Vernonia, On The Big Screen

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PSAA Site Serves As Backdrop in New Movie

VERNONIA, OREGON

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The Old Mill in Vernonia, Oregon sat empty and mostly unused for years. That is until six years ago when, with the owner’s permission, PSAA began coordinating artists to give the Old Mill in Vernonia a second life. Since then regional artists have created a gallery of art, breathing fresh energy into the old space.

A few years ago, Oprah’s movie production company Harpo Films contacted PSAA through our friends in Vernonia asking for consultation and help filming at the site. PSAA wanted to ensure that most of the artwork, particularly long-standing pieces at the top, were saved and preserved.

PSAA worked with the crew to get them in contact with all the artists we could, to get their permission to be in the film and sent an expert team of Portland writers out there for about a week to help them spruce the place up at bit.

Many thanks to local artists and friends for their support in making this happen. The Water Man is out in theaters now. Check it out! A fantastical journey right in our own Oregon backyard.

PSAA is excited to announce a new partnership with the City of Vernonia (supported by Travel Oregon) to produce several large-scale murals downtown and a mural festival in late summer of 2021. More details on this new development soon!

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Song Bird at Mercato Grove

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Christian Téllez and Portland Street Art Alliance Paint a Massive Custom Mural

Mercato Grove , Lake Oswego

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“Song Bird” in progress.

Mercato Grove, a new residential and retail destination at the intersection of SW Kruse Way and SW Boones Ferry Road in Lake Oswego, is now home to an impressive and expansive new mural titled “Song Bird”, an artistic collaboration between local non-profit Portland Street Art Alliance, muralist Christian Téllez, local creative agency Think Joule, and developer High Street Residential.

Mercato Grove blends a wellness-focused residential experience with a thriving local food scene unlike anything available outside the urban core. As part of their quest to establish this rising new destination, the creative team sought to enliven the outdoor spaces with beautiful, regionally-inspired art.

Think Joule and High Street Residential conducted an open call for proposals from regional street artists. The call: collaborate to design and install a massive 3,685 SF mural on 4 sections of exterior concrete walls, which are highly visible from the main parking garage entrance and directly face the windows of many of the apartment units.

“The scale and prominence of this mural added an extra challenge in contributing to the art direction of this piece. We wanted it to both make a statement and have broad appeal.”

– Jennifer Bryan, Creative Director, Think Joule

After a competitive proposal and evaluation process, muralist Christian Téllez of Portland was awarded this opportunity. Originally from Mexico, Christian is a licensed architect and accomplished artist with completed works in Oregon, Texas, and Puebla, Mexico. His background in architecture and interior design and extensive experience designing residential and commercial spaces, allow him to create unique and beautiful works that blend custom illustrations and refined details, as in this work.

Christian Téllez in his element.

“Song Bird” draws influences from local agriculture and seeks to connect the architecture of the site with the surrounding community. Christian incorporated native birds and flowers into the scene with a soaring central Bluebird and accompanying American Goldfinches and Steller's Jays, as well as evocative blooms of wild hyacinth, great white trillium and roses.

The soft, natural, and timeless imagery provides a scenic backdrop for residents and visitors alike and saturates the environment with beauty and personality. And a PDX airport inspired hanging garden currently being installed on the siding between the mural panels will further enhance the connection between art, architecture and the natural environment.

“Even in the very early planning stages, we knew we wanted to do something special with this project that both residents and visitors could enjoy and the mural played a key part. This collaboration with Christian, and the Portland Street Art Alliance, was instrumental in infusing urban artwork into a suburban setting, and we’re absolutely thrilled with the result.”

– Damin Tarlow, High Street Residential

Commissioned by High Street Residential, the mural collaboration took 6 months and involved multiple project partners: Portland Street Art Alliance provided management and logistical support. Think Joule was responsible for creative art direction. Christian created the custom art and led installation. In addition to Christian’s specialized production expertise, the project also required support from a team of painting assistants, The Painter Guys, who were subcontracted to assist with wall preparation and painting.

The vision and execution are beyond what any of us imagined at the outset,” concluded Jennifer Bryan. “It was an amazing collaboration, and I really credit Christian with his ability to interpret design direction and the support of PSAA to move this exquisite mural from concept to concrete."

