

Project Description
Michele Asselin is best known for her photographic portraiture focusing on individual identities within larger social constructs. Her past work includes a series of portraits of domestic workers and a series of photographs about the loss of Hollywood Park Race Track. For this artwork, Asselin has created luminous portraits of an urban planner, mechanic, bus operator, rail security officer and other professions. The artist found inspiration in the personal and professional stories that drew her subjects to Metro.
Forward Motion was installed on the occasion of Womens’ History Month 2019 and celebrates women working in a range of professions at Metro. It also features members of the inaugural Women and Girls Governing Council created by Metro CEO Phil Washington. The Council is tasked with exploring ways Metro can achieve a more gender-balanced workforce, accelerate career advancement for women and improve mobility for female ridership.
Visit the expanded page on Forward Motion here.
Artist Statement
With Forward Motion, I want to highlight the women of Metro as well as the environments in which they work. My hope is that the Metro patrons who experience these artworks will understand these women to be guides, guardians and builders of Los Angeles.
The exhibition Forward Motion is accompanied by a booklet that presents each stunning portrait and statement by the featured women. All our publications are available to the public in digital and print versions (while supplies last). If you would like to receive the print publication, please call 213.922.4ART.
About the Artist
MICHELE ASSELIN is a photographer exploring the impact of social constructs on human experience. She draws on editorial techniques to examine how people and places come to reflect the systems of which they are a part. Her work has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker, Time Magazine, Esquire, and New York Magazine. Asselin has been an artist-in-residence for the National Domestic Workers Alliance and has collaborated on projects with social organizations, Street to Home in New York City and The Institute For Facial Paralysis in Los Angeles. In 2017 Asselin’s work was included in the Orange County Museum of Art Pacific Triennial: Building as Ever and in 2019, featured in a solo show at There-There Gallery. Since, she has completed public art commissions in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and The City of Inglewood. Her first book, Clubhouse Turn, published by Angel City Press, was released in February 2020. Asselin lives and works in Los Angeles.
Locations: Union Station/Patsaouras Transit Plaza
- 7th St/Metro Center Station
- Metro Center Station
- Pico Station
- Grand/LATTC Station
- San Pedro St
- Vernon Station
- Slauson Station
- Florence Station
- Firestone Station
- 103rd St/Watts Towers
- Compton Station
- Artesia Station
- Del Amo Station
- Wardlow Station
- Willow St
- Anaheim St
- Fifth Street Station
- First Street Station
- Downtown Long Beach Station
- Pacific Av
- Washington Station
- Pacific Coast Highway
- Willowbrook/Rosa Parks
- A Line
- LATCC/Ortho Institute Station
- Jefferson/USC Station
- Expo/Vermont Station
- Expo/Western Station
- Expo/Crenshaw Station
- La Cienega/Jefferson Station
- Culver City Station
- Expo/La Brea Station
- Farmdale Station
- Palms Station
- Expo/Sepulveda Station
- Expo/Bundy Station
- 26th St/Bergamot Station
- 17th St/SMC Station
- Expo Park/USC Station
- Westwood/Rancho Park Station
- Downtown Santa Monica Station
- Allen Station
- Chinatown Station
- Del Mar Station
- Fillmore Station
- Heritage Square Station
- Lake Station
- Memorial Park Station
- Sierra Madre Villa Station
- South Pasadena
- Southwest Museum Station
- Highland Park Station
- Indiana Station
- Maravilla Station
- Mariachi Plaza Station
- Pico/Aliso Station
- Azusa Downtown Station
