Chicago ''L''.org: Arts in Transit - Station Artwork Guide -> Listed by Artist

Station Artwork Guide:
Listed By Artist

By Station/Route | By Artist Name | By Artwork Name

Listed below is the permanent artwork mounted at CTA stations, listed by artist in alphabetical order of last name.

One panel of Adam Brooks' Untitled work, depicting a quote from Haki Madhubuti, renowned African-American author, educator, and poet, is mounted over the stairs from the platform to the station house. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

The other two panels of Adam Brooks' Untitled work, with quotes from former boxer Muhammad Ali on the left and African-American Christian theologian James Cone on the right, are in the station house framing the vertical access to the platform. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Brooks, Adam

Title:

Untitled

Station:

Pulaski (Douglas)

Location:

Interior northeast and southeast diagonal walls in area adjacent to escalator/stair and exterior west wall above stairway at platform level

Media:

Glass mosaic with water jet cut lettering

Dimensions:..

(Left panel) 8' 10" x 7' 2" (right panel) 8' 10" x 7' 8" (elevated panel) 4' 4" x 10' 9"

Installation Completed:

October, 2004

Notes:

Adam Brooks uses quotes by individuals linked to Chicago to represent broad ideas about what it means to be human. The words of these contemporary figures create meaning within the site. The quotes in this artwork were chosen to reflect a wide-range approach to human thought and understanding. Each of the three individuals whose quotes are used -- Muhammad Ali, James Cone, and Haki Madhubuti -- was a pioneer in his field. Muhammad Ali is the original archetype for the modern poet; James Cone is a minister, writer and a professor at the Union Theological Seminary in New York; Haki Madhubuti is a Chicago-based poet and publisher who founded the Third World Press.

Adam Brooks is a Chicago artist who has successfully turned his conceptual, often text-based work, into interesting and beautiful public art. As a professional artist and curator he has work in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and has shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Brooks is also a professor at Colombia College.

The mosaic Vida Simple is seen looking west on the purposely-built wall to the north of the station house, facing the small plaza on the corner of Damen and Cullerton. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

A detail view of the glass and stone tilework of the Vida Simple mosaic. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Chavez, Juan Angel

Title:

Vida Simple

Station:

Damen (Douglas)

Location:

Exterior west wall of plaza north of the station house

Media:

Glass, stone & granite mosaics with screen printed and painted glass insets

Dimensions:..

9' x 25' 4"

Installation Completed:

October, 2004

Notes:

Inspired by the neighborhood of Pilsen, this multimedia mosaic focuses on the individuality of the people that created the heritage and cultural identity of the community. The design itself is a collage of imagery taken from the neighborhood, including community member portraits, local street scenes, and industrial wildlife -- birds, small animals, and plants that reside and grow in the industrial landscape.

Juan Angel Chavez is a Mexican artist living and working in the Pilsen community surrounding Damen station. He has both a long history of making public works of art in Chicago, as well as diverse studio work, which includes sculptural installations exhibited at both the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum.

Hopes and Dreams, as seen looking south from street level, inside the entrance to the transfer tunnel from the Orange/Green Line station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Amy Malick)

Detail view of Hopes and Dreams from the middle landing of the stairs from the transfer tunnel to street level. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Amy Malick)

Artist:

Chavez, Juan and Corinne Peterson

Title:

Hopes and Dreams

Station:

Roosevelt (Red Line - Orange/Green Line)

Location:

Transfer tunnel stairway/atrium

Media:

Ceramic mosaic

Dimensions:..

1600 square feet

Installation Completed:

2001

Notes:

Located at the Roosevelt station the transfer tunnel, connecting the Orange, Green and Red lines. at 1,600 square feet this mosaic is composed of more that 4,000 tiles, created by men, women and children on the Museum Campus in the summer of 1999. Participants were asked to create images relating the themes that link the citywide, yearlong cultural exploration of Project Millennium: origins, transitions, new directions, discovery and technology, the environment, and shaping community. They also incorporated their hopes and dreams for the new millennium into their carved tiles. The mosaic design takes the form of a shifting landscape. Tiles shape the clouds, plants, trees, forests, oceans, earth and space. The entire composition can also be seen to be a human figure in nature, symbolizing the constant human search to understand nature, our surroundings, and ourselves.