Téllez isn’t the only one serving up artistic talent; some of the city’s best chefs will be bringing their culinary creativity to life at Mercato Grove. Six esteemed Portland eateries from local restaurant group ChefStable are slated to open locations at Mercato Grove this summer, including Lardo, Grassa, Oven and Shaker, Lac St. Jack, Fills Donuts and the reboot of Portland’s beloved brunch destination, Tasty. A large outdoor pavilion invites locals and visitors alike to enjoy arts and eats in this vibrant new neighborhood.

Food and art lovers can experience the iconic new mural and delightful culinary offerings by visiting Mercato Grove at 4055 Mercantile Dr., Lake Oswego.

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SPONSORS + PARTNERS

Vancouver's Heron Mural

Working in partnership with Holland Partner Group, PSAA commissioned muralist Blaine Fontana to paint a massive 1225 sq. ft. mural on the side of a new residential and commercial development in downtown Vancouver Washington called Coen & Columbia at 608 Washington St. This mural is located off the street, tucked away in a plaza between two apartment buildings.

Blaine Fontana at work at Coen & Columbia. Photo: Travel with Kyle.

Work on this 40 x 40 mural was done using swing stage scaffolding erected by NW Scaffolding, and took the artist team about one month to complete. The mural was painted using aerosol on acrylic background. Assisting Blaine on this mural were several notable muralists, Jeremy Nichols, David Rice and Chris Medema.

Muralists at work. Photo: Travel with Kyle.

The mural was inspired by natural elements found in the Pacific Northwest, specifically the nearby Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River Gorge mural highlights the protected wetlands around Vancouver featuring an elusive and massive Egret.

Persist Mural

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PERSIST MURAL CELEBRATES BLACK WOMEN OF HISTORY

NORTHEAST PORTLAND

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Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) has teamed up with muralist Jamaali Roberts (@jamjamart) to paint a new mural on Martin Luther King Blvd near Alberta Street in Portland, Oregon. The mural is entitled "Persist" and is a memorial and tribute to several black women who have helped shape equality in the workplace, schools, and legal systems across Oregon and the United States.

Image: Muralist Jamaali Roberts working on their largest mural to-date on MLK Blvd in Portland. PSAA Photographer: Sara Sjol

Jamaali Roberts is a designer, painter, teacher, curator, musician and crystal enthusiast. Jamaali studied painting at the Pacific Northwest College of Art and splits his time between Portland and his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. His goal is to start an art-based healing center and teach workshops that use the body, mind, and materials to rise above self-doubt and nurture self-confidence.

Jamaali’s new mural depicts portraits of Lucille Bridges and her daughter, Ruby Bridges, who together broke the race barrier in 1960 in New Orleans, by being the first black student to desegregate an all-white school. Following the Brown vs. the Board of Education case in 1954, the William Frantz Public School ushered in a new wave of desegregated education. This was not an easy process. Ruby and her mother were harassed to the point that local police Marshals were required to escort them to and from school everyday.

These moments were famously documented in the powerful photographs that to this day are iconic of the 1960s movement for equality and social justice. Outside of school, Ruby’s immediate family faced fallout and disdain from their community, losing their jobs and even property because of the desegregation crisis. Ruby and her mother, however, persisted, they attended school even facing this harsh backlash. Now, children all over the United States can go to school with students from all different nationalities and backgrounds. Lucille Bridges, passed away after successfully giving her four children the education she was denied as a youth due to helping her parents work in the fields immediately after 8th grade. Lucille Bridges passed away of cancer in her New Orleans home in November of 2020.

On the right side of the mural is a portrait of Senator Margaret Louise Carter, the first African-American woman elected to the Oregon State Legislature. Senator Carter also worked to change the way of life for Blacks and all Oregonians. Senator Carter, who was also born in Louisiana, traveled to Portland with her family in the 1960's, received her degrees from Portland State University and Oregon State University and later joined the Oregon Senate in 1983 only to endure harsh racism and sexism from her comrades. But, she persisted through the insults and as a Senate member, Carter pushed a pro-education agenda that included the creation of regional skills-training centers as well as summer programs for kids. During her 23 years of service, Senator Carter also passed a bill declaring Martin Luther King Jr. Day to be an official holiday in Oregon. Senator Carter is currently retired from her senate duties, but remains an active community member, behind the scenes supporting colleagues in sports, politics, and education.

