Placemaking × Infrastructure — City of Commerce & Caltrans, Los Angeles, 2024

Concrete Gallery

Is a short doc film about the, “Pathways of Hope” a public works mural project spanning 15,000 square feet across two integrated zones—the largest art installation ever created on Caltrans property in Southern California history. We transformed the Triggs Street underpass into a cultural landmark through an approach never before attempted on freeway infrastructure. The monochromatic gateways use trompe-l'œil stone relief to frame the entry—honoring the 710 and 5 freeways overhead, rail yards, and an Olympian holding the torch (celebrating a city of 13,000 that produced four Olympians). Inside, two vibrant underpass murals tell Commerce's story: "Belonging" captures families celebrating in parks with 3D elements popping from the wall and an ode to a 1979 Chicano mural "Homeboy Crow", while "The Model City" traces the city's industrial past to its future in Art Deco style. The pedestrian tunnel becomes "Walking in a Flower Wonderland"—an immersive reverse panoramic poppy field/flower garden transforming a dark passage into an enchanted portal. Design to fabrication—entirely ours. Commissioned through Caltrans Pathways of Hope Grant and City of Commerce.