Larger version of Seeds of the Future... are installed at the Kildare auxiliary entrance and feature a center panel depicting children watering plants in their neighborhood. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

The smaller Seeds of the Future... panels at the Kostner entrance depict corn growing up from open books -- also use as side panels on the larger installation above -- symbolizing human growth. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Coron, Beatrice

Title:

Seeds of the Future Are Planted Today

Station:

Kostner

Location:

East and west station entrances

Media:

Water jet cut stainless steel

Dimensions:..

(west entrance @ Kostner) 58" x 70" 67" x 70"; (east entrance @ Kildare) 2 x (112" x 70")

Installation Completed:

October, 2004

Notes:

This project aims to plant seeds of thought. Icons of growth and transformation take root in the past to transform our future. In the center panel, young children are watering the city, representing hope for the future. The side panels reflect the importance of education and literacy as the open books at the bottom the pages sprout with plants, symbolizing human growth.

Beatrice Coron was born in France and currently lives and works in New York City. Coron is traditionally a paper-cutting artist. Her paper-cutting techniques were translated into a stainless steel work for this project as well as a commission for the City of New York. Her work is collected in both the United States and Europe.

The mosaic Ice Cream Dream is seen mounted within the 1935 Art Deco terra facade of the former Western station, both mounted on a purpose-built wall in front of Western Substation, next to the new Western station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist Hector Duarte is seen in his studio working on a mixed media version of Ice Cream Dream, which he used as a basis for creating the glass and ceramic pieces for the mosaic. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Duarte, Hector

Title:

Ice Cream Dream

Station:

Western (Douglas)

Location:

Exterior east wall of plaza south of station house framed by historical terra cotta

Media:

Glass mosaic with ceramic insets

Dimensions:..

8' 10" x 24' 8.5"

Installation Completed:

November, 2004

Notes:

At the center of this mosaic is a large heart with several buildings featuring the neighborhood's unique architectural characteristics and facades. Surrounding the heart are the Sears Tower and John Hancock Building, signifying the neighborhood's place in the city. Monarch butterflies are the predominant theme throughout the mural; like many people who pass through this station daily, monarchs are migrants. Every year the monarch travels thousands of miles from Mexico to the Midwest. The butterflies emerge in the mural as a wave of energy, a reflection of magical realism that has marked Latin American literature.

Hector Duarte is a Mexican artist who has lived in the neighborhood around the Western Station since he moved from Mexico in 1985. An established muralist, Duarte's work is not only in the Pilsen neighborhood, but also throughout Chicago. He has received commissions from the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Historical Society. While living in Mexico, he studied at the David Alfaro Siqueiros Mural Workshop in Cuernavaca.

View of Nicole Gordon's Untitled work at 54/Cermak station, mounted in the exterior elevation facing the bus terminal. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Gordon, Nicole

Title:

Untitled

Station:

54/Cermak

Location:

Exterior wall at eastern entrance ramp from bus drop off area

Media:

Paint on ceramic tile

Dimensions:..

7' x 17.5'

Installation Completed:

November, 2004

Notes:

This painting on ceramic tile depicts a tapestry in which Cicero's rich cultural history and diversity unfolds. Cicero is a town that is historically noted as a working class community composed primarily of immigrants that have strived to establish themselves and realize the American dream. A township map of Cicero serves as a foundation of the piece, as well as decorative references to the cultures that comprise the community. Some of the town's most important streets and landmarks provide a structural element, upon which the narrative unfolds.

Nicole Gordon is a Chicago artist with strong gallery following of her work. Ms. Gordon holds a BFA from Michigan University in Ann Arbor. She often uses 18th Century wallpaper or other domestic patterns as a starting point to her narrative landscapes. This is Nicole's first major public commission.

Cannas & Corn is seen on the south walls of Central Park's paid area. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

A young community member is seen making tiles for the Cannas & Corn mosaic at a workshop. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Gude, Olivia

Title:

Cannas & Corn

Station:

Central Park (Douglas)

Location:

Interior south wall in area adjacent to escalator

Media:

Glass and ceramic mosaic

Dimensions:..

