Here’s what we’d like you to know about the artworks for our Historic Broadway Station (at 2nd and Broadway in downtown L.A.) that is opening at noon this Friday as part of the debut of our Regional Connector project. 

The artworks aim to elevate the visual experience of the station for riders and connect the station to downtown communities. Artists were selected by a community-based panel, following extensive outreach and a competitive open call process. 

Andrea Bowers, The People United (“El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,” Sergio Ortega and Quilapayun; “Brown Beret 13 Point Political Program,” La Causa) – Entrance Pavilion 

Detail of Andrea Bowers’ The People United (“El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,” Sergio Ortega and Quilapayun; “Brown Beret 13 Point Political Program,” La Causa).

• Andrea Bowers draws inspiration from the station’s location as an area known as a meeting ground for people to exercise their political voice and the artist’s decades-long activism in Los Angeles. 
• With the Civic Center as a backdrop, the work features two texts—presented on glass panels forming the entrance pavilion—declaring democracy and solidarity.
• “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido” (the people united will never be divided) is often chanted at political marches and demonstrations.
• The quote, “By independence we mean the right to self-determination, self-government and freedom” is taken from a Brown Beret statement, a Chicano civil rights group founded in East Los Angeles and active during the late 1960s and early ’70s.
• Bowers’ reflective design literally mirrors the community. 

Under construction view of Andrea Bowers’ The People United (“El pueblo unido jamás será vencido,” Sergio Ortega and Quilapayun; “Brown Beret 13 Point Political Program,” La Causa)

Mark Steven Greenfield, Red Car Requiem – Concourse Level 

Detail of artwork design of Red Car Requiem by Mark Steven Greenfield.

• Mark Steven Greenfield pays tribute to the historic Los Angeles Pacific Electric “Red Car” in his artwork. 
• Having grown up in Los Angeles with the Red Car, the artist revives the streetcar with power and sentimentality. 
• The artwork refers to the momentum of a city always in flux and the ongoing rebuild of our region’s public transit system. 
• Among other subtle references to Red Car imagery, the artwork bursts with the shapes of ticket punch marks, once uniquely assigned to each train conductor.
• Greenfield collaborated with the Cal State LA Alumni Association to survey Angelenos’ memories of riding the Red Car. Respondents took part in a public storytelling conversation sharing their memories. 

Detail of the artwork in progress in 2019.

A view of Mark Steven Greenfield’s Red Car Requiem during construction.

Clarence Williams, Migrations – Platform Level 

Detail of Clarence Williams’ Migrations.

• Clarence Williams is a Pulitzer Prize-winning former staff photojournalist for the LA Times. 
• The series of black-and-white photographs document Louisianans displaced by Hurricane Katrina in 2005, many of whom relocated to Los Angeles, and reveal a story about the journeys of migrants after a destructive storm. 
• The artwork also features intimate photographs of the diverse immigrant community in Los Angeles and shows the role of downtown Los Angeles as an entry point for so many people. 
• Each photograph is paired with a haiku written by Williams’ long-time collaborator, poet Ursula Rucker. 
• In conjunction with the artwork, Williams presented his artwork design and Rucker led a poetry workshop with high school teens from the nearby Rámon C. Cortines School of Visual and Performing Arts (also known as Grand Avenue Arts High School). Students expressed their sense of home and identity through music, creative writing and rhythm. 

Students participating at Williams and Rucker’s poetry workshop.

Detail of a haiku along the South Wall.

Ralph Gilbert, Performance on the Streets of LA – Temporary Exhibition 

Ralph Gilbert, Performance on the Streets of LA – a temporary exhibition.

• Ralph Gilbert presents an array of street performers: singers, musicians, dancers, dress-up superheroes, counterfeit celebrities, living statues and buskers of every sort in iconic locations from Pershing Square, Echo Park, Olvera Street and Union Station, Hollywood Boulevard and the Venice Boardwalk.  
• Gilbert’s images are a subjective evocation of a world of performance and artistry that even while rarely credited do contribute to the richness of the city.
• The images are meant to be familiar yet also fresh.
• Gilbert’s artworks are the first to be part of the rotating exhibition space at Historic Broadway Station. More on the Metro Art Lightbox Exhibition Program. 

Under construction view of Ralph Gilbert’s Performance on the Streets of LA – a temporary exhibition.

Learn more about the artists and artwork.    

Learn more about the Regional Connector.  

Follow Metro Art on Instagram and Facebook  

About Metro Art 

Metro Art enhances the customer experience with innovative, award-winning visual and performing arts programming that encourages ridership and connects people, sites, and neighborhoods throughout Los Angeles County. A diverse range of site-specific artworks is integrated into the growing Metro system, improving the visual quality of transit environments and creating a sense of place. From photography installations to onboard posters, art tours, and live performances, our multi-faceted arts programs add vibrancy and engage communities throughout Los Angeles.   

For future adventures and to learn about other artworks in the Metro system, visit metro.net/art