Public Art Commission
Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Station Artist
In 2003 Susan kae Grant received a public art commission to serve as designer for the Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) Station. The construction was completed in December of 2010 and includes a series of shadow images and texts created specifically for the station.
Susan kae Grant & Vahid Sadr
To create the station, Grant worked with a team of architects, landscape architects and engineers. The design included choosing station paving, color schemes, column design, landscaping, windscreens and the overall theme of the station, “Magic & Everyday Miracles”.
Modern miracles happen every day in the myriad of medical facilities surrounding Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Station. Inspired by those surroundings, Grant set out to create a soothing station environment, a restful place where riders can feel both comfortable and comforted.
Influenced by historic lighthouses, the platform columns in the station glow a pale lavender and blue guiding light from afar. Clad in a stainless steel mesh, they have a sleek, modern appearance reminiscent of the surrounding buildings. Marbles in a variety of sizes and colors circle the base of the columns. In keeping with the look, the platform uses gray and white pavers in a simple checkerboard pattern.
For the windscreens, Grant created a series of original images and texts based on stories gathered from people that live and work in the neighborhoods near the station. The final images and texts portray subjects engaged in activities that appear light hearted, magical, and contemplative. The gestures reflect a sense of universality.
Two beacons at the ground level, housed in stainless steel mesh wrapped around an axis, shine on the columns. These lights give the station a theatrical quality at night.
With a look that is neither entirely modern nor entirely historical, Southwestern Medical District/Parkland Station lives very much in the present. It is a place where riders can relax while they await a train, a doctor's appointment or a miracle.
Windscreen Images & Texts (8’ x 10’)
Every day Earlie Mae Wheeler rode the train so she could stare out the window and secretly send wishes to all the playful school children.
It was back in the ice cold January of 1958 that we all dressed up and went to Miss Ruby’s and organized the first N.A.A.C.P women’s auxiliary.
Joyful tears swelled my eyes when I heard the news that Arlington Park elementary opened its doors and Georgia Presswood was the principle. Now my baby girl could go to school down the street.
When it gets windy, granddaddy always tell us about that big twister in 57 that destroyed Riverside Drive. They took everybody to Parkland including the Anderson children.
