The area’s newest mural will be dedicated with a community celebration Saturday, May 12, at 1 p.m. at 1201 East Seventh Street at the corner of Orange Avenue in Long Beach.
This mural was designed through a process that combined community residents’ historical facts and photographs and professional mural artist Art Mortimer’s artistic abilities.
Mortimer translated the community’s ideas into historical imagery that depicts the Craftsman Village District of Long Beach. The district was formed in 1991 and encompasses about 3,000 Craftsman style bungalows and apartments located between Orange and Walnut Avenues and Eighth and Ninth streets.
“The motivation for this mural design is to give this historic district an identity, to improve this corner wall space, to make visible the history of this neighborhood and to help give people a sense of pride in where they live. The design concept uses old travel posters and luggage stickers, which are appealing to people traveling by and also present the neighborhood in a new way for the residents” said Mortimer, who is the lead artist on the project.
The mural was painted over a period of three months with the assistance of 34 neighborhood residents. Lead adult artist assistants are Jose Loza and Tyler N. Thys. The main youth artist assistants are Hilario Avena, Alex Ekhoff and Charles Fletcher.
A neighborhood mural committee of six residents worked with Mortimer for an additional three months to design the mural. Dennis Dutro, the building owner, took part in the Department of Community Development’s Neighborhood Improvement Strategy Rebate Program that assists owners with facade improvements. Neighboring businesses, Dan’s Hamburgers and H & R Block, assisted by providing refreshments, parking spaces for artists and other amenities while the mural was being painted.
