4Culture and King County Metro Transit have commissioned two public art projects in celebration of the RapidRide H Line launch: limited-edition ORCA cards and a signature sculpture.

Art plan and signature sculpture  

In June 2020, artists Elisheba Johnson and Kristen Ramirez (working as Johnson|Ramirez) delivered a groundbreaking art plan for the RapidRide expansion program and were offered the opportunity to pursue a project identified in their recommendations.

Through focused engagement with the Burien community as well as other Metro stakeholders, they designed a permanent artwork for the H Line route that runs through Delridge, White Center, and Burien.

Ramirez passed away after the conceptual development was finalized and Johnson continued refining and formalizing details. The artwork is now being fabricated and will be installed later this year. Aptly titled, The Sky Remembers You, three mirrored sky viewers etched with lines of poetry will be positioned at the northwest corner of the Burien Transit Center along Fourth Avenue Southwest.

Inspired by the Nigerian Folk Tale, Why [We] Have to Work, it will stand as a literal reflection of the cultures and voices of the surrounding community, remind us of our relationship to the sky and nature, mark the terminus of the H Line, and provide a poignant way to remember and honor Ramirez.

Limited-edition ORCA cards

Three exceptional emerging artists have designed a series of limited-edition ORCA cards.

Each artist’s work is distinct and features imagery tied to the contexts, histories, cultures, and communities of the H Line as well as the forthcoming G and I Lines. The cohort, Jovita Mercado (RapidRide H Line), Yasiman Ahsani (RapidRide G Line), and Rey Daoed (RapidRide I Line), was supported by mentor artists Angelina Villalobos and Jesse Brown, who assisted them in their research and proposal development.

These special ORCA cards will be distributed at community events and made available at the King Street Center Pass Sales Office throughout 2023 (while supplies last), beginning with Mercado’s H Line design.

 

Copyright Jovita Mercado for Metro ORCA card. Brightly colored artwork of a city street reads Gente Si and has a red and yellow Metro bus Art image copyright Yasiman Ahsani for use as ORCA card artwork. Brightly colored image with smiling cartoon shapes and the ORCA transit card symbolArtwork copyright Rey Daoed for use as ORCA card artwork. Artwork shows riders seated and standing on a bus, the view looking down the aisle from the front to back