Long Beach city councilwoman Lena Gonzalez is launching a program that will permit local artists to have their work displayed in her office at City Hall for three months. One to two artists will have their work displayed simultaneously, with three pieces of art allowed per person. 

The idea was primarily inspired by Gonzalez’s love for local art: she promoted Long Beach artists’ work while campaigning for her city council seat earlier this year.

“The local arts community is always looking for avenues to display their work,” she said.

Gonzalez is not restricting the art to any specific medium or theme, so her office could potentially play host to a variety of paintings, sculptures or photography, to name a few. However, the opportunity is only available to Long Beach residents. Artists living in District 1—the sector Gonzalez represents—are particularly encouraged to place bids.

“I’m really up for anything,” Gonzalez said. “If they have art that represents the First District … that would be great.”

The councilwoman will rotate in new artists every quarter during her four-year term in office. The window for this cycle’s submissions closes Oct. 12 and the first batch of artwork will be up soon after. 

“[The art will be displayed] hopefully by the end of October or as soon as possible,” she said. “My wall’s been looking pretty bad with nothing on it.”

The city will compensate each contributor with $100 to go toward setup and teardown of the art. More information on how to apply for a spot is available on the Arts Council for Long Beach website.