8' 10" x 17' 3.5"

Installation Completed:

October, 2004

Notes:

This mosaic commemorates the ephemeral public art form of the community garden. North Lawndale has an active tradition of dedicated people who transform abandoned urban spaces into neighborhood amenities. They describe their work as "blight into sight." The mosaic was fabricated in a community mosaic workshop to "plant the seeds" of mosaic making skills in the community so that locally made public art can become part of the garden making process.

Olivia Gude, a senior artist for the Chicago Public Art Group, is a local artist who has over twenty years experience in creating public art. Also a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Olivia is passing on the skill and essence of mosaic as an art form through both teaching and organizing mosaic workshops for her own projects.

The ceramic tiles of Coast of Chicago are seen on the wall facing the stairs at Kedzie station. Elements of the local history, community, and transit can be found in the tiles' graphics. Can you find the silhouette of the original Kedzie station platform canopies? For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Himmelfarb, John

Title:

Coast of Chicago

Station:

Kedzie (Douglas)

Location:

Interior southwest wall in area adjacent to stairs

Media:

Custom-made ceramic tiles

Dimensions:..

8' 11" x 11' 1.5"

Installation Completed:

October, 2004

Notes:

The neighborhood surrounding the Kedzie station is full of bustling activity. The ceramic tiles of this artwork reflect the strength of community as a whole, but also the uniqueness of its individual parts. Many of the design elements are drawn from architectural details of homes, schools, commercial buildings, as well as structural details associated with the CTA. These sources reflect the current community and give reference to the history of the neighborhood. Combined with this imagery are design elements inspired by connections of heritage to Mayan, Aztec, and African cultures.

John Himmelfarb is a Chicago artist whose studio is located along Cermak Branch of Blue Line. Himmelfarb received a BA and MA from Harvard University. As a painter and multimedia artists his work is in the collection of Art Institute of Chicago and many other collections, both nationally and internationally.

Harlem station, 1984 seen through the glass wall of the station, across the outbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway. There are also images on the other side, facing the station interior. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Amy Malick)

Artist:

Katz, Alex

Title:

Harlem station, 1984

Station:

Harlem (O'Hare)

Location:

Station house interior, along the north wall in the paid area

Media:

Enamel on aluminum

Dimensions:..

8' x 50'

Installation Completed:

1984

Notes:

The Harlem station mural is a striking, freestanding painting by internationally renowned artist Alex Katz. The painting celebrates Chicago's immense diversity and its reputation as a city of hardworking people. The expansive Harlem station is one of the largest and most complex pieces Katz has created.

Space Junction of Energy, see situated in the middle of the stairs and ramp up to the Kimball station platforms. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

Another view of Space Junction of Energy, showing its context within the rest of Kimball station, looking south. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

Artist:

Jacquard, Jerald

Title:

Space Junction of Energy

Station:

Kimball

Location:

Stairway from station house to platform

Media:

Sheet metal

Dimensions:..

?

Installation Completed:

1974

Notes:

Space Junction of Energy is a sheet metal sculpture by Jerald Jacquard and provided the theme for CTA's modernization of the terminal in 1972. This site-specific sculpture is integrated with the system of ramps and stairs that links the station house with the platforms, and is an excellent example of the successful integration of public art with the design of a transit space.

Space Junction of Energy is believed to be the first specially-created artwork designed for and installed in a CTA rail station. Today, art installations are included in nearly all of CTA's station construction and renovation projects.

River Road Ring, seen over the courtyard at the center of Rosemont station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

A view of River Road Ring from platform level, looking down into the station courtyard. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

A close-up of River Road Ring, looking up from the station courtyard. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of the City of Chicago Public Art Program)

Artist:

Puryear, Martin

Title:

River Road Ring

Station:

Rosemont

Location:

Atrium between elevated platform and concourse

Media:

Wood

Dimensions:..

