What started as a familiar but fading downtown tradition—an art walk tucked into a handful of galleries and side streets—has evolved into something more immersive, more ambitious, and far more representative of Long Beach’s creative core. Thanks to a major collaboration between the DTLB Alliance and Studio One Eleven, the return of the DTLB Art + Design Walk on July 26 is a reflection of that.
And according to Austin Metoyer, president and CEO of the DTLB Alliance, that transformation has been hard-earned. “We’re heading into our third year now, with multiple Walks across the year,” he said. “The first year was a learning curve—just trying to understand how big it could be, where we were placing things, how to support it. But by year two, it felt like we found our stride. And this third year? This is where we really cement it as a centerpiece for downtown.”
Bringing back the Art + Design Walk wasn’t just programmatic; it was communally essential.
The revitalization of the former Art Walk wasn’t accidental. It came out of a need—not just for public art or placemaking—but for something deeper. And that was community ownership. That ownership began to emerge in fall 2023, when the Alliance teamed up with DreamKreator Studios and a few businesses to resurrect a dormant scene.
“We needed something that centered artists. That was always the priority,” Metoyer said. “When the opportunity came to partner on bringing that kind of space back, it just made sense.”
But this time around, it couldn’t be siloed. The idea was to stretch across Downtown. To bridge East Village to Pine. To stretch Promenade across its entirety, including above 3rd Street. And, of course, pulling in any business, gallery, or creative with the energy to contribute.
Enter Studio One Eleven to truly redefine (and reinvigorate) the DTLB Art + Design Walk.
The catalyst? Studio One Eleven. The nationally-recognized firm came in for the third iteration of the Walk in year one—and that’s when “things really clicked. It was right as the Design District conversations were heating up, and it felt like we had the right synergy,” Metoyer said.
Led by Sinead Finnerty-Pyne, Studio One Eleven’s Director of Marketing and Special Projects, the firm helped galvanize partners with a simple, direct message: Activate your space.
“I really think Studio One Eleven’s involvement in the Art + Design Walk helped spark a new level of energy and focus,” said Finnerty-Pyne. “It brought a lot of pieces together and gave shape to something that had been building for a while.”
And with that partnership, the Walk became more of a Downtown-wide event.
The activation of Acres of Books was a turning point, offering a literal and symbolic bridge between the city’s creative districts. The space has been riddled with controversy since what was once a famed bookshop shuttered, only to lead to years of decay and its potential destruction. And while it has been incorporated into the ONNI residential complex—bringing with it a constant rumor mill of proposed activations, including turning it into a market, that have never really materialized—it wasn’t until Studio One Eleven activated it that people saw its potential.
“That space allowed us to stitch everything together,” Metoyer said. “It suddenly felt immersive. Not just a bunch of vendors. Actual exhibits, installations—things people could walk into, touch, interact with.”
That kind of momentum has been contagious. From interactive murals to installations at Mosaic and participatory exhibits using parking stalls, the DTLB Art + Design Walk isn’t just showing art. It’s becoming the art.
“It finally feels like the community is creating it, not just attending it,” Metoyer said. “And that’s the difference.”
Building a Design District tied perfectly into the DTLB Art + Design Walk itself.
It was now reimagined as a sprawling creative platform that stretches beyond galleries and into storefronts and streets. The DTLB Art + Design Walk represents a growing movement rooted in collaboration, placemaking, and a shared love of Long Beach’s urban core. To help steer the vision, the newly formed Design District Design Council includes representatives from Cal State Long Beach’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the Design Department, Long Beach Community Design Center, Intertrend, and, of course, Studio One Eleven.
“It’s no longer just about a single event,” said Finnerty-Pyne. “It’s about creating a platform where makers, creatives, and innovators can show up, connect, and imagine what this part of the city can become.”
And the proof is everywhere.
Inside the old Gold’s Gym—once a Chuck E. Cheese—Cal State Long Beach, thanks to Professor Heather Barker, has launched its Immersive Design Research Lab. At the old MADE on Pine, Long Beach City College—which has showed at previous Walks—will host multiple faculty and student exhibitions, with more on the way. Vacant storefronts aren’t being ignored—they’re being activated. The historic Acres of Books site, with support from Urbana Development’s Allard Kuijken and Richard Lewis, has hosted programming for over a year and a half. Right now, it features “The Money Train: From Track to Table,” an installation by Kevin Sherrod that debuted at the LA Design Festival, alongside a vintage pop-up by ProjectWomanGood founder Julie Scwartz.
The melding of multiple events continues to reinvigorate Downtown Long Beach.
That LA Design Festival itself? It marked a major milestone for Long Beach’s creative community. Debuting its Long Beach arm in 2023, the festival itself a huge deal. From coverage by Architectural Digest to NBC to the Los Angeles Times, the LA Design Festival—an annual event that, at least historically, tends to keep its presence to Los Angeles proper—is a big event for the arts and creative world locally, exploring architecture, textile-making, street art, interior and landscape design, and more.
“We more than tripled the footprint of what we showed in 2023 and brought thousands of people from all over the region,” said Finnerty-Pyne. “What’s exciting is that neighborhood businesses joined in—and now they want to stay involved.”
The team has even dubbed the movement a “design revolution”—one defined by pride, inclusion, and the belief that downtown Long Beach can be a true cultural engine.
“There is no conflict, only collaboration,” she said. “It’s been as simple as texting or walking over to people and asking how they want to be involved. Most of the time, they say yes. And then they show up.”
Beyond Events: Investing in Creative Infrastructure
But the vision goes beyond clever design and pop-ups. The ultimate hope is to create a lasting infrastructure for creativity: a permanent presence for Cal State Long Beach downtown. More artist and student housing. Spaces where people can invest and stay.
“If we want to grow this, we need more financial and civic support,” said Finnerty-Pyne. “We’ve built this bottom-up—but we need the top-down too.”
And it’s already started. National firm Kimley-Horn now anchors its own office in DTLB, thanks to a soft landing provided by the Art + Design Walk crew.
“Sometimes all it takes is someone local to show you around,” she said. “That’s what we’re building—a place where people feel like they belong, and have space to imagine what’s possible.”
The DTLB Art + Design Walk takes place on Saturday, Jul 26, from 2PM to 7PM across various Downtown locations. For more information, click here.