- Gold Line Bridge
- Alignment, Sierra Madre Villa Parking and Bus Facility
- Arcadia Station
- Duarte/City of Hope Station
- Irwindale Station
- Monrovia Station
- Atlantic Station
- East LA/Civic Center Station
- Little Tokyo/Arts District Station
- Lincoln/Cypress Station
- Union Station
- Soto Station
- APU/Citrus College Station
- Norwalk Station
- Lakewood Bl
- Harbor Freeway Station
- Vermont/Athens
- Aviation/LAX Station
- Mariposa Station
- El Segundo Station
- Douglas/Rosecrans Station
- Redondo Beach Station
- Long Beach Bl Station
- Florence/West Station
- Florence/La Brea Station
- Aviation/Century Station
- Avalon Station
- Hawthorne/Lennox
- Crenshaw/Vernon Station
- Crenshaw/MLK Station
- Crenshaw/Expo Station
- Florence/Hindry Station
- Willowbrook/Rosa Parks
- Crenshaw/Slauson Station
- Crenshaw/I-105 Station
- North Hollywood Station
- Van Nuys Station
- Valley College Station
- Woodman Station
- Sepulveda Station
- Woodley Station
- Balboa Station
- Reseda Station
- Tampa Station
- De Soto Station
- Canoga Station
- Alignment Landscaping
- Plaza and Alignment Lead Artist
- Chatsworth Station
- Nordhoff Station
- Roscoe Station
- Sherman Way Station
- Laurel Canyon Station
- Pierce College Station
- 7th St/Metro Center Station
- Metro Center Station
- Pershing Square Station
- Wilshire/Vermont Station
- Vermont/Beverly Station
- Vermont/Santa Monica Station
- Vermont/Sunset Station
- Hollywood/Vine Station
- Hollywood/Highland Station
- North Hollywood Station
- Universal City/Studio City Station
- Civic Center/Grand Park Station
- Hollywood/Western Station
- Union Station
- Westlake/MacArthur Park Station
Select Slideshow by Artist
- Abeles, Kim
- Abramovic, Karl
- Acedo, William
- Adams, Lisa
- Adelman, Suzanne
- Adobe LA,
- Aguirre, Jose Antonio
- Aldrich, Lynn
- Alejandre, Abel
- Almanza, Eric
- Ambriz, Kristina
- Amescua, Michael
- Anderson, Jonathan
- Andres, Holly
- Antonakos, Stephen
- Appleton, Steve
- Argote, Carmen
- Arion, Katherine
- Askin, Walter
- Aspillera, Diana
- Asselin, Michele
- Atienza, Jazmine
- Baca, Judith F.
- Ball-Nogues,
- Barajas, Daniel
- Bell, Bill
- Benavidez, Roberto
- Beniston, Christie
- Bey, April
- Birk, Sandow
- Borofsky, Jonathan
- Botello, Paul
- Brailsford, Robin
- Brandt, Matthew
- Braunstein, Terry
- Brown, Karen Hochman
- Callwood, Dennis Olanzo
- Campbell, Joyce
- Cardenas, Rafael
- Carlson, Cynthia
- Carron, Lindsay
- Chang, Chusien
- Cheng, Carl
- Clarke, Lee
- (CLUI), The Center for Land Use Interpretation
- Cockcroft, Eva
- Comen, Sam
- Cosentino, Manny
- Cranston, Meg
- Davis, Michael
- Davis, Caryl
- Debora , Fabian
- de la Loza, Alejandro
- de la Sota, Raoul
- de la Torre , Jamex and Einar
- Delgado, Roberto
- Delgado, Roberto L.
- De Magalhaes, Nzuji
- Dickson, Charles
- Diehnelt , Franka
- Dierdorff, Christofer C.
- Diez, Paul
- Disselkoen, Alexis
- Divola, John
- Dobrowner, Mitch
- Doolin, James
- Dowell, Roy
- Dreager, Jacqueline
- Duffy, Ricardo
- Durazo, Martin
- East Los Streetscapers,
- Eatherton, Thomas
- Edmonds, June
- Elliott, Marco
- Erenberg, Sam
- Evans, Cynthia
- Evans, George
- Fedak II, Nicholas
- Fernandez, Patricia
- Ferraz, Cat
- Fine, Jud
- Flick, Robbert
- Flores, Elsa
- Freeman , Charles (Brother Boko)
- Frieden, Sarajo
- Fu, Colette
- Gale, Gayle
- Galloway, Stephen
- Gamboa Jr., Harry
- Garcia, Willie
- Garcia, Margaret
- Garten, Cliff
- Gaulke, Cheri
- Gil de Montes, Roberto
- Gillespie Pryor, Jane
- Gleaton, Tony
- Glickman, Andrew Z.
- Goin, Peter
- Gonzales-Day, Ken
- Gonzalez, Daniel
- Goodin, Robert
- Goodpasture, Lynn
- Gray, Colin
- Gray, Ja'Rie
- Green, Phyllis
- Grimmer, Mineko
- Groh, Paul
- Gruda, Larry
- Guyton , Tyree
- Hanami, Clement
- Heller, Danny
- Hernandez, Bodeck Luna
- Hernandez, Judithe
- Hernandez, Alepsis
- Hido, Todd
- Hollen, David
- Holliday, Hadley
- Hood, Walter
- Hsiung, Michael C.
