Artists Compete for Station Commission

Five artists have been selected as finalists to complete a $40,000 work of art on the site of the Chatsworth Train Station.

The artists, both sculptors and muralists, are preparing proposals for the station to present to a citizens committee Nov. 20. The panel will make a final recommendation for a commission meant to spotlight local culture, history, industry or ethnic diversity.

Jessica Cusick, director of art programs for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said about 60 artists applied, and a committee of eight citizens selected the five finalists.

The finalists are East Los Streetscapers, a Los Angeles group known for its murals; Gwynn Murrill, of Agoura Hills, a sculptor known for her bronze animals; Terry Schoonhoven, a muralist and painter known for works that create illusions; a team of artists including Glendale sculptor Ron Pekar; and John Okulick, a sculptor who specializes in geometric and abstract works, Cusick said.

Okulick, who hopes to craft an abstract sculpture in steel for the station, said that commissions such as the MTA’s sometimes force artists to strike a balances between conventional, decorative art and more abstract expression.

But he said the project is still attractive. “I like communicating with the public. The art world tends to be more elitist.”

The Chatsworth Train Station, 21510 Devonshire St., is little more than a parking lot and platform. When the $1.3-million child-care center and train station facility planned for the site is complete, it will join a planned mosaic of 60 stations throughout Los Angeles that will eventually connect the proposed 400-mile Metrolink commuter system.

Improvements at a station in Sylmar are under way, and a $25,000 artwork in the form of a gateway to the station is planned. The selection of five finalists for the project is scheduled for Monday, Cusick said.