30' diameter

Installation Completed:

1985

Notes:

This wood sculpture by Martin Puryear elegantly described the open-air space within the structure of Rosemont station. The River Road Ring, whose name was derived from the station's original name (River Road), was a visually seamless arc of polished wood culminating in overlapping ends at the top of its tilted radius, which connected the upper and lower levels of the transportation facility. Wood and other natural materials were also common in Puryear's work, and like the biomorphic forms he creates, reflect his interest in biology, nature and landscape. River Road Ring was a particularly dynamic example of Puryear's talent for integrating the natural and the manmade.

Based in rural Accord, New York, sculptor Martin Puryear first studied biology before earning a BA in painting and an MFA in sculpture. In 1978, he moved to Chicago, where he began his career and became Professor of Art & Design at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He remained in Chicago until 1990. Puryear is the recipient of numerous awards, including the coveted John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award, commonly known as the "Genius Grant," and the grand prize for best artist at the 1989 Saso Paulo Bienal (Brazil).

The sculpture was removed in 2011 due to deterioration of the piece, owing to the materials used and the location of its installation. The artwork could not have been repaired and would have needed to be recreated, which was not financially feasible.

Rock Bow seen from the upper level of the Cumberland atrium. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

Rock Bow seen from the ground level of the Cumberland atrium. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)

Artist:

Ross, Charles

Title:

Rock Bow

Station:

Cumberland

Location:

Central atrium between rail station and bus terminal

Media:

Liquid-filled acrylic with granite base

Dimensions:..

31' x 8'

Installation Completed:

1982

Notes:

The Rock Bow is aligned so that at certain times of the year, during the early morning and late afternoon, direct sunlight strikes the prisms that cast large bands of spectrum color onto the walls and floor of the station. Looking directly through the prisms, one sees the surrounding environment bathed in rainbow color. The quality of this color is ever-changing, depending on the light of the station. The light-altering prisms sit upon three brushed stainless steel legs that create the support of a tripod. The prisms not only cast bands of spectrum but also project bands of white light. These lines continuously change their geometry as they move through the space with the passage of the sun.

Ross was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was educated at the University of California, Berkeley where he received degrees in Mathematics and Sculpture. The artist has exhibited in numerous one-person and group shows throughout the United States. Ross has also been selected for several prestigious commissions internationally.

Amor, seen looking southeast covering most of the south walls of the paid area at California station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

A close-up of Amor shows the work's intricate tilework and how it overlaps and interacts with the standard square white tiles used to clad the rest of the station interior, a Douglas renovation design standard. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Silva, Christopher Tavares

Title:

Amor

Station:

California (Douglas)

Location:

Interior southeast diagonal wall in area adjacent to escalator

Media:

Glass and stone mosaic

Dimensions:..

8' 9" x 15' 9.5"

Installation Completed:

November, 2004

Notes:

The circular flight of birds from heart to heart suggests the passing of love from person to person and place to place, as well as the coming and going of passengers. The migration of birds from clear to rainy skies symbolically endorses the virtues of promoting love through times of both happiness and hardship.

Chicago artist Christopher Tavares Silva started out as a street artist and has become an important painter and muralist in Chicago. He has work in the City of Chicago Public Art Collection and has been a long time member of the Chicago Public Art Group. The imagery of birds is a continuous symbol that Silva uses in both his public and studio work.

Birth of Heroes, mounted at the main entrance to Kostner, has images of famous African-Americans, the community, and the "L" screened onto its tiles. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)

Artist:

Watkins, Ivan

Title:

Birth of Heroes

Station:

Kostner

Location:

Exterior wall north of west (Kostner) entrance (main entrance)

Media:

Digital transfer onto tile

Dimensions:..

9' x 6'

Installation Completed:

August, 2004

Notes:

Inspired by the Mandala, a precise yet universal symbol of unity, harmony and the cyclical nature of life, this mural incorporates not only aspects of spirituality but also the reflection of great African American contributors of the past and present. Also incorporated in this digitally transferred mural is imagery of the Lawndale neighborhood. A lasting concept of this mural is to evoke education.

Ivan Watkins, as an established public muralist and social scientist, holds a degree in Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Masters in Social Science from the University of Chicago. Watkins has completed public murals throughout the country, most of them educational artworks focusing on African American History.

Text courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program.

