8:40am | Mile markers used during the Long Beach International City Bank Marathon are being auctioned off to benefit a Miller Children’s Hospital program.
The markers, 26 of them, were set up along the route through the streets of Long Beach from downtown to Cal State Long Beach, during the marathon. They are being auctioned at artslb.org/marathon.
Each marker was created and painted by young patients from Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach as part of the hospital’s “Artful Healing for Our Heroes” campaign.
Proceeds support the Artful Healing program at Miller Children’s Hospital. The program provides art workshops to children and teenagers undergoing treatment for illnesses like cancer, HIV and cystic fibrosis, along with their families.
“The auction provides bidders with the opportunity to compete for mile markers that perhaps reflect their experience in Sunday’s race,” said Denise Clayton-Leonard, artist in residence at Miller Children’s Hospital Long Beach and director of Artful Healing, in a statement.
Bids currently range from $50 to $500 per mile marker. Each mile marker is six feet high and 3 feet wide. For more information or to place a bid, visit artslb.org/marathon. Bidding closes at 5:00pm on Monday, November 8.
A large 8×11-foot mural (pictured above) is also on the auction block. It features famous arts figures running toward the viewer, with the Long Beach skyline in the distance. The piece, completed at the Marathon, was developed as part of GLOBAL, a month-long celebration of arts and culture in Long Beach that occurs each October.
The mural was produced with support from the Arts Council for Long Beach and Downtown Long Beach Associates.
For more information or to place a bid, visit artslb.org/marathon. Bidding closes at 5:00pm on Monday, Nov. 8.