By Christina Cavazos
Longview’s New Water Tower Mural Serves as a Beacon for the Arts
Rising above downtown, a new mural on the city’s water tower welcomes visitors to Longview with a celebration of the arts.
Arts!Longview capped a banner year with the installation of a new mural atop the 1-million-gallon water tower located in the heart of the Cultural District.
“This project was such an incredible opportunity to celebrate our community,” said Christina Cavazos, executive director of Arts!Longview. “Transforming the High Street water tower into a massive canvas allowed us to show how art can be a part of everyday life and how infrastructure can turn into something inspiring. We hope the community sees this as a reflection of Longview’s identity and the pride we all share in our city.”
About Arts!Longview
Arts!Longview is a nonprofit organization that manages the state-designated Cultural District in Longview. Arts!Longview received designation from the Texas Commission on the Arts in 2019 and has worked since that time to transform the community through high quality murals and sculptures as well as hosting key arts events, such as the quarterly ArtWalks downtown.
The Arts!Longview Cultural District encompasses 343 acres that extends from Downtown Longview along Mobberly Avenue to LeTourneau University. In its capacity, Arts!Longview works to support and promote eight arts and culture partner organizations as well as a network of more than four hundred artists from the greater East Texas area.
The state Cultural District designation allows Arts!Longview and its partner arts agencies to receive grant funding from the Texas Commission on the Arts that is not open to communities without such a designation. Since 2019, Arts!Longview and its partner organizations have received more than $1.1 million in funding from the Texas Commission on the Arts that has been used to bring artistic enhancements and high-quality programming to Longview. The state funding requires a 1:1 local match.
Water Tower
It was that state level funding that opened the door for Arts!Longview, in partnership with the City of Longview, to install a mural on the High Street water tower.
The City of Longview already was planning a larger rehabilitation project for the 1-million-gallon elevated storage tank that would involve repairs to the tank as well as sandblasting and repainting both the interior and exterior. The overall maintenance project ensures the city is delivering clean, reliable water to the community.
While the city already was planning the maintenance project, Arts!Longview was permitted to design the artwork for it. The Texas Commission on the Arts supported the project by awarding Arts!Longview a $90,000 grant.
Hayes Engineering of Longview served as the project manager for the overall water tower rehabilitation project. Arts!Longview worked closely with engineers from Hayes Engineering as well as City of Longview Public Works team members on the project.
For the artwork, Arts!Longview worked with Holly Forbes of Forbes & Butler on the design.
“This was truly the largest and most exciting creative project I’ve ever taken on,” Forbes said.
The challenge was to design something that would represent Longview’s vibrant cultural district. After exploring several concepts, the final design was inspired by the newly updated Arts!Longview street banners downtown. The new street banners feature colorful icons that celebrate Longview’s arts and culture scene.
“Knowing this water tower will serve as a lasting centerpiece for Longview, my goal was to create something bold, eye-catching, and full of color — something that reflects the spirit and creativity of our city for years to come,” Forbes said.
Forbes final concept was transformed into
a large-scale stencil that a water tower paint contractor used to transfer the design to the tank. Then, a crew painted the colors into the stenciled design to create the final piece.
Hayes Engineering took detailed measurements of the tank and worked closely with Arts!Longview as well as the painters to make sure the final piece came together.
“We’re proud to have played a key role in bringing this project to life — not just from an infrastructure standpoint but also in making sure the visual update came together seamlessly,” said Austin Lightle, project engineer with Hayes Engineering. “Everything came together smoothly, and the finished product looks great. This is one of the more unique tanks we’ve worked on, and to see a structure built in 1955 still standing strong — and looking this good — is something we’re really proud of.”
After completion, Hayes Engineering submitted the Longview water tower into the Tnemec Tank of the Year contest. With hundreds of entries from across the nation, the Longview water tower placed in the Top 12. Tnemec created a calendar using photos of the winning entries with Longview serving as the photo for the month of May.
New Murals
The water tower wasn’t the only new mural to arrive in the Arts!Longview Cultural District in 2025.
