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Jose Antonio Aguirre is recognized as a bi-national artist who was born and raised in Mexico City and immigrated to the United States in 1976. During the 1980's, Aguirre achieved a BFA from the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from the California Institute of the Arts. Mr. Aguirre has continued to live and work in Los Angeles, developing a national and international art career. He has actively partipated in solo and group exhibitions, but is particularly recognized for his public art.
![[[ More Azusa Alameda Images ]]](images/AguirreAzAl-TVM-Map-canopy.jpg)
Ticket Vending Machine & Map Case Shelter
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His most recent and ambitious project is the double tower Byzantine and Venetion glass mosaic mural for the new East Los Angeles Public Library titled Our Legacy, Forever Presente. The project was commissioned by the County of Los Angeles at the behest of Los Angeles County Supervisor, Gloria Molina. Mr. Aguirre creates his public and private art not only as an artist but also as an active community cultural worker, a cultural journalist and a visual arts educator. His two-dimensional artworks are included in many of the prominent public art collections in the United States, Mexico, Scotland and Germany.
Artist Concept
Jose Antonio Aguirre was awarded the opportunity to create an art concept for the new Azusa - Alameda Station of the Metro Gold Line Foothill Extension. Mr. Aguirre's concept for the station is to serve as both an historic landmark and a gateway for the City of Azusa. The station's architectural and artistic design elements are to reflect an integration of motifs and pictographs drawn from the cultural traditions of the Native American Gabrielino tribe and the architectural forms of the early California Spanish-Colonial Mission style. The fusion of the two histories will capture the cultural significance of the local area reflected in the civic identity of the City of Azusa.
Mr. Aguirre hopes to include the construction of two colonial-style gateway arches near the entry to the station. Rising to an estimated height of 15 feet tall and made of Cantera limestone, the arches are to signify the Alameda, or the Grand Parkway to the community. On the main platform of the station, a ribbon-like design of blue glass mosaic will be imbedded in the floor to symbolize a flowing river in honor of the city's Indian name, Azusa. The word is considered to have a double meaning that represents both nature's element of water, and the mountain-area animal, the skunk. The contemporary mosaic glass design will gradually change in color to represent this double meaning, from the blue color of water to the black and white colors of the skunk. Leading up to the platform, the outside walkway will be a colored concrete stamped with the interpreted pictographs of the Gabrielino culture. The forged iron elements that will grace the canopy and the surrounding fencing, will reflect the early California Mission aesthetic.
Mr. Aguirre's unique approach to the project seeks to involve the public in the developmental stages of the project's execution. The artist invites not only the local business owners, high school students, youth-at-risk and the general public to participate, but will also include the participation of the highly-skilled Mexican artisans and craftsmen of Zacatecas, Mexico to work in collaboration with the Azusa community. Aguirre invites the collaboration of the two communities in honor of the Sister City relationship between the City of Azcatecas and the City of Azusa.
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Lynn Goodpasture designs, fabricates and installs site-specific art for national and international clients, working closely with architects and clients on her numerous commissions. Her public art projects are executed in a variety of materials, including mosaic, slumped and painted glass, and metal. The artist has created a number of public art "Clocks", including two locally at the Glendale Transportation Center and the Center for Early Education in West Hollywood. She is currently exploring the integration of solar technology and glass art.
Oranges & Honey Bees
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Artist Concept
Honoring the proud and unique history of the land surrounding the Azusa Citrus Metro Station, Ms. Goodpasture plans to feature the California Fan Palm and various indigenous trees and flowers in her design proposal, providing an important connection to the city's past and present.
At the entrance to the train platform, the artist will create a welcome shelter in the form of a California Fan Palm gazebo. The structure of sand cast aluminum or plasma cut steel will be a portal for all train passengers, providing shelter from the sun near the ticket vending area.
In addition, a number of pre-cast stone benches decorated wtih colorful hand-painted tile surfaces will enhance the platform. Similar in style to the historic Malibu tiles, each bench will evoke an important plant associated with the community, including Wild Hyacinth, Sycamore, Gardenia and Oranges.
The design elements chosen for this station link the area's rich history, beginning with Henry Dalton's importation of oranges in 1867, the citrus groves of the successful Azusa Foothill Citrus Company, and on to the innovative breakthroughs of the Monrovia Nursery, as a place of flowering fecundity. |
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