Costa Mesa murals draw national spotlight as city is named top destination for outdoor art

The national Men’s Journal magazine recently listed the city of Costa Mesa among its “top destinations for outdoor art,” alongside well-known metropolitan areas — Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia — and some under-the-radar spots, where murals encourage art appreciation al fresco.

“Nicknamed the ‘City of the Arts,’ it appears no canvas is off limits,” writer Ian Centrone surmises in the spring installment in the journal’s travel section. “From storefronts and restaurant exteriors to paint-covered utility boxes, the vibrant works are omnipresent.”

For longtime Costa Mesa resident Charlene Ashendorf, chair of the city’s Cultural Arts Committee, the distinction is appreciated but just begins to scratch the surface of a vibrant, yet still-growing art scene whose programming spans artists of all ages and extends far beyond the walls of any one museum.

A mother and daughter look down a tunnel cut through brush and covered with old music CDs at the LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“In a lot of ways, it’s really an exciting time for the arts, in my opinion,” Ashendorf said Monday, providing an impromptu virtual tour of projects old and new.

Artist Shepard Fairey came to Costa Mesa in 2017 to produce the 7,000-square-foot mural “Welcome Home,” which he said was inspired by “the local community, the rebel surf-skate culture and the idea of peace and our need to take care of our environment.”

Similar breathtaking displays of public and street art have cropped up in the past decade or more, appearing in office parks, concept shopping areas and on the alleyway walls and parking structures outside local businesses.

Panels with letters spelling “community” adorn the parking lot of the CAMP retail campus in Costa Mesa.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Ashendorf recalled more recent outdoor tributes to Kobe and Gianna Bryant, Dolly Parton and Orange County native Mike Ness, lead singer of punk rock band Social Distortion.

“One of my all-time favorites is at the RVCA headquarters on 16th Street — it’s beautiful,” she said of an untitled work created by graffiti artist and muralists Mac and Retna, depicting a woman haloed by the words of a prayer.

Costa Mesa became the “City of the Arts” following a 1984 vote by the city council that coincided with the formation of the Cultural Arts Committee, whose mission is to enhance, promote and support the local arts community.

An exterior mural painted by Gabriella Kohr lines a pathway at the LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

Since then, the CAC has awarded grants to local artists, overseen juried exhibitions of local artwork and approved submissions by local artists for a utility box art wrap program that has so brought about 50 pieces into public areas.

The committee recently provided input on the creation of a citywide arts and culture master plan, approved by the city council in March. The document charts a course for expanding public art in the years ahead and seeks to build into the city’s economy a funding mechanism that will support its goals.

Despite its current robust collection of art venues, the city spends a scant $.91 per resident on programs dedicated to arts and culture, compared to $4.32 per person in Newport Beach and $64.68 per person in Laguna Beach, according to the master plan.

“Home Sweet Home,” painted on a storage facility on 19th St. by artist Zaoone, is one of many colorful murals in Costa Mesa.

(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)

“We hope the city council will approve in its budget process next month money for us to begin to implement our master plan,” Ashendorf said. “Once we have money we can move forward and ask, what do we want to see in our city in the future and how do we want to build out?”

In addition to murals, larger-than-life outdoor sculptures can be found in various locations in and around the Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Many were commissioned by the late philanthropist and arts patron Henry Segerstrom, who provided the art pieces to the city and donated the land upon which they were installed.

Historical notes and details on the works have been catalogued by the nonprofit Travel Costa Mesa, which created an online audio tour that appears alongside photos and notes on local murals and utility boxes. TCM spokeswoman Jenny Wedge said the group saw interest in those offerings increase in the past year.

“I think this became more important during the pandemic, because it’s something you can do outside and it’s not in a crowded place,” she said. “And it makes great photos.”

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