By Station/Route | By Artist Name | By Artwork Name

One panel of Adam Brooks' Untitled work, depicting a quote from Haki Madhubuti, renowned African-American author, educator, and poet, is mounted over the stairs from the platform to the station house. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program) The other two panels of Adam Brooks' Untitled work, with quotes from former boxer Muhammad Ali on the left and African-American Christian theologian James Cone on the right, are in the station house framing the vertical access to the platform. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Brooks, Adam
	Title:	Untitled
	Station:	Pulaski (Douglas)
	Location:	Interior northeast and southeast diagonal walls in area adjacent to escalator/stair and exterior west wall above stairway at platform level
	Media:	Glass mosaic with water jet cut lettering
	Dimensions:..	(Left panel) 8' 10" x 7' 2" (right panel) 8' 10" x 7' 8" (elevated panel) 4' 4" x 10' 9"
	Installation Completed:	October, 2004
	Notes:	Adam Brooks uses quotes by individuals linked to Chicago to represent broad ideas about what it means to be human. The words of these contemporary figures create meaning within the site. The quotes in this artwork were chosen to reflect a wide-range approach to human thought and understanding. Each of the three individuals whose quotes are used -- Muhammad Ali, James Cone, and Haki Madhubuti -- was a pioneer in his field. Muhammad Ali is the original archetype for the modern poet; James Cone is a minister, writer and a professor at the Union Theological Seminary in New York; Haki Madhubuti is a Chicago-based poet and publisher who founded the Third World Press. Adam Brooks is a Chicago artist who has successfully turned his conceptual, often text-based work, into interesting and beautiful public art. As a professional artist and curator he has work in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago and has shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Brooks is also a professor at Colombia College.

The mosaic Vida Simple is seen looking west on the purposely-built wall to the north of the station house, facing the small plaza on the corner of Damen and Cullerton. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program) A detail view of the glass and stone tilework of the Vida Simple mosaic. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Chavez, Juan Angel
	Title:	Vida Simple
	Station:	Damen (Douglas)
	Location:	Exterior west wall of plaza north of the station house
	Media:	Glass, stone & granite mosaics with screen printed and painted glass insets
	Dimensions:..	9' x 25' 4"
	Installation Completed:	October, 2004
	Notes:	Inspired by the neighborhood of Pilsen, this multimedia mosaic focuses on the individuality of the people that created the heritage and cultural identity of the community. The design itself is a collage of imagery taken from the neighborhood, including community member portraits, local street scenes, and industrial wildlife -- birds, small animals, and plants that reside and grow in the industrial landscape. Juan Angel Chavez is a Mexican artist living and working in the Pilsen community surrounding Damen station. He has both a long history of making public works of art in Chicago, as well as diverse studio work, which includes sculptural installations exhibited at both the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago and the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum.

Hopes and Dreams, as seen looking south from street level, inside the entrance to the transfer tunnel from the Orange/Green Line station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Amy Malick) Detail view of Hopes and Dreams from the middle landing of the stairs from the transfer tunnel to street level. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Amy Malick)	Artist:	Chavez, Juan and Corinne Peterson
	Title:	Hopes and Dreams
	Station:	Roosevelt (Red Line - Orange/Green Line)
	Location:	Transfer tunnel stairway/atrium
	Media:	Ceramic mosaic
	Dimensions:..	1600 square feet
	Installation Completed:	2001
	Notes:	Located at the Roosevelt station the transfer tunnel, connecting the Orange, Green and Red lines. at 1,600 square feet this mosaic is composed of more that 4,000 tiles, created by men, women and children on the Museum Campus in the summer of 1999. Participants were asked to create images relating the themes that link the citywide, yearlong cultural exploration of Project Millennium: origins, transitions, new directions, discovery and technology, the environment, and shaping community. They also incorporated their hopes and dreams for the new millennium into their carved tiles. The mosaic design takes the form of a shifting landscape. Tiles shape the clouds, plants, trees, forests, oceans, earth and space. The entire composition can also be seen to be a human figure in nature, symbolizing the constant human search to understand nature, our surroundings, and ourselves.

