You can now vote among 10 semifinalists who submitted designs for new mural crosswalks at the intersection of 15th Street and Chestnut Avenue in the Washington Neighborhood that could be installed in May.

Four of the mural designs will be installed as part of the “Community Corners” project, which will also create shorter crossing distances at the intersection. Bulb-outs will be constructed by Public Works to improve pedestrian safety by increasing visibility and shortening the distance to cross.

Washington Neighborhood residents have pushed for more pedestrian safety elements in their community after several pedestrian injuries and vehicle collisions due to what residents say are unsafe conditions. A call for artists for the Community Corners project went out in early February.

Ten murals that could be installed at the intersection are currently up for a vote hosted by the Arts Council for Long Beach. Voting will be open though the end of April 2.

One design from Akira Usagi titled “Wild Dreams of the Wild Child” shows a dinosaur named “Bluey” walking through a magic Long Beach alleyway just before sunset. The dinosaur is named after Usagi’s childhood stuffed animal and symbolizes the “importance of embracing who we were as children in our adult lives,” according to the artist’s description.

A screenshot of the “Dreams” mural by Sunflowerhues. Photo courtesy of the Arts Council for Long Beach.

A design from artist Kenny McBride shows two hands coming together to place flowers in the shape of a heart. “Reach across to your neighbor and share in your love and dreams,” the artist description reads.

One design titled “Dreams” by Sunflowerhues shows a vibrant landscape full of rainbows and stars with the rainbows representing the LGBTQ+ community and flowers representing growth.

The theme of the project is “Fearless Love, Fearless Dreams” and is supposed to celebrate the resiliency and diversity of youth that use that crosswalk everyday. The intersection is one block west of Washington Middle School and one block north of Seaside Park and 14th Street Park.

The project is being funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies and Long Beach was one of 26 cities selected. The city was awarded a $25,000 grant, which will go toward paying artists for their work. The four artists who are selected will be paid $5,000 each for their work.

Residents can vote on their four favorite murals at this link until the end of April 2.

This Long Beach intersection is getting murals you can walk on

Washington neighborhood urges city to increase pedestrian safety following a series of crashes

Jason Ruiz covers City Hall and politics for the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or @JasonRuiz_LB on Twitter.