IOANA . wrigley village street banners . pacific avenue . long beach, california ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

wrigley (village) street banners

The following series of (5) street banner designs decorating Pacific Avenue in the Wrigley Village neighborhood of Long Beach was completed for the Long Beach Redevelopment Agency through the Long Beach Arts Council.

As a public art project, the community was involved in suggesting the topics they felt visually and meaningfully represent their place, and in approving the designs: the sun + gardens (Banner 1); and the architectural styles that define Wrigley Village: Art Deco (Banner 2), Spanish Colonial (Banner 3), and Tudor (Banner 5). To these was added the bike path along the Los Angeles River Estuary (Banner 4) as it is a truly amazing park space, particularly for LA, and to promote the sustainable idea of riding a bike, which many people in the neighborhood already engage in.

The banners are drawn in a 20s-30s style (including the font) to correspond to the period of urban development during which “the village” was born. All the elements on the banners - though they have been re-shuffled and re-colored - come from the neighborhood.

The community liked the designs so much that they asked for them to be turned into murals.

POSTERS FROM THE ART DECO (20s-30s) PERIOD SERVED AS A STYLE GUIDE (THE NEIGHBORHOOD WAS DEVELOPED DURING THAT TIME).

STUDY OF COLOR RHYTHM.

BANNER 1: THE SUN + GARDENS COMBINED. OPTION TO PUT WILLIAM WRIGLEY, JR’S PORTRAIT (SUGGESTED BY THE COMMUNITY AS HE DEVELOPED PART OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD) THUMBED DOWN BY THE REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY. THE CALIFORNIA (COASTAL) POPPY AND OTHER CA PLANTS WERE USED INSTEAD TO PROMOTED NATIVE SPECIES PLANTING. A ROUND, YELLOW NATIVE FLOWER WAS NEEDED TO SUGGEST THE SUN.

BANNER 2: ART DECO. BUILDINGS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD COMBINED, WITH PALM TREES. MANY ART DECO BUILDINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD ARE DECORATED WITH VERTICAL STRIPES.

BANNER 3: SPANISH COLONIAL. PARTS OF BULDINGS EXTRACTED-ABSTRACTED, WITH DECIDOUS TREE SILHOUETTE.

BANNER 4: BIKE & WALKING PATH ALONG THE LOS ANGELES RIVER ESTUARY, WITH HARBOR CRANES SEEN IN THE DISTANCE, TO REMIND ONE THAT THIS IS LONG BEACH.

BANNER 5: TUDOR. PARTS OF BULDINGS EXTRACTED-ABSTRACTED AND COMBINED WITH VEGETATION STYLE #4: MANICURED BUSHES, CYPRESSES AND FANTASY-SCALE, ROUND TREES.