Larger version of Seeds of the Future... are installed at the Kildare auxiliary entrance and feature a center panel depicting children watering plants in their neighborhood. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program) The smaller Seeds of the Future... panels at the Kostner entrance depict corn growing up from open books -- also use as side panels on the larger installation above -- symbolizing human growth. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Coron, Beatrice
	Title:	Seeds of the Future Are Planted Today
	Station:	Kostner
	Location:	East and west station entrances
	Media:	Water jet cut stainless steel
	Dimensions:..	(west entrance @ Kostner) 58" x 70" 67" x 70"; (east entrance @ Kildare) 2 x (112" x 70")
	Installation Completed:	October, 2004
	Notes:	This project aims to plant seeds of thought. Icons of growth and transformation take root in the past to transform our future. In the center panel, young children are watering the city, representing hope for the future. The side panels reflect the importance of education and literacy as the open books at the bottom the pages sprout with plants, symbolizing human growth. Beatrice Coron was born in France and currently lives and works in New York City. Coron is traditionally a paper-cutting artist. Her paper-cutting techniques were translated into a stainless steel work for this project as well as a commission for the City of New York. Her work is collected in both the United States and Europe.

The mosaic Ice Cream Dream is seen mounted within the 1935 Art Deco terra facade of the former Western station, both mounted on a purpose-built wall in front of Western Substation, next to the new Western station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program) Artist Hector Duarte is seen in his studio working on a mixed media version of Ice Cream Dream, which he used as a basis for creating the glass and ceramic pieces for the mosaic. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Duarte, Hector
	Title:	Ice Cream Dream
	Station:	Western (Douglas)
	Location:	Exterior east wall of plaza south of station house framed by historical terra cotta
	Media:	Glass mosaic with ceramic insets
	Dimensions:..	8' 10" x 24' 8.5"
	Installation Completed:	November, 2004
	Notes:	At the center of this mosaic is a large heart with several buildings featuring the neighborhood's unique architectural characteristics and facades. Surrounding the heart are the Sears Tower and John Hancock Building, signifying the neighborhood's place in the city. Monarch butterflies are the predominant theme throughout the mural; like many people who pass through this station daily, monarchs are migrants. Every year the monarch travels thousands of miles from Mexico to the Midwest. The butterflies emerge in the mural as a wave of energy, a reflection of magical realism that has marked Latin American literature. Hector Duarte is a Mexican artist who has lived in the neighborhood around the Western Station since he moved from Mexico in 1985. An established muralist, Duarte's work is not only in the Pilsen neighborhood, but also throughout Chicago. He has received commissions from the City of Chicago, Chicago Public Schools and the Chicago Historical Society. While living in Mexico, he studied at the David Alfaro Siqueiros Mural Workshop in Cuernavaca.

View of Nicole Gordon's Untitled work at 54/Cermak station, mounted in the exterior elevation facing the bus terminal. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Gordon, Nicole
	Title:	Untitled
	Station:	54/Cermak
	Location:	Exterior wall at eastern entrance ramp from bus drop off area
	Media:	Paint on ceramic tile
	Dimensions:..	7' x 17.5'
	Installation Completed:	November, 2004
	Notes:	This painting on ceramic tile depicts a tapestry in which Cicero's rich cultural history and diversity unfolds. Cicero is a town that is historically noted as a working class community composed primarily of immigrants that have strived to establish themselves and realize the American dream. A township map of Cicero serves as a foundation of the piece, as well as decorative references to the cultures that comprise the community. Some of the town's most important streets and landmarks provide a structural element, upon which the narrative unfolds. Nicole Gordon is a Chicago artist with strong gallery following of her work. Ms. Gordon holds a BFA from Michigan University in Ann Arbor. She often uses 18th Century wallpaper or other domestic patterns as a starting point to her narrative landscapes. This is Nicole's first major public commission.

