Critic of Metro Rail vs. Reality

On June 25, Times Art Critic Christopher Knight provided a lengthy commentary (“How L.A. Missed the Train”) on the art in L.A.’s Metro Rail stations. I respect Knight’s opinions and encourage him to continue to participate in the ongoing dialogue regarding public art--an evolving field in which assumptions and practices must constantly be challenged and reconsidered.

Traditional corseted standards of art criticism, however, are rooted in the limited world of gallery and museum work, while art created for a public setting and paid for by public funds must speak to a broad cross-section of the populace, many of whom have never visited an art museum or gallery.

MTA customers’ artistic tastes are diverse: There are those who prefer work that is political, provocative, confrontational, abstract, representational, ethnic, functional, decorative, beautiful, informative, historical, colorful, text-based, non-text-based, cutting-edge, folksy, hi-tech, lo-tech . . . and those who have no interest in art whatsoever. While not every project meets with universal approval--and it shouldn’t--I am confident that the majority of our more than 210,000 daily riders can find projects within the 50-station system that resonate with them.

The fact that Metro Art programs and projects have received more than 18 significant art and design awards and extensive positive international media coverage indicates that many feel the works achieve a high level of quality and aesthetic excellence. More than $1.5 million in contributions made to Metro Art projects is further validation of strong support.

There are many examples across the nation where artists and/or public art programs are used as a last-minute Band-Aid remedy for poor design or to replace a lack of vision on behalf of those responsible for the overall leadership on our nation’s public works projects. This is an unfortunate reality, one that is unfair to all concerned, especially the public.

The MTA had the foresight to include art early on and allocated one-half of 1% of L.A.’s Metro Rail construction costs for art--significantly less than other systems, which contribute from 1% to 2%. The art project is far from complete, with several exciting new initiatives in the works.

The decision to give the primary station commissions to in-state artists was made several years ago. As many critics have argued, California is home to an extraordinary number of world-class artists, and because the station projects required that artists work closely with architects (usually in the architect’s office) for a period of several months, this decision made sense. We are now enacting the elements of the policy that allow for national competitions.

Knight missed the train himself when he said that “the most common art material that turns up all over the 50 Metro Rail stations is glazed ceramic tile.” In fact, only a small percentage of artists have chosen to use tile. One can find a remarkably wide range of materials: from stained glass to neon, porcelain enamel to fiber optics, video to holograms, and even plant materials and sound. The resiliency of tile makes it an attractive choice for artists who recognize that public transit systems are some of the most abused of public settings and that the MTA spends more than $13 million a year on vandalism abatement for our bus and rail systems.

Also misleading is the statement that artists are “urged strongly to research the history of the neighborhood surrounding the stations and to develop their designs in response.” While advisory groups do provide the design teams with information regarding the social and cultural contexts of their communities, artists are given complete liberty to develop their ideas (within safety, maintenance, time and budgetary constraints). The commuter will find numerous projects in which artists chose not to focus on history.

Public art can be a vehicle for public dialogue, and readers are invited to weigh in for themselves; the Metro Art Docent Council offers free group tours of the art in the system and can be contacted at (213) 922-4ART.