Stephanie Wiggins is the CEO of Metrolink and when she joined two years ago, her plan was to lead the commuter rail system to new territory. But with a sudden 90% drop in ridership due to the pandemic, she had to steer Metrolink in a different direction instead.
“When you lose 90% of your riders and with it, 90% of your revenue, you have to rethink your whole value proposition and really take a look at whether or not we’re providing the service that the community needs at the time,” said Wiggins.
So Wiggins hit the air brakes to better understand what commuters needed to get back on the train and ride the rails.
“So safety is so critical at Metrolink, and this pandemic has really introduced a new element of safety: a person’s personal safety,” said Wiggins.
Metrolink is the third largest rail system in the country with 538 miles of track traversing across six counties. The average commuter takes Metrolink for trips longer than 35 miles. But who are the 10% of commuters still riding the train during the pandemic? Wiggins wanted to find out.
"To our surprise, we found 70% of those 10% were essential workers," said Wiggins. "And an even bigger surprise was the number one industry they represent was health care."
This discovery was powerful for Wiggins. Knowing she was helping health care workers get to the front line, she felt an urgent need to enact changes to help them right away.
@metrolink @stephaniewigginsceo @metrolosangeles @metro.art.la #losangeles #publictransportation #metrolink #trains #metrola
Airdate: 4/27/2021
When fruit boxes stack up at markets, most people see trash or, at best, recyclable material. Artist Narsiso Martinez sees more than that, so rather than stick them in a blue bin, he uses them as a canvas to create artwork.
“I paint on fruit boxes because I feel like, when I draw, it’s sort of a conversation between the farm workers and the agribusiness,” said Martinez. “All the labels represent the agribusiness and the farmworkers represent the people who pick the fruit.”
It’s a process Martinez started while taking time off from art school, when he went back to work on a farm to raise money for tuition.
“For me, it’s just a way of saying what happens when you bring the two together in the same space,” said Martinez.
Martinez immigrated to Los Angeles from Oaxaca, Mexico at the age of 20. Despite having only an 8th-grade education, he wanted to finish school and took odd jobs to support himself, busing tables and working on farms. With a background in manual labor, Martinez found courage and integrity in his co-workers, a theme he often portrays in his artwork.
“When I first fell in love with art and decided to go to art school, I took inspiration from artists such as Van Gogh and Millet, especially when I saw their paintings about the peasantry and the so-called 'lower classes,'” said Martinez. “I really wanted to continue with that tradition.”
@narsisomartinez @the_billboard_creative @charliejamesgallery #losangeles #artsandculture #cardboardart #billboardart #westhollywood #diversity #inclusion #artworld
Airdate: 4/20/2021
If you’re a fan of California history, you may consider taking a walk down the Tujunga Greenbelt along Coldwater Canyon in Valley Village.
“The Great Wall of Los Angeles” is a mural designed by artist Judy Baca with the help of over 400 community youths and artists. Now a National Historic Site, it’s an artwork that reads like a history book.
“The Great Wall is a narrative work,” said Baca. “It’s a work after the tradition of Los Tres Grandes, the great Mexican muralists of the 20th Century. And that’s where I trained. And the notion was that we can bring the story back to the people.”
Officially called “The History of California,” the mural depicts imagery from prehistoric times all the way to the 1950s. Started in 1974, the Army Corps of Engineers needed a beautification project to help ease tensions created by a flood control channel that physically divided the community.
@sparcinla @mellonfdn @lucasmuseum @judy_baca #thegreatwalloflosangeles #thegreatwall #mural #muralism #valleyvillage #losangeles #artsandculture
Airdate: 4/13/2021
Trained as a classical painter in the style of the Old Masters, artist Francisco Palomares paints landscapes, still-lifes, portraits, and plein-air, but rooted in an aesthetic representative of his Mexican-American culture. Lately, he’s painting balloons. He thinks of them as self-portraits.
“So balloons are an object of celebration, and at the same time, when we see them deflate, they kind of go through a whole cycle, just like how we do,” Palomares said.
@palomaresblvd @artshare_la #losangeles #artsdistrict #artsandculture #pleinair #streetvending
Airdate: 4/12/2021
Hollenbeck Park is an oasis in the middle of Boyle Heights with a huge body of water surrounded by trees and walkways. A popular gathering spot, playwright Matthew Paul Olmos said the construction of the Golden State Freeway, or the I-5, back in the 1950s divided the community both physically and spiritually.
“What’s outstanding to me still is when you come to this other end of the park where the freeways run through, it is literally right on top,” said Olmos. “And for me, it’s a visceral reminder of what they did to a community they considered blighted, what they considered poorer, they considered full of diverse neighborhoods.”