“Besides all hailing from Louisiana, these women have shown me what it means to be persistent against the odds. During this painting process, I had to persist through challenges of mind and body, excitement and fatigue, and even the occasional harasser. Ideas had to shift in order to arrive at the image you see today and I am proud of this piece, my largest ever. In my own life I have dealt with racism in school and racists in Portland, too; yet, I could not imagine the emotional weight on these women shoulders during their clashes with highly agitated and violent white people. As an honor to their struggles and accomplishments as humans and mothers, this mural visually places these women on a plane of existence 17 feet higher than that of base-level ignorance. These women look at the reading youth in the mural and out at us from a higher plane of wisdom, grace, and compassion.”

- Jamaali Roberts

Jamaali worked closely with the PSAA team and with the new building owner, Jane Paulson, and her colleague, Caprese in designing the mural and preparing for all the logistics that go into mural making. Jane purchased the building in 2020 and is working to renovate it to be used as a Pickleball Court. She wanted to not just put a fresh coat of paint on the exterior, she wanted to do something to give back to the local community and support working artists at the same time.

“PSAA’s team always had my back and made sure I was safe, hydrated, and prepared for the elements. Thanks to all my “ground control;” my ladder holders and mural visitors. Thank you to Danish for your help painting the text. Thanks to Maquette from Alberta Art Works and Jon Stommel for lending me large sturdy ladders. Thanks Daniel, Mad, and Ken for putting me up. Thanks to all the random people who honked at me in support of the work.”

- Jamaali Roberts

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PARTNERS + SPONSORS

Jane Paulson, Building Owner
Miller Paint, Supply Sponsor

Central Eastside Mural District

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The Viaduct Arts initiative brings vibrant community art to the streets of the Central Eastside Industrial District.

CENTRAL EASTSIDE MURAL DISTRICT

A key part of Viaduct Arts is learning together. For both a non-profit and the participating artists, we stretch and grow our skills and portfolios to new heights. In 2020 artists, Derek Yost, GATS, and Galen Malcolm provided artists with mentorship through mural painting and logistics.

Working closely with community partners, Portland Street Art Alliance has worked for several years to “seed” a new mural district in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District (CEID). The goal of the Viaduct Arts initiative is to promote more inclusive engagement and access to public art-making in the city.

Thanks to grant support from the Oregon Community Foundation’s (OCF) Creative Heights Grant, in the summer of 2020 PSAA launched the Viaduct Arts initiative, bringing new five large-scale murals to the walls beneath the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridge Viaducts, all by diverse artists Oregon-based artists.

In 2021, PSAA’s work in the Central Eastside Mural District continues. Grant funding for two additional large-scale murals under the Belmont Viaduct has been provided by the Central Eastside Industrial Council and Proposer Portland.

The second phase of the mural district welcomes a new unique partnership between PSAA and several local homeless service organizations. These partnerships are being supported by grant funds awarded from the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts. The goal of these new partnerships is to engage with and help folks living on the streets of the Central Eastside. Working with local service partners, PSAA will provide homeless community members with access to paid work and training opportunities in mural-making activities happening in the district.

“Viaduct Arts aims to center voices not often represented in Portland’s public art landscape. Fundamental to the success of this project is providing and preserving equitable access for artists across Oregon to push their creative limits and make their voices heard in urban public spaces.”

The Viaduct Arts initiative also strives to address social and geographic disparities, specifically when it comes to gaining access to large-scale outdoor painting opportunities in the city. Therefore, Viaduct Arts outreach focuses on working with artists who identify as being a part of underrepresented communities (BIPOC+, LGBTQ, Women, Rural, Disabled, etc.).

CENTRAL EASTSIDE INDUSTRIAL HISTORY

As Portland experiences accelerated redevelopment and demographic changes, there is an increased urgency for the creation of spaces that welcome artists to work, grow, and thrive. The Central Eastside Industrial District (CEID) is long-time “industrial sanctuary.” In the early 1900s, thanks to the fertile Willamette Valley, Italian immigrants established fruit and vegetable wholesale distribution and transportation networks.  This new riverside industrial district became known as “Produce Row.” At the heart of this historic industrial area, are two parallel loading dock streets - 2nd & 3rd Avenues. These thoroughfares transect four viaducts - under the Hawthorne and Morrison Bridges that create deep cavern-like spaces cutting through the Central Eastside. This unique environment creates opportunities for large-scale artwork. With recent changes in zoning, and increased interest in development, this area is rapidly changing. Viaduct Arts aims ensure that street art remains an essential element of the district and future development.

