Have you visited it yet? Our brand-new Aviation/Century station, which serves the C and K Lines, is now open for business. Located steps away from LAX hotels, hundreds of restaurants, as well as thousands of jobs in the aviation and cargo industries in the heart of the Century Corridor, Aviation/Century station also brings Los Angeles one step closer to realizing a long-awaited dream of building a direct public transit connection to LAX, one of the busiest airports in the world. (There are currently LAX shuttles that run between airport terminals, Aviation/Century station, and Aviation/LAX station.) Early next year, the LAX/Metro Transit Center will open, providing travelers with a direction connection to the airport.
Central to this new station is Rise, an artwork by acclaimed LA-based artist Sherin Guirguis and commissioned by Metro Art. Featured on the platform and fencing, this vibrant piece captures the resilience and spirit of countless people who have moved to the Los Angeles region over its history, overcoming great challenges along the way. Guirguis drew inspiration from her immediate surroundings, such as the colors of the Los Angeles sky at dusk and dawn as well as ironwork found on the porches of nearby homes. Her work reflects the diversity of the station’s surrounding neighborhood and Los Angeles County, honoring the shared experiences of those who ride Metro daily.
Artist Guirguis, a frequent Metro rider herself, understands the station platform as a vibrant space where people from all walks of life naturally intersect. In a collaboration with Free Arts, a local organization that supports youth through creative expression, Guirguis designed a workshop that introduced young participants to her unique techniques of painting and paper-cutting–the same methods she used in her commissioned Metro artwork. Through this hands-on experience, the youth explored the art forms while telling their own stories, creating pieces that paralleled the many unique journeys that flow through the city.
“As a daily Metro user, I experience the convergence of people from a multitude of backgrounds,” Guirguis says. “I consider the train platform a gateway and threshold for riders as they connect one part of their day with the next. It is a place where the diversity of the city is highlighted and where the interaction between its citizens and visitors is most dynamic.”
Learn more about Sherin Guirguis’s work and other Metro Art artworks here.
Additional information about the artist and artwork
About the Artist
Sherin Guirguis is known for her paintings, drawings, and sculptures that explore cultural identity and lost feminist histories. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from UC Santa Barbara and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and currently is Chair of Foundation and Associate Professor of the Practice of Fine Art at USC. Her work is included in prominent collections such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Orange County Museum of Art, and she has received multiple grants that support her contributions to cultural discourse.
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About Metro Art
Metro Art enhances the customer experience with visual and performing arts that encourages ridership and connects people and neighborhoods throughout LA County. Follow Metro Art on Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for the Metro Art email list to learn about upcoming art opportunities, events and exhibitions!
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thank you for including artists’ works in the design of public metro stations — I hope riders not only appreciate these efforts, but also respect them in these public spaces and don’t ‘wreck ’em’