Welcome to Long Beach

Appropriately titled "Welcome to Long Beach," John Valadez's vertically oriented 18x65 foot mural adorns Magnolia Street traffic at the intersection of Magnolia and Broadway, eagerly awaiting to greet motorists exiting the 710 Freeway at Broadway. The mural will feature aluminum additions that will allow for lighting elements and create elaborate borders between the scenes depicted. The celebratory parade scene features a woman waving in a bathing suit and comes from an image of the 1957 Miss Universe Pageant held in the old Civic Auditorium in Long Beach. Photo © Isabel Rojas-Williams