Metro Art, the public art division of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (Metro) public transportation network, commissioned Jaime Scholnick to create a permanent artwork for the Expo/Crenshaw Station for its new K-Line light rail system, which opened in October 2022 and serves the communities of West Adams, Baldwin Hills, Leimert Park, Inglewood, Westchester and more. For her project, Scholnick blended fieldwork photography and painting to reflect the daily rhythms of the South L.A. area. 

Working with photographer Sally Coates, Scholnick spent a year documenting the area from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and the 110 Freeway to Leimert Park, interviewing residents she met on the streets, in shops, and in restaurants about what they would like to see at the Metro station being built in their neighborhood. Their answers formed the foundation of people, places, and events Coates photographed, which became the basis for Scholnick’s artwork panels. The resulting panels are a combination of photography, collage, painting, and distinctive linework that is unique to Scholnick’s practice. 

Scholnick produced 80 panels that reflect the tempo of the community, of which Metro Art selected 70 to fabricate in porcelain enamel steel to span the station’s platform level. Layered Histories presents a selection of never-before exhibited panels, providing a deeper look into the neighborhood. As many of the buildings and shops that Scholnick and Coates documented no longer exist, these panels serve as a sort of time capsule of the neighborhood, bearing witness to its mosaic of sights, sounds, and stories, and the diverse and vibrant community that calls the Expo/Crenshaw area home.