Michele StuevenThe 10th edition of the citywide, free public art festival Long Beach Walls and Art Renzei returns on Sunday, July 20, through Saturday, July 26.
Over the past decade, Long Beach Walls has helped transform 129 artists’ visions into 120 permanent public art installations across the city, spanning schools, downtown intersections, and neighborhood walls. Powered by non-profit Creative Class Collective, the festival has invested over $2 million into creative placemaking, with deep roots in local collaboration and youth engagement.
This year’s theme, Art: A Catalyst for Change, is in the hands of a diverse group of artists—emerging, established, and genre-spanning. The 10th edition will feature the festival’s largest mural to date, its most school-based sites ever, and an intergenerational slate of artists whose connections to Long Beach run deep.
Highlights include:
Brian Peterson | Marriott Hotel – Pine & Ocean
Known for his large-scale portraits and murals honoring Kobe Bryant, Peterson calls himself “a servant first, a storyteller second.” Long Beach is where his journey into muralism began—a moment of artistic awakening while biking past a mural in 2015. Now, nearly a decade later, he returns to paint the festival’s largest mural ever, a poetic full-circle tribute to childlike wonder and possibility.
Brady Smith | Lowell Elementary School
Illustrator, muralist, and author, Smith brings a playful, surreal touch to his work—“silly, random, funky, and edgy,” in his own words. A father and longtime SoCal creative, his mural at Lowell Elementary is both a vibrant gift to local kids and a reflection of the belief that being an artist is a real, joyful career path.
Angie Crabtree | Renaissance High School for the Arts
Internationally known for her hyperreal gem portraits, Crabtree will paint her first-ever mural this summer. A former high school art teacher, she’s deeply attuned to the school setting and eager to inspire students. Her mural debuts alongside her first solo museum exhibition, “Garden of Eve,” at the Long Beach Museum of Art—marking a major milestone in her cross-genre evolution.
Angie Crabtree Mural (Courtesy Long Beach Walls)
Steve Martinez | Lowell Elementary School
A Long Beach local, Martinez is a bilingual muralist and community curator whose work centers on cultural identity and neighborhood connection. He contributed to the city’s public art long before LBW and played an active role in nurturing the next generation of artists.
Candy Kuo | Renaissance High School
A Taiwanese-American artist working across painting and installation, Kuo blends surrealism and symbolism to explore identity, resilience, and healing. Her richly layered work brings emotional nuance and visual vibrancy to her first Long Beach mural.
Coco.Nella | Lowell Elementary School
Known for whimsical, soft-toned characters and dreamlike storytelling, Nella’s work offers playful escapes rooted in deeper themes of belonging and hope. Her mural will bring a dose of gentle joy to students and families alike.
Eric Michael | First Street – 408 E. 1st Street
A bilingual street artist whose work explores themes of migration, memory, and Latinx heritage, Michael brings raw narrative and expressive energy to downtown Long Beach with a mural that reflects his community-first ethos.
Eric Michael (Courtesy Long Beach Walls)
Hannah Webb | Renaissance High School
With a massive online following and a growing presence in public installations, Webb blends street art, illustration, and large-scale painting. Her work often centers on youth empowerment and mental health, aligning with the school-based focus of this year’s festival.
Zac from B1N4RY | Seaside Way (Projection Mapping)
A new media artist working with code, motion, and light, Zac is creating a projection-mapped installation to accompany mural sites, adding a digital layer to the storytelling and creating an immersive night market experience.
Balloonski | Site TBA
An anonymous street balloon artist known for his ephemeral pop-ups, Balloonski’s playful, short-lived installations offer a kinetic counterpoint to the permanence of murals, adding delight and surprise to the cityscape.
Alexis Neumann | City Hall – 411 W Ocean Blvd
As a young artist blending graphic design and public art, Neumann brings a fresh voice to City Hall. Her mural will explore civic pride and creative expression through a contemporary lens.
“This year’s Long Beach Walls is a full-circle moment for me, a homecoming of sorts,” Peterson, who draws on his Christian faith for inspiration, tells L.A. Weekly. “Nearly ten years ago, I was just a spectator, biking around, taking photos, unaware of how those moments planted seeds of inspiration. Now, as a full-time artist and muralist, I’m leaving something behind for others to photograph and feel inspired by. Measuring 86 feet tall by 30 feet wide, it reaches higher than most surrounding buildings, making this wall feel monumental due to its scale. No doubt Long Beach’s art scene changed me.”
COCO NELLA at Lowell Elementary (Courtesy Long Beach Walls)