Ruby Chacón’s art creates spaces of belonging and builds community through art.
Sacramento RT
2 min to read
Henry Li, Sacramento RT GM/CEO at the unveiling of the agency's four new light rail trains, featuring local artists.
Sacramento RT
In partnership with the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission (SMAC), the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) unveiled four light rail trains that have been wrapped with art designed by four local artists: Ruby Chacón, Linda Nunes, Kerri Warner, and Donine Wellman.
“I want to thank the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission for being a great partner in our endeavor to bring creative energy and joy to our community,” said Henry Li, SacRT GM/CEO. “We are continually looking for ways to improve our riders’ experience, contribute to the beautification of Sacramento, and operate in a fiscally prudent manner. Art-wrapped trains accomplish each of these objectives.”
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Chacón’s art creates spaces of belonging and builds community through art. Nunes’ artwork is a surreal and condensed landscape environment created with impenetrable vegetation, sunny colors, and subtle texture. Warner wanted her art to be colorful, whimsical and relatable to the people of Sacramento. Wellman chose bright and cheery colors with a countdown as the train arrives in a whimsical city.
Ruby Chacón’s art creates spaces of belonging and builds community through art.
Sacramento RT
The artists were selected from a juried registry based on their individual bodies of work that would suit the scale of light rail trains. Their colorful masterpieces will be traveling throughout the Sacramento region at various speeds — while also reflecting joyful expressions of our diverse Sacramento communities.
“These four artists represent such range in terms of their content, subject, style and design. Each artist came up with a unique message, completely different from the other, which is what I love about this exhibition,” said Patrick Kennedy, chair of the SacRT Board of Directors and vice chair of the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors. “Art does many things — it inspires, it creates conversation and it brings joy. SacRT is proud that our trains can bring a positive visual impact and message in each community.”
Each unique in style, color and design, the artists’ designs were transferred to vinyl and then applied using a standard fabrication and installation method to attach to the train. Wrapping is an efficient and cost-effective way to improve the exterior of older light rail trains. Funding for the project was provided through existing SacRT resources.
The region’s fixed-route system finished out the year with a total of 373.5 million rides. Adding 12.3 million rides over 2024 represents an increase that is equal to the annual transit ridership of Kansas City.
The service is a flexible, reservation-based transit service designed to close the first- and last-mile gaps and connect riders to employment for just $5 per day.
The upgraded system, which went live earlier this month, supports METRO’s METRONow vision to enhance the customer experience, improve service reliability, and strengthen long-term regional mobility.
The agreement provides competitive wages and reflects strong labor-management collaboration, positive working relationships, and a shared commitment to building a world-class transit system for the community, said RTA CEO Lona Edwards Hankins.
The priorities are outlined in the 2026 Board and CEO Initiatives and Action Plan, which serves as a roadmap to guide the agency’s work throughout the year and ensure continued progress and accountability on voter-approved transportation investments and essential mobility services.