In March, the Cultural District unveiled a new mural called “Harmony in Color” at Tatum Music. The mural, which was sponsored by Texas Bank and Trust, showcases the unique aspects of creativity – music, theater, and visual arts – found within the Arts!Longview Cultural District.
Designed by local artist Jamie Robinson of Palette Mural Designs, the artwork is set against a theatre stage background with stage curtains and lights that shine down upon musical instruments, a paintbrush, and conductor’s hands. The colorful palette of the artwork demonstrates the richness and expression of the arts.
In November, Arts!Longview helped bring long-standing local lore to life by commissioning artist Zahchry Israel to paint a mural of “The Green Street Monster.”
The Green Street underpass, which is located between Tyler Street and Cotton Street, has been referred to locally for decades as “The Green Street Monster.” The underpass allows for vehicles with a max height of 11 feet, 4 inches to pass underneath. Over the years, many large trucks have become victim to the “Monster” and have become stuck under the bridge, hence the name.
In 2025, Israel brought “the Monster” to life by painting a mural on either side of the underpass. One side features a cute green monster while the mural on the opposite side depicts the monster’s lair. In addition to being a mural artist, Israel also owns Ollie’s Skate Shop in downtown Longview and is the creator of the Green Street Monster Fest, an annual music festival that takes place at the bridge.
While Arts!Longview commissioned “Harmony in Color” and “The Green Street Monster,” another mural also came to fruition supported by a downtown business. Allen Bryson Lamar, PLLC, sponsored a new mural on their building located as 211 North Center Street. The new mural encourages passersby to “Stop and Smell the Pines.” The mural was brought to life under the creative direction of Bright Creative and muralist Jill Davis.
“This mural reflects the heart of our region — and the community’s love for the outdoors, its agricultural roots, its hunting traditions, and the heritage that makes East Texas feel like home,” said Brent Bryson, a partner with the law firm.
Cavazos said support for the arts from local business partners is key to helping grow and support the local creative community.
“We are tremendously grateful to the local business partners in our community who support the arts and who work with local artists to create beautiful murals like this that inspire our community,” she said.
Artistic Events
Arts!Longview continued to support the arts through its signature programming, including Arts!Longview Honors and ArtWalk.
In 2025, Arts!Longview recognized Barbara Richardson McClellan with the Lifetime Achievement Award for Artistic Excellence during the third annual Arts!Longview Honors. This annual event brings Arts!Longview’s partner organizations together for a night to celebrate the Lifetime Achievement recipient.
“Barbara Richardson McClellan has played an instrumental role in multiple facets of our arts community for five decades,” Cavazos said. “As a music educator, she taught countless students As a food columnist, she encourages a love of the culinary arts in our community. As an actor, musical director, and avid theatre supporter, she has played an integral role in our theatre community since 1975, and she was a key figure in the establishment of Theatre Longview in 2012.”
McClellan said she was “humbled” and “overwhelmed” to receive the recognition.
“Being off stage and waiting to go on – there’s no experience like it,” McClellan said.
“I wanted theatre performers in our community to have that experience. I just wanted to pass that on to other people. It just started with a phone call I made… ‘There’s no business like show business,’ as Irving Berlin wrote. I wanted lots of people in Longview to have that experience for years to come.”
Arts!Longview also announced in 2025 that the Junior League of Longview would be awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award during the Honors 2026 event. The Junior League of Longview founded the Longview Museum of Fine Arts in 1958, among many other notable contributions to the arts community.
“The League knew that every great city with a thriving cultural arts hub has a great art museum, and in 1958, they established the beginning of our incredible art museum,” Cavazos said. “Since then, LMFA has blossomed into a hallmark museum in downtown Longview with a world-class art collection for our community and the greater East Texas area to enjoy.
The League received the Lifetime Achievement Award in January 2026.
Arts!Longview also held its second annual Mistletoe Mah Jongg fundraiser in December 2025. That event invites Mah Jongg enthusiasts together for a morning of brunch and Mah Jongg just before the holidays.
Additionally, Arts!Longview continued to host its quarterly ArtWalks which are free to the community. ArtWalk pairs local artists with downtown businesses, placing artists along the sidewalks of Downtown Longview. The event encourages attendees to come downtown to view and experience work of local creatives while also encouraging attendees to go inside downtown businesses to see their offerings.