- Hu, Iris Yirei
- Huggins, John
- Humble, John
- Huynh, Phung
- Isermann, Jim
- JoeSam.,
- Johnson, Eric Ernest
- Johnson, Torgen
- Johnson, Stephen
- Jordan, Chris
- Kahn, Ned
- Karlsen, Anne Marie
- Kay Wilson, Mary
- Keller, Lois
- Kim, Soo
- Kimura, Wakana
- Klein, Sheila
- Kobayashi, Kipp
- Korten, Noel
- Kosaka, Hirokazu
- Kozloff, Joyce
- Kruger, Barbara
- Kunce, Samm
- Kyong, Haeley
- LaBelle, Charles
- LaDuke, Tom
- Lazzari, Margaret
- Legrady, George
- Leicester, Andrew
- Lenihan, Terry
- Leonard, Gary
- Lere, Mark
- Letelier, Francisco
- Lewis, Joe
- Light, Michael
- Lipski, Donald
- Llanos, Ronald J.
- Logoreci, Susan
- London, Laura
- Lopez, Jose
- Low, Sandra
- Loza, José M.
- Lozano, Jose
- Lujan, Gilbert (Magu)
- Lusby, Cody
- Mackendrick, Matthew
- Maguire, Cindy
- Maisel, David
- Mallinson, Constance
- Man One,
- Marble, Tom
- Marlos, Daniel
- Martin, Walter
- Martinez, Daniel J.
- Martínez, Michele
- Massenburg, Michael
- McCollister, Kevin
- McCoy, Jessica Polzin
- McHugh , Jim
- McMillen, Michael C.
- Mendoza, Ricardo
- Merge Conceptual Design,
- Meyer, Diane
- Middlebrook, Willie Robert
- Millar, Robert
- Mohr, Patrick
- Montana, Star
- Motokawa, Emi
- Mueller, Nikko
- Muñoz, Paloma
- Myklebust , Andrea
- Nagasawa, Nobuho
- Nagatani, Patrick
- Neilson, Rob
- Nguyen, Christine
- Nicholson, Roy
- Nielsen, Margaret
- Niemi, Ries
- O’Brien, John
- Ohmit, Mary Ann
- Olabisi, Noni
- Opie , Catherine
- Ore-Giron, Eamon
- Orlovski, Stas
- Ortiz (Ms. Yellow), Nuria
- Outterbridge, John
- Pace, Sam
- Perlas, Marta
- Petropoulos, Renée
- Pinkney, Elliott
- Polubinskas, Paul
- Polzin McCoy, Jessica
- Ramirez, Ramon
- Ramos, Vincent
- Reiquam, Peter
- Reisenberger, Claudia
- Reyes, Miguel Angel
- Ringgold, Faith
- Rivera, Aaron
- Rockwell, Roxene
- Rodriguez, Samuel
- Rodríguez, Artemio
- Roloff, John
- Romero, Sonia
- Romero, Frank
- Ross, LP Aekili
- Rothenberg, Erika
- Rowe, Sandra
- Salas, Roberto
- Saldamando , Shizu
- Salzwedel, Brooks
- Sandoval, Teddy
- Schoenholz, Elon
- Schoonhoven, Terry
- Sears, Stanton Gray
- Shin, Kyungmi
- Shire, Peter
- Sjodin, Kajsa
- Spector, Buzz
- Sproat, Christopher
- Statom, Therman
- Stone, George
- Strayhorn, Robin
- Stromsoe, Dawna
- Stutz, Michael
- Sun, May
- Syrop, Mitchell
- Tang, Cha-Rie
- Tark, Soonae
- Thielen, Beth
- Torrez, Eloy
- Trevino, John
- Turner, Richard
- Tzanetopoulos, Paul
- Ulke, Christine
- Valadez, John
- Valdez, Patssi
- Vander Borgh, Matthew
- Van Patten, Dave
- Vaugel, Martine
- Vaughan, Stuart
- Waddell, Edith
- Warner, Pat
- Washington, Horace
- Weber, Sally
- White, Pae
- Willcocks, Angela
- Williams, Pat Ward
- Wilson, Stanley C.
- Wyatt, Richard