Meet four artists behind the public art you'll see at L.A. Metro's new D Line stations

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Art deco motifs, fossils and massive drawings of hands are among the installations that will greet riders passing through the three new stations on L.A.Metro’s D Line extension.The underground subway stations, which connect downtown Los Angeles to Beverly Hills, are home to nine site-specific artworks by Mariana Castillo Deball, Eamon Ore-Giron, Ken Gonzales-Day, Todd Gray, Karl Haendel, Soo Kim, Fran Siegel, Susan Silton and Mark Dean Veca.The goal was to make the new public art a “world-class experience” for riders — one that matched the caliber of the acclaimed museums the new subway route makes accessible along Wilshire Boulevard, said Metro deputy executive officer Zipporah Yamamoto, who leads the agency’s public art program.“When you walk through the stations, you’re basically walking through a series of immersive artworks on every single level,” Yamamoto said.

“It’s not like hanging paintings above a sofa … where the art comes in at the end.”Participating artists did not have to reside in Los Angeles, but their projects had to respond to the station’s location, history and culture and include a community engagement component.“Without artwork that is specific in its reference to place, all the stations would look the same,” Yamamoto said, adding that she hopes the art will encourage riders to explore a neighborhood further.Metal placards installed near each piece feature a scannable QR code that reveals more about the artist.

California If a subway would work anywhere in modern Los Angeles, conventional wisdom said, it was along Wilshire Boulevard.The competitive selection process began roughly a decade ago, Yamamoto said.

More than 1,200 people responded to the agency’s call for artists.Finalists were paid to develop proposals that were judged by a panel of art professionals including curators from the museums along Miracle Mile.Metro’s...