Cannas & Corn is seen on the south walls of Central Park's paid area. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program) A young community member is seen making tiles for the Cannas & Corn mosaic at a workshop. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Gude, Olivia
	Title:	Cannas & Corn
	Station:	Central Park (Douglas)
	Location:	Interior south wall in area adjacent to escalator
	Media:	Glass and ceramic mosaic
	Dimensions:..	8' 10" x 17' 3.5"
	Installation Completed:	October, 2004
	Notes:	This mosaic commemorates the ephemeral public art form of the community garden. North Lawndale has an active tradition of dedicated people who transform abandoned urban spaces into neighborhood amenities. They describe their work as "blight into sight." The mosaic was fabricated in a community mosaic workshop to "plant the seeds" of mosaic making skills in the community so that locally made public art can become part of the garden making process. Olivia Gude, a senior artist for the Chicago Public Art Group, is a local artist who has over twenty years experience in creating public art. Also a professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Olivia is passing on the skill and essence of mosaic as an art form through both teaching and organizing mosaic workshops for her own projects.

The ceramic tiles of Coast of Chicago are seen on the wall facing the stairs at Kedzie station. Elements of the local history, community, and transit can be found in the tiles' graphics. Can you find the silhouette of the original Kedzie station platform canopies? For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Himmelfarb, John
	Title:	Coast of Chicago
	Station:	Kedzie (Douglas)
	Location:	Interior southwest wall in area adjacent to stairs
	Media:	Custom-made ceramic tiles
	Dimensions:..	8' 11" x 11' 1.5"
	Installation Completed:	October, 2004
	Notes:	The neighborhood surrounding the Kedzie station is full of bustling activity. The ceramic tiles of this artwork reflect the strength of community as a whole, but also the uniqueness of its individual parts. Many of the design elements are drawn from architectural details of homes, schools, commercial buildings, as well as structural details associated with the CTA. These sources reflect the current community and give reference to the history of the neighborhood. Combined with this imagery are design elements inspired by connections of heritage to Mayan, Aztec, and African cultures. John Himmelfarb is a Chicago artist whose studio is located along Cermak Branch of Blue Line. Himmelfarb received a BA and MA from Harvard University. As a painter and multimedia artists his work is in the collection of Art Institute of Chicago and many other collections, both nationally and internationally.

Harlem station, 1984 seen through the glass wall of the station, across the outbound lanes of the Kennedy Expressway. There are also images on the other side, facing the station interior. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Amy Malick)	Artist:	Katz, Alex
	Title:	Harlem station, 1984
	Station:	Harlem (O'Hare)
	Location:	Station house interior, along the north wall in the paid area
	Media:	Enamel on aluminum
	Dimensions:..	8' x 50'
	Installation Completed:	1984
	Notes:	The Harlem station mural is a striking, freestanding painting by internationally renowned artist Alex Katz. The painting celebrates Chicago's immense diversity and its reputation as a city of hardworking people. The expansive Harlem station is one of the largest and most complex pieces Katz has created.

Space Junction of Energy, see situated in the middle of the stairs and ramp up to the Kimball station platforms. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) Another view of Space Junction of Energy, showing its context within the rest of Kimball station, looking south. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)	Artist:	Jacquard, Jerald
	Title:	Space Junction of Energy
	Station:	Kimball
	Location:	Stairway from station house to platform
	Media:	Sheet metal
	Dimensions:..	?
	Installation Completed:	1974
	Notes:	Space Junction of Energy is a sheet metal sculpture by Jerald Jacquard and provided the theme for CTA's modernization of the terminal in 1972. This site-specific sculpture is integrated with the system of ramps and stairs that links the station house with the platforms, and is an excellent example of the successful integration of public art with the design of a transit space. Space Junction of Energy is believed to be the first specially-created artwork designed for and installed in a CTA rail station. Today, art installations are included in nearly all of CTA's station construction and renovation projects.

