2nd and PCH Partner with Leadership Long Beach and POW! WOW! to Create ‘Show Some Love Long Beach’
2nd and PCH has partnered with Leadership Long Beach and POW! WOW! Long beach to unveil a conversation heart wall titled ‘Show Some Love Long Beach’ created by local artist Andrea James.
The art piece is located on the ground level of the center near Boba Guys and Barry’s Bootcamp. It will be on display through March 10 and feature personalized messages that were available through a donation.
All donations made from the installation will be going to Leadership Long Beach and Precious Lamb Preschool. Leadership Long Beach focuses on leadership programs for children and adults, while Precious Lamb Preschool provides tuition-free early education for children and their families experiencing homelessness.
The message behind ‘Show Some Love Long Beach’, as said by creator Andrea James, is centered around the Long Beach community. James is a teacher and local artist with a lifelong passion for her craft.
“These hearts are a perfect representation of Long Beach, that everyone comes in many shapes, colors and varieties like our hearts but we all beat as one,” said James.
James went on to say that she thought of the preschool kids when she made the piece and imagined what a younger version of herself would want on a mural.
James started painting murals through POW! WOW!, a global network that hosts annual festivals showcasing artists and mural projects since 2010. Long Beach has been home to these festivals in the past, beginning in 2015.
In 2009, James moved to Hawaii where POW! WOW! was founded and was able to volunteer at the Long Beach and Hawaii POW! WOW! events for several years. After 5 to 6 years of helping out other artists through POW! WOW!, James was able to start her own murals through the organization itself.
She moved back to Long Beach in 2020 where she plans on staying and making art locally. James has multiple POW! WOW! walls between Long Beach and Hawaii.
Alongside her endeavors as a professional artist, James has been a teacher for 15 years. She currently teaches high school art at an online charter school called Method.
Painting is James’ true art form and she loves playing with paint to see the different styles it can create. She loves painting big and being expressive, sometimes using materials like house paint brushes, but won’t shy away from spray painting as well.
James also has her students join in some of her art projects and assists them with their own art pieces as well.
“My biggest inspiration is my students and trying to get them to be inspired. Having them see me fulfill the dreams that I have had for a long time is the biggest inspiration I can give to them,” said James.
By Nick Vargas