Rights, Racial Equity & Inclusion. People can also view them online at metro.net/art.