“SEEDING” PUBLIC ART IN CEID

In 2019, PSAA hosted an open call inviting artists across the state of Oregon to apply for a spot in the muralist line-up. PSAA formed a selection committee consisting of prominent members of the local arts community, community advocates, and curators. With the help of community partners and news outlets, PSAA received nearly 200 applications from artists from around the state of Oregon. Five Oregon-based artists were invited to participate in the 2020 launch of the Viaduct Arts initiative.

PSAA is now working with the Central Eastside Industrial Council and Proposer Portland to expand the new mural distinct, with several new viaduct mural sites planned for late 2020 and the summer of 2021.

Street art has long been an important and visible part of the Central Eastside, contributing to it’s uniquely innovative and gritty character. Street art enriches everyday life, helps to build a city's identity and fosters a sense of place and pride in our community.

• Murals provide access to art without barriers of admission

• Murals promote a sense of identity and belonging

• Murals create a tangible sense of place

• Read more about the benefits of murals

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NEW MURALS COMPLETED IN 2020

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MEET THE ARTISTS

OLIVER CASILLAS | TALENT, OR

66 SE Morrison St

Oliver Casillas is a Mexican-American artist living in Talent, Oregon. Oliver has studied the arts since a young age, immersing themselves in painting, sculpture and ceramics early. Born in Guadalajara in 1995, Oliver attended school in Guadalajara, Mexico and later university in Namur, Belgium, living also in Los Angeles, and moving later to Talent where he rediscovered his passion for art. For the past two years, Oliver has now dedicated himself exclusively to art and tattooing. Oliver is the artistic manager for a project named "We Art Here," which uses art to raise awareness about social struggles, environmental stewardship, and movements of protest. Oliver aims to expand his public art practice in the Pacific Northwest, painting murals in urban areas where it will make the most impact, support collective identity building, and improved quality of life for neighbors.

Oliver Casillas | SE Water & Belmont Avenues

“My mural “What Keep us Together” will be inspired by the iconic portion of land shared by Mexico and the United States - the Sonora Desert. This mural aims to depict the shared nature among them, the purity, and reality behind skin colors, languages, ways of thinking, and religions. In other words, behind the human being. It is an invitation to think outside of our boxes and realize what binds and keeps us together. ”

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MARIA RODRIGUEZ | PORTLAND, OR

1430 SE Water Ave

Maria Rodriguez is a Mexican-American illustrator and muralist. Currently based in Portland, Oregon but originally from Los Angeles their work explores themes of identity and culture while also creating work that is playful and lighthearted. Maria studied at the Pacific Northwest College of Art, focusing on editorial illustration.

“Without Indigenous, Latinx, and POC farm workers, we would not have the food on our tables. Many of the foods in our fridges have a story behind them and I’d like to show gratitude and appreciation to the many who work tirelessly and face things one should not have to, to merely survive. With this mural I’d like people to both face that reality and think about ways they can show appreciation for those who bring food to our tables. With the grant-awarded funds I receive, I will donate part of them to PCUN and Causa Oregon.”

Maria Rodriguez, SE Hawthorne & Water Avenues | Photo: @wiredforsound

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CLOE ASHTON | PORTLAND, OR

1420 SE Water Ave

Cloe Ashton is an illustrator living in Portland Oregon. Working in a wide variety of mediums her pieces speak to an activist spirit, veering from the low-brow whimsy to subversive. Cloe experimented with special reflective spray paint on the ghost bike. Shine a bright light or flash on it and see it glow!

“Activism can take many forms and can even be a celebration, but it is important to remember that the origins of those festivities are often dark events and that so many parties are actually memorials. [This mural represents] massive bike rides that normally occur throughout the month of June in Portland, a festival called Pedalpalooza. [In times like these] we have an opportunity to reflect on why we gather, what it means, and how we can make the streets safer.””

