I’ve lived in Los Angeles for over three years and never had the urge to step onto the Metro until this past Saturday. I’m not a fan of public transportation. Something about cramming into a tiny train car underground and being smashed up against random strangers just doesn’t sit right with me. That was of course until I learned that under the city of Los Angeles resides not only the metro system but also an entire community of art. The first Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday of every month, residents of Los Angeles are given the opportunity to meet at designated stations for a complimentary two-hour tour of the Metro Art Program’s featured station exhibits. The program was founded in 1989 as a means to incorporate art into the Los Angeles transit system with the purpose of beautifying transportation stations and engaging riders with a cultural background of the city. To date, the program has commissioned over 300 artists for various station projects. Each station has its own unique imagery, which ties in the local neighborhood aesthetics with the theme of transportation as a whole.
