For someone who spent most of her adult life living on the West Side of Los Angeles, a trip on the Metro Gold Line to East L.A. was a revelation for me. I made the excursion while photographing all the art at the Gold Line Stations. And the art is amazing! It’s definitely worth taking a few hours and going from station to station to see it all.
But perhaps the most surprising was the fact that there was art everywhere at the East L.A. Civic Center, starting with the “shelter” at the Metro Station which is in the form of California Poppies!
East L.A., by the way, is not part of the City of Los Angeles. Anyway, I’ll let some photos do the talking about this area.
The East L.A. Civic Center is filled with art
Across from the station is the entrance to the East L.A. Civic Center, and, as you can see, it is contemporary art itself adjacent to the Belvedere Park Lake.
In the lake are three leaping fish sculptures, including this one that has become a resting spot for cormorants. Fish are added to the lake annually so locals can go fishing in it. No doubt the birds like that too.
One entry to Belvedere Park has this pair of brushed metal sculptures:
And nearby another entry…and across to the other side are palm trees with drought-tolerant grasses at yet another of many entryways to the park.
Many of the building walls have murals. I’ve been told that the “Mayan-esque-style” mural, left, actually tells a tale of the history of Los Angeles, but I don’t know how to “read” that mural. The mural on the right contains images associated with a more contemporary Los Angeles.
And the park and the weekly Famers Market at its edge is a lovely and fun place for families to visit.
