Expo Arts Center
4321 Atlantic Ave, Long Beach, CA 90805
The Expo Arts Center building is located in northern Long Beach next to the Bixby Knolls residential neighborhood. The building was originally used as a furniture store in 1947 and went through several different storefronts before being purchased by the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) for the City of Long Beach in 2008. The RDA intended to demolish the building but was convinced to keep the building as a cultural space after an extremely successful jazz show organized by 8th District Councilmember Rae Gabelich and the Bixby Knolls Business Improvement Association (BKBIA). It now functions as a community space dedicated to the arts and culture of the Bixby Knolls neighborhood.
Located on Atlantic Avenue, the building gets foot traffic from many of the residents and people visiting Bixby Knolls. In addition to the many local businesses, restaurants, and bars nearby, regular neighborhood events bring people to the area. During First Fridays, local businesses and organizations showcase their products along Atlantic Avenue, and a farmers market operates in a nearby shopping center every Thursday.
Written by Amelia Nixon
Source: http://www.expoartscenter.org/
2018
Mascot Marathon
Along the side and back of the Expo Arts Center building stands Jason Keam’s mural “Mascot Marathon.” The mural was commissioned by POW! WOW! Long Beach for its 2018 summer festival and adorns the entire west and south walls, measuring 25 feet high and wrapping 250 feet around the building. Visitors will have to enter the adjacent parking lot or alleyway to see “Mascot Marathon.” The mural brings whimsy to an otherwise ordinary and often forgotten space. In the predominantly mustard-colored mural, characters representing school mascots playfully chase each other.
Keam found inspiration for “Mascot Marathon” when talking with a kid while skating. The child explained how he hated the stressful and competitive nature of school, and the artist understood because he went through the same feelings as a child. After assuring the kid to keep going, Keam realized he wanted to get people talking about schools in Long Beach by painting representations of their mascots, saying,
“…when I think of mascots, I think of campy school pride and when your school was losing they knew how to bring your energy back up and inspire you to win. So my concept was to have these mascots endlessly and playfully racing around the building and inspire kids … to just keep on going and not be discouraged by other people and maybe understand everybody is probably feeling the same way.”
After finalizing his message, Keam looked back at his previous work and drew sketches with cohesive concepts and colors. He relied on friends for feedback before moving on to his final design. Because of the week-long time crunch and the large expanse of wall he had to cover, Keam used several techniques to transfer his design to the walls, including projection and a grid system, finishing with black outlining.
Written by Amelia Nixon
Sources: https://lbpost.com/life/arts-culture/your-complete-guide-to-pow-wow-long-beach-2018/, http://artslb.org/meet-the-pow-wow-long-beach-2018-mural-artists/
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