Walking along, it’s no wonder Olmos picked this exact location as the setting of his latest play, Underneath the Freeways of Los Angeles. Though a work of fiction, Olmos said the issues the play unravels are very real.
“Setting a play here, not only was an exciting idea in terms of exploring some of L.A.’s history, but it was also a conversation starter in terms of what the powers that be do to marginalized communities,” explained Olmos.
And starting conversations is how he hopes to engage his audience. A virtual interactive murder mystery set in the 60s, the audience plays a huge role in how Olmos' play is told. Taking on the role of an interrogator, audience members will be allowed to cross-examine witnesses, talk about how the crime occurred, and what the play means.
@echotheatercompany @bluedogplaywright @glo_ridaa #losangeles #boyleheights #latheatre #hollenbeckpark #artsandculture
Airdate: 4/7/2021
Ito is the creator of City of Ghosts, a new animated kids series on Netflix that explores the numerous communities of Los Angeles from the perspectives of children, all with the help of some friendly ghosts. Having lived in L.A. her whole life, Ito has seen the city change over the years and wanted to create a story to honor the experiences of her ancestors, good and bad. @ottersnaps #losangeles #cityofghosts #netflix #ghoststories #animation
Airdate: 4/6/2021
When the Hollywood Legion Theater was raising funds for a renovation, they invited members to dedicate seats inside the space. Vietnam veteran and Hollywood actor Tucker Smallwood did not hesitate to signed up to honor fallen soldier and friend, Staff Sergeant Paul Savanuck.
@hollywoodpost43 #showbusiness #da5bloods #entertainment #losangeles #hollywood #delroylindo #chadwickboseman
Airdate: 4/2/2021
Known for depicting cute bears in prickly situations, Luke Chueh was inspired by artists like KAWS and Murakami, as well as his childhood watching Looney Tunes and Disney animation. When he realized that people are essentially programmed to empathize with hand-drawn animal characters, he decided to paint bears modeled after himself.
@lukechueh @coreyhelfordgallery #lukechueh #losangeles #arts #artsandculture #artsdistrict
Airdate: 3/30/2021
Working on an assembly line might look tedious, but it’s necessary work when it comes to manufacturing. Mario Rodriguez is participating in a job training program at AbilityFirst, an organization that provides transformational support to those with developmental disabilities and he’s thankful for the opportunity.
@haemario10 @abilityfirstla #losangeles #pasadena #disability #jobtraining
At first, you might think, "Ewww, slime," but you might change your mind if you learn more about it. For science, technology, engineering and math, often referred to as STEM, educator Socorro Sperati, slime is the perfect gateway to get young minds interested in science. #stem #steam #cityofstem #nasa #slime #discoverycubeoc #perseverance
@columbiaspace @cityofstem @illuminds_com
Airdate: 3/25/2021
Throughout the history of art, women have long been the subject of paintings and photography, but their bodies are often misinterpreted through the gaze of men. Artist Maia Flore realized this as an art student and sought to portray women without prejudice. But instead of working with models, she prefers to work alone.
@maiaflore @galerie_xii #losangeles #artsandculture #bergamotstation #santamonica
Airdate: 3/18/2021
Architecture is an art form that brings blueprints to life, and few architects have captured the Los Angeles landscape better than Paul R. Williams. @angelcitypress @lipstickonteeth #losangeles #architecture
In 1949, thousands of people showed up to a small field when news broke that 3-year old Kathy Fiscus fell down a well. They heard about it when KTLA and KTTV reported the news in real-time. The well has since been covered up, but USC professor of history William Deverell believes he now knows the exact spot where it happened.
@husc_icw @angelcitypress @hobackcanyon @lipstickonteeth #losangeles #kathyfiscus #sanmarino #lahistory
Airdate: 3/16/2021
The @ACLU_SoCal recently got a makeover. With the building being a frequent site for protests against police violence, artist-in-residence Audrey Chan decided to create a mural honoring local social justice activists. Chan said she felt the depictions to be a perfect fit to go on the building located across the street from the L.A. Police Protective League.
@audreychan.studio #losangeles #blm #aclu #murals
Airdate: 3/11/2021
Here's a fun human interest story! Eileen Greene started playing ping pong seven years ago, and before she knew it, she was winning competitions at a senior center in Pasadena. She recently accomplished a personal record of 1,246 consecutive hits without a single error over 13-and-a-half minutes of nonstop play.
@pingpongforgood
Airdate: 3/5/2021