FRANCISCO MORALES | PORTLAND, OR

210 SE Madison St

Francisco Morales is a Latinx freelance illustrator and designer living in Portland. Originally from Los Angeles, California his work draws upon his experience being raised in LA and growing up as a first generation Mexican. Recently, Francisco produced and served as the Art Director for Doug Fir Lounge’s 15 year anniversary campaign. His practice focuses on primarily collaborating with clients and artists from underrepresented communities. Francisco has worked with local artists such as Y La Bamba, Orquestra Pacifico Tropical, DJs Noche Libre, Brown Calculus, Bocha and the Produce Organics hip hop label.

“Paradise is a mural that is inspired by the exchange of goods and culture between the US and Latino communities. Most of the objects depicted in the work have been brought to the US from countries south of the border. This exchange comes at high cost to Latino communities. These folks pick produce through back-breaking labor, live in low income areas, and move to this country in search of a better life searching for their own slice of ‘paradise.’ All of these elements are presented with a chain link fence backdrop to highlight that oftentimes there are barriers, whether physical or societal, that can keep folks from attaining these dreams or their own paradise.”

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NIA MUSIBA | PORTLAND, OR

1510 SE Water

Nia Musiba is a multidisciplinary artist from Denver, Colorado now based in Portland. Her art is primarily centered around people, and her identity as both an African American woman and the daughter of a Tanzanian immigrant influence her work and her discovery of black history through an artistic lens. Whether through digital or physical mediums, community based art practices or her solo work, Nia’s goal is to create space for herself and for others that wouldn’t historically have a platform.

“This piece is all about flexibility and play. I was inspired by my youth, days spent in the sun with friends and family moving and stretching and growing. I integrated bright colors along with the green, yellow, blue and black of the Tanzanian flag. I wanted to pay homage to the exploration and curiosity we all get to experience as children, but also express the constant balancing act that I felt growing up Black in America, having one parent from Africa and one from the States. I also wanted to depict Black bodies in an undeniably fun way, because this kind of representation is important, especially in a place like Portland.”

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WORKING WITH DISTRICT OWNERS

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DONATE A WALL

Do you have a wall? Consider supporting a public art project. There’s lots of options.

Please email PSAA at info@pdxstreetart.org or fill out this form:

PROPERTY OWNER OR RENTER FORM

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MEDIA COVERAGE

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DONATIONS

Consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the Viaduct Arts initiative! All business donors who contribute $1,000 or more will become an “official sponsor” and recognized on this website, in marketing promotions, and on social media.

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SPONSORS + PARTNERS

The Central Eastside Mural District is funded, in part, by the Regional Arts & Culture Council, Prosper Portland, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the Central Eastside Industrial Council’s Central Eastside Together grant program.

Project P.A.I.N.T

Exploring Transformative Inclusion of Black, Indigenous and People of Color Artists in Portland

Written by: Maddy Silberger-Franek and Ameenah Carroll

Research by: Elena Ferry, Maddy Silberger-Franek and Ameenah Carroll

This article presents findings from an ethnographic research project conducted through the Collaborative Design Program at Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA). This project was centered around how arts organizations can further foster inclusion of Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) who are artists in Portland, Oregon. 

Artwork by Nia Musiba

It is no secret that Portland is a very white place. The state of Oregon was founded on notions of white supremacy that are still reflected in the city today. Knowing that Portland can be a particularly challenging place for BIPOC artists to feel “at home,” we sought to have a better understanding of the pathways and barriers of inclusion BIPOC artists faced when trying to build community, enter into, or partner with arts organizations in the city. 

To gain a more nuanced view of this issue, we first spoke to Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA), a non-profit arts organization that focuses on connecting street artists to mural opportunities in the city of Portland and beyond. PSAA provided insights into what their organization is already doing to further inclusion of BIPOC artists and connected the research team to street artists PSAA has worked with in the past. This informed our focus on the remaining research, which centered the experience of mostly street artists. The research team presented the findings of this study to PNCA and PSAA in December 2020. 

PSAA connected the research team with four Portland-based street artists. Additional study participants were identified using a snowball sampling approach. Personal community networks identified an additional eight BIPOC artists to interview, with two of these participants having worked at arts organizations. The research team conducted one-hour Zoom interviews with all participants.

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Key Insights

1. BIPOC artists struggle to find BIPOC-centered art spaces and opportunities. Many BIPOC artists had to create their own spaces in order to support each other. "Hopefully my friend ____ and I can start a community at our gallery as we're working in Portland. I'm excited for that." For many BIPOC artists, creating their own spaces helps artists not only feel safe, but provides supportive opportunities to share their art. This also helps BIPOC artists connect with other BIPOC artists in their communities.

