Steel Sculpture to Dance for Commuters

Under a blazing noonday sun, Andro Avendano climbs a ladder and rolls several coats of burnt-orange primer over inch-thick raw steel plates.

But Avendano isn’t painting highway bridges or radio towers, he’s completing his latest work of art. The 38-year-old artist and former construction worker hopes that will bring smiles to weary train commuters traveling to and from Los Angeles.

“Alegria,” meaning “joy” in Spanish, consists of three 12-foot-high steel sculptures. To discerning eyes, several dancing human figures appear to hop, skip and jump their way around the Sylmar-San Fernando MetroLink station at 1st and Hubbard streets.

“Dance is universal to all cultures and I wanted my sculptures to show joy and happiness to people who use the station,” said Avendano, who has been an artist for more than 20 years.

A city of Los Angeles ordinance mandates that all new train stations earmark at least 1% of construction budgets to external art and landscaping.

Before his design for the station art was chosen, Avendano competed with more than 100 other artists in a selection process that took three years. His design weighs 6 tons and measures 37 feet from end to end.

Although the rolled-steel sculptures were finished on Sunday, an official dedication has yet to be scheduled.

Avendano has already gotten plenty of positive comments about his sculpture.

“A driver stopped his bus so everyone could get a good look at what we were doing,” Avendano said. “That made me feel good and really shows that art is for all people.”