River Road Ring, seen over the courtyard at the center of Rosemont station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) A view of River Road Ring from platform level, looking down into the station courtyard. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) A close-up of River Road Ring, looking up from the station courtyard. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of the City of Chicago Public Art Program)	Artist:	Puryear, Martin
	Title:	River Road Ring
	Station:	Rosemont
	Location:	Atrium between elevated platform and concourse
	Media:	Wood
	Dimensions:..	30' diameter
	Installation Completed:	1985
	Notes:	This wood sculpture by Martin Puryear elegantly described the open-air space within the structure of Rosemont station. The River Road Ring, whose name was derived from the station's original name (River Road), was a visually seamless arc of polished wood culminating in overlapping ends at the top of its tilted radius, which connected the upper and lower levels of the transportation facility. Wood and other natural materials were also common in Puryear's work, and like the biomorphic forms he creates, reflect his interest in biology, nature and landscape. River Road Ring was a particularly dynamic example of Puryear's talent for integrating the natural and the manmade. Based in rural Accord, New York, sculptor Martin Puryear first studied biology before earning a BA in painting and an MFA in sculpture. In 1978, he moved to Chicago, where he began his career and became Professor of Art & Design at the University of Illinois, Chicago. He remained in Chicago until 1990. Puryear is the recipient of numerous awards, including the coveted John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship Award, commonly known as the "Genius Grant," and the grand prize for best artist at the 1989 Saso Paulo Bienal (Brazil). The sculpture was removed in 2011 due to deterioration of the piece, owing to the materials used and the location of its installation. The artwork could not have been repaired and would have needed to be recreated, which was not financially feasible.

Rock Bow seen from the upper level of the Cumberland atrium. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield) Rock Bow seen from the ground level of the Cumberland atrium. For a larger view, click here. (Photo by Graham Garfield)	Artist:	Ross, Charles
	Title:	Rock Bow
	Station:	Cumberland
	Location:	Central atrium between rail station and bus terminal
	Media:	Liquid-filled acrylic with granite base
	Dimensions:..	31' x 8'
	Installation Completed:	1982
	Notes:	The Rock Bow is aligned so that at certain times of the year, during the early morning and late afternoon, direct sunlight strikes the prisms that cast large bands of spectrum color onto the walls and floor of the station. Looking directly through the prisms, one sees the surrounding environment bathed in rainbow color. The quality of this color is ever-changing, depending on the light of the station. The light-altering prisms sit upon three brushed stainless steel legs that create the support of a tripod. The prisms not only cast bands of spectrum but also project bands of white light. These lines continuously change their geometry as they move through the space with the passage of the sun. Ross was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and was educated at the University of California, Berkeley where he received degrees in Mathematics and Sculpture. The artist has exhibited in numerous one-person and group shows throughout the United States. Ross has also been selected for several prestigious commissions internationally.

Amor, seen looking southeast covering most of the south walls of the paid area at California station. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program) A close-up of Amor shows the work's intricate tilework and how it overlaps and interacts with the standard square white tiles used to clad the rest of the station interior, a Douglas renovation design standard. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Silva, Christopher Tavares
	Title:	Amor
	Station:	California (Douglas)
	Location:	Interior southeast diagonal wall in area adjacent to escalator
	Media:	Glass and stone mosaic
	Dimensions:..	8' 9" x 15' 9.5"
	Installation Completed:	November, 2004
	Notes:	The circular flight of birds from heart to heart suggests the passing of love from person to person and place to place, as well as the coming and going of passengers. The migration of birds from clear to rainy skies symbolically endorses the virtues of promoting love through times of both happiness and hardship. Chicago artist Christopher Tavares Silva started out as a street artist and has become an important painter and muralist in Chicago. He has work in the City of Chicago Public Art Collection and has been a long time member of the Chicago Public Art Group. The imagery of birds is a continuous symbol that Silva uses in both his public and studio work.

Birth of Heroes, mounted at the main entrance to Kostner, has images of famous African-Americans, the community, and the "L" screened onto its tiles. For a larger view, click here. (Photo courtesy of CTA Arts in Transit Program)	Artist:	Watkins, Ivan
	Title:	Birth of Heroes
	Station:	Kostner
	Location:	Exterior wall north of west (Kostner) entrance (main entrance)
	Media:	Digital transfer onto tile
	Dimensions:..	9' x 6'
	Installation Completed:	August, 2004
	Notes:	Inspired by the Mandala, a precise yet universal symbol of unity, harmony and the cyclical nature of life, this mural incorporates not only aspects of spirituality but also the reflection of great African American contributors of the past and present. Also incorporated in this digitally transferred mural is imagery of the Lawndale neighborhood. A lasting concept of this mural is to evoke education. Ivan Watkins, as an established public muralist and social scientist, holds a degree in Fine Art from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a Masters in Social Science from the University of Chicago. Watkins has completed public murals throughout the country, most of them educational artworks focusing on African American History.