2. Art organizations hypothesize that their lack of diversity is due to ineffective recruiting methods. Arts organizations need new methods of reaching out to communities. "We are in the process of changing our whole leadership model." Although changing leadership roles to include more people of color in art organizations is becoming a more prevalent topic of discussion, the process of these leadership role transformations is still infrequent. The connections between BIPOC artists and art organizations in Portland is crucial in order for these transformations to occur.

3. BIPOC artists are not represented or included in Portland galleries because the gallery culture is not accessible to newcomers. This is even more difficult for BIPOC artists trying to “break into” white-dominated galleries and show their work. BIPOC artists feel excluded because of how white-dominated the broader arts community in Portland is. "Conceptually my art is about being Chinese, Taiwanese, American and nonbinary. A reconciliation of being all of these ways of life and forms of thinking." Not often seeing themselves reflected in the art shown at galleries motivated participants to represent themselves, their community and their cultural identity in ways that were more accessible. By and large, participants expressed the need for a more inclusive gallery scene in Portland.

4. Arts education is not accessible financially to many BIPOC artists; however, an educational setting is the place many BIPOC artists reported finding a sense of belonging. This is due to the opportunities presented to artists through schools and feeling connected to other artists in a classroom setting. "I never went to school for art. I was accepted to PNCA, but it was in no way manageable for me. I walked up to PNCA with all these janky pieces of art. I wanted to be there, but I didn’t fit in at all. It made me realize the differences in education." Allowing more BIPOC artists, who have little to no formal art education, to become more included within art organizations in Portland is essential. Many of our research participants highlighted how they feel more art opportunities can be provided through educational institutions.

5. Many BIPOC artists have experienced racism when trying to share their art. "Someone spray painted on top of my mural once and I had to go out and fix it, and it wasn’t a big deal but it was wack. We need a lot of black and brown love and pride. That was an instance where the communication wasn’t there." Many BIPOC artists encounter some form of racism or prejudice during their everyday life experiences. This is especially noticeable when trying to share their art; from their public art being vandalized with racist slurs to feeling tokenized during art events. More focus to minimize the barriers surrounding race for BIPOC street artists in Portland needs to be required and prioritized.

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Recommendations

Create a central hub for opportunities and resource sharing specific to BIPOC artists. This could be an effort for each individual art organization to have on their own website. Also, this could be through a broader collaborative effort on a popular and accessible social media platform. Having a central location for opportunities that specifically center BIPOC artists would allow for increased knowledge sharing that could be helpful in ensuring BIPOC gain access to opportunities that could lead to success. 

Flatten hierarchal leadership in arts organizations and increase representation of BIPOC in leadership roles. This would lead to increasing diversity and inclusion of BIPOC artists in arts organizations for multiple reasons. Reaching out to a community that one is a part of is more effective than doing outreach to a community that one is not a part of. There is no way to work around this reality. Participants expressed that shifting to less strict hierarchies within the organization is also necessary because currently higher-ups are siloed into their own roles, which effectively distances organization leaders from communities they want to work with.  

Dedicated gallery space for BIPOC artists. The gallery scene was an area in which many participants expressed feeling excluded from. The gallery scene in Portland was characterized as hostile to newcomers and white-dominated. It was hard for newcomer artists to get a “foot in the door,” and extra hard for BIPOC artists attempting to enter into a white-dominated art scene, where seeking inclusion could easily lead to tokenization and microaggressions from their white peers. BIPOC artists need access to the Portland gallery scene and need this to be a safe space to enter into. 

To increase engagement, look to places where disenfranchised artists are, such as community colleges. Along with this, host community workshops for reduced cost or free. Some participants couldn’t afford a traditional art school education. Making connections with spaces that are more accessible to low-income communities could increase art organization engagement from BIPOC artists.

Uplift spaces that are already BIPOC-centered. Many participants created their own spaces that centered BIPOC artists. There are many examples of these spaces around Portland, such as Shop Black Saturdays and Ori Gallery. One way to further foster inclusion of BIPOC artists is to dedicate resources to these spaces and amplify the efforts of BIPOC organizers already doing the work around Portland.

