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Here’s the news release from Metro:

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has commissioned four talented Los Angeles based artists – Martin Durazo, Phung Huynh, Vincent Ramos and Eloy Torrez – for artworks that will enhance the transit experience at El Monte Station, the largest bus facility west of Chicago that sees up to 40,000 daily riders. Each artist has created four artworks that will be installed at the station January 2014.

Rio Hondo College will be exhibiting the original artworks to facilitate a dialog between the artists and the community. The exhibition will be on display from Feb. 3 – 28. Gallery hours will be 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with additional evening hours Monday through Wednesday from 6 – 9 p.m.

A panel discussion will provide an opportunity to meet the artists and learn about the process of translating their artistic vision into works of art for public transportation sites. The panel will take place Thursday, February 6 from 7 – 8 p.m. in the Ray Theatre at Rio Hondo College and will include the artists Martin Durazo, Phung Huynh, Vincent Ramos and Eloy Torrez, and moderator Jorge Pardo, Metro Director of Art & Design. Admission to both panel discussion and the exhibition will be free. Parking at Rio Hondo College is $3.

Rio Hondo College is located at 3600 Workman Mill Rd., Whittier, CA, 90601. It is accessible from El Monte Station via Metro Bus 270 and Express Bus 577. Use the Trip Planner at metro.net for more routes and connections.

The exhibition physically reveals a critical and often challenging process for the artist in negotiating the changes that occur when an artwork is fabricated for a public site. Durable artwork materials are necessary to withstand outdoor transit environments and to ensure long-term artistic integrity. Each artwork panel represents the culmination of a process of translation-in concept, practice and material. The exhibition presents a variety of media used in the artists’ studios, including painting, drawing, and digital collage that have been interpreted into powder-coated aluminum panels.

Vincent Ramos pays homage to the rich cultural contribution of the El Monte Legion Stadium, a hotbed of activity in its heyday. The artwork focuses on the musicians who played at the stadium and the promoters (radio deejays and TV personalities) who organized and hosted these events. Individuals represented in the artwork reflect the early worlds of rock n’ roll, rhythm and blues, and country music.

Eloy Torrez explores transitions and movement to visualize the movement, energy and patterns that people create on their travels. His work depicts our monetary encounters as we cross paths with each other in our daily lives and within the transit environment.

Artist Martin Durazo uses swirling vibrant colors such as metallic blue, electric yellows, pinks, and silvers, to energetically mirror the ever-changing intersection of cultures and environments in the Los Angeles area.

Phung Huynh’s artwork is informed by the city’s rich history through the use of symbolic and metaphoric imagery. Her stylized treatment of forms, shapes, and figures is inspired by papel picado (Mexican papercut art) and Chinese papercut art.

To request images of artwork for publication, please email gomezpa@metro.net. For more information on Metro’s art program, visit metro.net/art.