The Metro E Line (Expo) has newly installed digital screens on its station platforms, and in addition to Metro customer information and third-party advertising, the new amenity also features Metro Art programming.
The digital screens are the latest location where riders can view portraits from Metro Art’s multi-site We Are… rider portrait exhibition. Community art advisors worked with Metro Art to ensure that the commissioned portraits displayed on the new screens each have a link to the neighborhoods served by E Line (Expo).
Here are the nine portraits featured on the E Line (Expo) digital screens:
- Susu Attar, Self Portrait with Ancient Ones
- Gregg Chadwick, Frida Cano (E Line)
- Sheila Karbassian, Beautiful Santa Monica
- Miles Lewis, A Walk and Talk
- Carla Jay Harris, Self Portrait in Motion
- Maria Piñeres, Leo
- Javier Carrillo, Jose Carrillo, El Taquero
- J Michael Walker, Lisa D on the E
- Sean Cheetham, Ebony
There are lots of ways to see the artworks even if the A Line (Blue) or E Line (Expo) aren’t part of your normal route! The twelve A Line (Blue) and nine E Line (Expo) rider portraits are part of the collection of portraits in the exhibition We Are…Portraits of Metro Riders by Local Artists.
You can find them among the 41 portraits inside the Metro Art Bus, in the Union Station Passageway Art Gallery and in the online gallery on the Metro Art website. In addition, the A Line (Blue) portraits are also highlighted in the latest Art on TAP cards, too!
Click here for more information about the Metro Art program. Follow Metro Art on Facebook and Instagram , and subscribe for email updates.
Categories: Go Metro, Metro Art, Transportation News
Tell me this was a dumb idea without telling me this was a dumb idea. Digital screens with the vulnerability to be hit by direct sunlight for hours at a time. . . Really?
Also, 30 min to wait for a train in the middle of the day? At that people driving is much better alternative. If you cannot be reliable and competitive (yeah, that’s right), maybe just stop with the bad PR.
I heard of one incident on Twitter where one of the screens at an A Line (Blue) station got smashed by a crazy person
Hi Dave;
Most of our trains are scheduled to run every 12 to 15 minutes during the day — and some more often during peak hours. Yes, there is ongoing maintenance that impacts the schedules, as well as breakdowns and other service issues. But the bulk of our rail service is much more often than every 30 minutes. As for the screens being outside, there are all sorts of digital screens being built outside these days across the world for all sorts of purposes (often billboards).
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
NONE of these add-ons will matter if the trains and stations continue to be “decorated” with food waste, trash, sticky floors, and literally urine and feces.
Hi Jason;
Yes, correct. As part of our Customer Experience plan we’re working to expand cleaning of stations, buses and trains and to stop our system from being used as a shelter — it should be used to get from A to B and back. Our bus and rail system is huge and covers a big area — yes, messes do occur. But we try to respond as quickly as possible when someone lets us know about a problem. If you or anyone sees an issue, please use this online form, https://ccatsform.metro.net/customercomments, or call 213.922.6235 or 1.800.464.2111.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
While art is nice addition, riders would be happy with real-time ACCURATE train information.
Real purpose of the boards is the third party advertising portion.
Hi LA Steve;
Yes. FWIW, there are meetings being held this week by members of our IT and web staff and others about how to improve arrival predictions and perhaps be able to offer more service alerts at more times of day/week. Definitely an issue. And, yes, there are ads but the ads help pay for the cost of the digital displays.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source
Yep! This is going to significantly reuce the homeless riders, ticketless riders, criminal activity, and the like. You all still have not got the safety concept have you?
Hi Al;
Your point is well taken but I don’t think those are reasons to not install public art — we don’t want to build plain concrete slabs and we’re very mindful of the fact that public art makes riding transit a more pleasant experience all over the world. We do have several programs underway that will expand our homeless and mental health outreach, clean buses, trains and stations more often, enforce fares and better deploy law enforcement. That’s very important and much needed. But I don’t think we need to make this a choice between art and safety. We can and should have both.
Steve Hymon
Editor, The Source