Councilmember Roberto Uranga announced today that a new utility box mural project is coming to West Long Beach.
The project brought eight muralists to paint ten utility boxes along the Santa Fe Corridor between Wardlow Road and Pacific Coast Highway. The project was funded through District 7 discretionary funds and eight out of ten have been painted thus far.
“This project has been a long time in the making,” Councilmember Roberto Uranga said in a statement. “Improving the business corridor is one of my top priorities, so it was unfortunate that the project was slowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. When I saw the murals, I knew it was worth the wait—they are beautiful, colorful, and the artistry is masterful. I encourage you to see them in person!”
On the morning of Nov. 16, artist Meghan Boterenbrood sat at the corner of Willow Street and Regway Avenue to paint portraits of women on a utility box.
“I really love doing portraiture, I feel like, especially in Long Beach, we have so many different people of all races and ethnicities, and everyone has their own little story,” said Boterenbrood, who’s also the artist behind another utility box mural near Downtown Long Beach.
According to a statement from Uranga, the utility box mural project is part of a larger effort to improve the Santa Fe Business Corridor through “beautification projects and facade improvements.”
Uranga partnered with the Bixby Knolls Business Association for the project, which chose several local Long Beach artists with pieces “carefully selected with the culture and history of West Long Beach in mind,” Uranga said.
“We hand-picked these artists with the council office because of the level of skill and unique features that they could bring to the Santa Fe corridor,” said Blair Cohn of the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association.
The new murals can be found at the following locations:
- Janelle Carbajal, 21st Street and Santa Fe Avenue
- LaJon Miller, 23rd Street and Santa Fe Avenue
- Joon the Goon, Wardlow Road and Santa Fe Avenue
- Steve Fawley, Willow Street and Santa Fe Avenue
- Meghan Boterenbrood, 1915 W. Willow (Willow Street and Regway Avenue)
- Tiffany Le, Hill Street and Santa Fe Avenue
- Ms Yellow, Burnett Street and Santa Fe Avenue
- Asia Morris, Spring Street and Santa Fe Avenue
Richard H. Grant contributed to this report.
