Looks like plans are right on track.
The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is currently reviewing art concept designs for two future light rail stations planned at Eastridge + Story Road — which is one of the last steps before construction begins.
Earlier this year, the VTA secured its last bit of funding, so now we get to get to the fun stuff: what’s it going to look like?
🚈 Let’s backtrack
VTA began selecting artists from a pool of 250 in 2021 to be reviewed by a panel of design professionals, other artists, and community members.
By January 2023, two artist groups were selected: Seattle-based team Laura Haddad + Tom Drugan and internationally-acclaimed Amir H. Fallah.
🎨 Destination: Design
Each artist had a mission to take inspiration from community meetings that were held earlier this year and represent San Jose’s culture in their designs.
Haddad and Drugan have created “Radiance” for the Eastridge Station, inspired by East San Jose’s agricultural history, natural environment, and the region’s golden natural light.
The silver base nods to the historic Silver Creek, and the discs represent Santa Clara Valley’s abundance of fruit and flowers.
Meant to be walked through, this sculpture changes appearance as you move around it.
It’s name says it all — “Interwoven” created by Fallah for the Story Road Station, features an array of patterns + pictures drawing from cultures found in San Jose — Indigenous, Mexican, Vietnamese, Chinese, Indian, and Persian.
Fallah will also commission local poets to submit lines of poetry that use themes of travel + journey to add to the station’s artwork.
So what do you think? Let us know your thoughts about the project designs. Any questions concerning the Eastridge to Regional Connector Project can be directed to VTA.
