On the Sidelines

Online Gallery of Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography

Online Gallery for Down These Mean Streets: Community and Place in Urban Photography
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, Ocean and Pacific Ave., Looking East, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.676, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, Ocean and Pacific Ave., Looking East,…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, 10th St. and Long Beach Blvd., Looking East, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.678, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, 10th St. and Long Beach Blvd.,…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, 4th St. and Bonito Ave., Looking North, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.679, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, 4th St. and Bonito Ave., Looking…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, 4th St. and Junipero Ave., Looking North, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.680, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, 4th St. and Junipero Ave., Looking…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, Magnolia Ave. and Anaheim St., Looking North, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.681, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, Magnolia Ave. and Anaheim St.,…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, California Ave. and Anaheim St., Looking North, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.682, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, California Ave. and Anaheim St.,…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, 1st and Pine Ave., Looking North, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.684, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, 1st and Pine Ave., Looking North,…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view
Anthony Hernandez, Public Transit Areas, Termino Ave. and Pacific Coast Highway, Looking North, from the Long Beach Documentary Survey Project, 1980, gelatin silver print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1983.63.685, © 1980, Anthony Hernandez
Public Transit Areas, Termino Ave. and Pacific Coast…
Artist
Date1980
gelatin silver print
Not on view

Anthony Hernandez has devoted his career to examining the landscape of his native Los Angeles. In the late 1970s, Hernandez started using a large format camera to capture a detailed and panoramic view of people in their milieu. His Public Transit Series explores the daily life of urban commuters who rely on public transportation in a region that is dependent on cars. Would-be passengers wait suspended in time for a bus that, it seems, will never arrive. These serial and repetitive photographs—each includes a wide street with no bus in sight—emphasize the perpetual nature of waiting. People stand or sit, separated from the open road, a symbol of physical and social mobility. Hernandez’s subdued approach reveals the impact of Los Angeles’s car culture on inner city residents.