While situated close to Disneyland, Universal Studio Hollywood and Los Angeles proper, Long Beach is a true city and destination in its own right. The waterfront city has just about everything that one would need in a California destination. That not only includes beaches and non-humid weather but also live entertainment venues, recurring festivals, sporting events, fine dining, breweries, themed shopping districts, museums, bike and walking paths, and solid public transportation.
POW! WOW! Long Beach is week-long, city-wide event that takes place in the summer throughout Long Beach and is part of the globally recognized POW! WOW! Its worldwide series of street art events, which debuted in 2010, have brought murals to public spaces in cities like Honolulu, Seoul, Washington DC, Taipei and Tokyo. Ultimately POW! WOW! Long Beach helps bring art and culture to public spaces while beautifying the city of Long Beach and cultivating community pride. In the past 3 years, POW! WOW! Long Beach has executed murals in over 40 square miles throughout the city, from South Street to Ocean Boulevard, creating a walkable, bike-able public art experience unlike anything else in the country.
I had the pleasure of visiting Long Beach, California for a wonderful long weekend in July 2019 — Long Beach Airport offers direct flights to and from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, thanks to JetBlue Airways — which coincided with the POW! WOW! Long Beach festival. I also had the pleasure of doing Q&A with some participants within this year’s POW! WOW! Long Beach events:
- Jasper Wong – Founder & Lead Director of POW! WOW!
- Julia Y. Huang – President of Intertrend Communications
- Steve Martinez – Fine Artist & Muralist
How would you describe POW! WOW! Long Beach to someone who has not yet attended?
Jasper Wong: POW! WOW! Long Beach has beautified walls throughout the city for the past 5 years. At this point, it has painted almost 100 murals in Long Beach. This all happens during one week of the summer with artists from all over the globe converging to the city to paint massive murals. The event is rounded out with art exhibitions, talks, screenings, and concerts.
Julia Y. Huang: It’s a week-long public mural festival with world-renowned artists from all over the world hitting the streets of Long Beach and painting selected walls while interacting with their fans and art-lovers.
Steve Martinez: A takeover of creatives transforming the city landscape in just a week.
What are some of the highlights from this year’s event that have you especially excited?
Jasper Wong: We have a lot of amazing artists involved this year and I am most excited to see what they create. It is astounding to witness their process and see the public’s reaction. I am also particularly excited about the KCRW event and the talk with Jay Howell.
Julia Y. Huang: Once again, it’s going to be an art and fun packed week, but new this year that we are super-excited about is the School Of Photography — in addition to the School of Music — in which we have several students mentored by professional photographers with a closing exhibition. Also we are collaborating with Southern California’s favorite public radio KCRW for a closing party, which is the first time that their Summer Night Festival is coming to Long Beach.
Steve Martinez: The talk with Jay Howell, the creator of Bob’s Burgers. I was looking forward to seeing this but unfortunately had to miss it because I was still painting, but I caught it online that night. Otherwise, the panel discussion with Brendan Monroe and Jasper Wong and just sharing conversion with artist involved in this year’s PWLB.
Is there any sort of art-themed festival anywhere which you believe is comparable to POW! WOW! Long Beach? Or is it entirely its own sort of festival?
Jasper Wong: There are other art festivals around the world. One of the most popular is Miami [Art] Basel in Florida that happens every December. We are probably the biggest in terms of sheer global reach. We work out of 17 different cities and do about 10-11 festivals a year.
Julia Y. Huang: Close by, Life Is Beautiful in Las Vegas is one that involves the community in similar way, but there is really no other mural festival that is a part of a worldwide POW! WOW! alliance, which is expanding each year.
Steve Martinez: There’s a few mural festivals around the world that happen through out the year. but I believe none are as unique and or as impactful to communities as POW! WOW! is.
POW! WOW! Long Beach aside, what are you currently working on?
Jasper Wong: We are working on the festivals for the rest of the year, which include Worcester, Singapore, Japan, San Jose, and South Korea. I am also working on various personal projects and commissions.
Julia Y. Huang: We just opened The Art Of Bloom, an immersive and interactive digital installation centered on the symbiotic relationship between humans and nature in Edison Theater located in Downtown Long Beach. The concept is to awaken a meditative state of synesthesia for a fully immersive experience, but it will most certainly appeal to the Instagram generation.
Steve Martinez: I’m currently working on an indoor mural for a new art gallery/bar appropriately called ArtBAR in Venice Beach, California on Venice Blvd. opening in mid to late August. I had to take a pause on that project to participate in PWLB but I’m getting right back to right after the festival, which will also coincide with a group show.
Finally, any last words for the kids?
Jasper Wong: Everyone is born a great artist. You are only taught not to be one. Be free and create.
Julia Y. Huang: If you are not an artist yourself, make sure you have at least one friend who is an artist.
Steve Martinez: Always learning, always growing!