Arts!Longview also partnered with the East Texas Artists Forum to host a pop-up art show at the Longview Community Center. The inaugural event featured about 20 artists.
“We’re always interested in partnerships that allow us to help create opportunities for both established and emerging artists in our community,” Cavazos said. “The East Texas Artists Forum is a phenomenal group that brings artists together to share and learn from each other, and we are excited to host some of these incredible creatives for this special pop-up exhibition and sale.”
Celebrating Partner Groups
Throughout 2025, Arts!Longview also celebrated and supported the achievements of the eight arts and culture organizations that it recognizes as partner agencies. Those organizations are ArtsView Children’s Theatre, the Belcher Center, East Texas Symphonic Band, Gregg County Historical Museum, Longview Museum of Fine Arts, Longview Symphony Orchestra, Longview World of Wonders, and Theatre Longview.
ArtsView Children’s Theatre celebrated a banner season with incredible performances by its youth, including the 24-Hour Musical production of “Annie.” Meanwhile, Theatre Longview delighted hundreds of patrons with sold-out performances of its summer musical production “Shrek the Musical.”
Theatre Longview also saw its first executive director, Denise Knutson, step down at the end of 2025 and excitedly welcomed NaTusha Howard as its new executive director on January 1, 2026.
“Over the past five years, Theatre Longview has been a huge part of my life, and I am immensely proud of what we accomplished together,” Knutson said. “We’ve grown from modest productions for around forty audience members in a church to sold-out shows at the Longview Community Center featuring exceptional actors, live orchestras, and spectacular sets and puppets, along with a thriving improv comedy team and our annual improv festival.”
The Longview Symphony Orchestra performed at the Belcher Center to audiences in the thousands for its annual concert series. The Symphony’s annual family concert, which is always among its most popular, featured a sci-fi theme in 2025. In the spring of 2026, the symphony plans to delight its patrons with a “Lord of the Rings” focused concert on April 18 at the Belcher Center. That concert will be preceded by a map challenge at the Longview Arboretum on March 21. Meanwhile, the East Texas Symphonic Band delighted its audiences with its classic concert series, including its popular Concert in the Park.
At museums, LMFA brought new patrons through its doors for a six-month exhibition called “George Rodrigue: Painting for Myself.” The exhibit featured a collection of Rodrigue’s work, including some of his iconic “Blue Dog” paintings. Meanwhile, LongviewWOW took steps toward launching a new master plan. That included being awarded a $75,000 generational learning to support office and classroom renovations, which Executive Director McKinley described as a “pre-phase” to the three-phase master plan.
The Gregg County Historical Museum continued connecting with the community through its annual events, such as Dalton Days and Living History Christmas, while also completing renovation work to its building. Executive Director Jennifer White noted the museum completed a renovation and relocation of its offices and archives to the museum’s upper floor, “creating room for new exhibits while preserving and modernizing the space through donor support.”
The historical museum also refreshed some of its signature exhibitions, such as the Dalton Days exhibit, and began developing new experiences in key areas, including a Native American, transportation, Gregg County athletes, and expanded military exhibit.
To stay up to date on all the latest happenings in the Arts!Longview Cultural District, visit Arts!Longview’s website at artslongview.org
Cultural districts are special zones that harness the power of cultural resources
to stimulate economic development and community vitality. These districts can become focal points for generating businesses, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development and fostering civic pride. www.arts.texas.gov
Founding Cultural District Organizations
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ArtsView Children’s Theatre
artsviewchildrenstheatre.com
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East Texas Symphonic Band
etsymphonicband.org
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Gregg County Historical Museum
gregghistorical.org
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letourneau university Belcher Center
belchercenter.com
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Longview Museum of Fine Arts
lmfa.org
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Longview Symphony
longviewsymphony.org
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Longview World of Wonders
longviewwow.org
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Theatre Longview
theatrelongview.com
- director@artslongview.org
- 903-738-1865
- 500 East Whaley Street
- Longview, Texas 75601
- artslongview.org