In conclusion, we found that involvement in arts organizations were a major tenet in BIPOC artists feeling included in the art scene in Portland. Whether in a school program, community art organization, gallery or other community art selling event, having a central space for community-building and networking was integral to many participants. Many participants were also already taking initiative to provide these spaces for their own communities. While many participants felt that they were included in the art community in Portland at the time of the interviews, they all shared the experience of going through a period of time in which they struggled to feel included in the art scene here. The time period in which participants sought inclusion in the art scene is also when many experienced tokenization and microaggressions through being pushed into white-dominated spaces where these behaviors often proliferate unchecked. Arts organizations could seek to reduce the gap that many BIPOC artists experienced before they found community in Portland. In this article, we provided some suggestions for ways in which art organizations could reduce the gap experienced by BIPOC artists, and further foster inclusion in their own organization.  

Nicky Farms

In the summer of 2020, PSAA was contacted by the owners of Nicky Farms USA in the Central Eastside Industrial District of Portland. A pioneer in the seasonal ‘farm to fork’ Northwest food movement, Nicky Farms provides sustainably-raised specialty game and high quality meats to restaurants in Portland and Seattle, along with selling wholesale to the public from their Central Eastside location.

Working closely with PSAA management, Nicky Farms owner Geoff Latham selected a pair of well-known and respected local street artists, Demecio Sierra and Galen Malcolm, to paint a vibrant new mural on the front and side of their building located at 223 SE 3rd Ave. PSAA and this artist team had recently painted the old Salvation Army building next door to Nicky Farms, and thus were familiar with the site having worked in the neighborhood for the past few months. Having Miller Paint located just a couple of blocks away was also a great support. Special thanks to Bruce Zhen, Nicky Farm’s site manager for helping to coordinate painting logistics and providing the artists with extra support during this mural work.

PSAA and the artists worked with Geoff to design a mural that highlight’s Nicky Farm’s commitment to sourcing and supporting sustainable products and biodiversity. Specifically, the mural focuses on Nicky Farm’s Hawaiian Island Program and its farm in Aloha Oregon.

2020 has been a difficult year for working independent artists. PSAA is thankful now more than ever for the support from Nicky Farms during this unprecedented time in our city’s history. This commission was one of the only projects that was initiated after the COVID-19 pandemic began. The partnership is a great example of what is possible when businesses and property owners connect with, and give back to the local artist community. PSAA is proud to add this site to a growing list of public art activations in the new Central Eastside Mural District!

PROJECT SPONSORS

Salvation Army

PSAA introduces our newest Community Art project at the old Salvation Army site at 139 SE MLK Blvd in the Central Eastside Mural District. We worked with over 55 local and regional artists at this site, adding approximately 22,680 sq. ft. of new public art to Portland.

This building was originally erected in 1893 as a hay-and-feed storage space. In 1913, it was acquired by the Salvation Army as an “industrial home” or tabernacle, sheltering and serving food to homeless unemployed men. It’s history of supporting the community now continues with this new chapter as an open air free art gallery featuring the work of graffiti crews, alongside veteran and emerging street artists. 

This site is part of PSAA’s Community Art Program, a unique place-based donation program that facilitates community artwork on buildings. These spaces provide abundant opportunities to local and visiting artists, a safe and accessible place for diverse artists to practice and display their work. For the larger community, this program offers the public with free art galleries, providing fresh and exciting new public art experiences in our cities. Community art projects are made possible with donation support from property owners and business sponsor partners.

For better or worse, cities constantly change, and Portland is growing rapidly. With growth comes growing pains and unease. The Central Eastside in particular is developing rapidly with high rises replacing old warehouses because of new height allowances and zoning in effect. PSAA has made a commitment to preserve and maintain spaces for graffiti style art productions, giving opportunities and stipends to artists to paint and do their own thing.

Boarded-Up Murals

Image courtesy of @PortlandHistory

Countless businesses throughout Portland have closed their doors in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of these local businesses, especially coffee shops, bars, and tattoo shops also used to employ independent working artists in our community, which are now laid-off.

PSAA is doing what we can to support working artists during this time. As a very small non-profit, we have taken a pretty significant hit in our commission, tour, and community programs. PSAA’s resources are limited and we too are struggling, but PSAA would like to help support and make connections in the community during this difficult time.

If you are a business or property owner in the Portland Metro Area, with boarded-up windows, we can help connect you with talented artists to paint temporary murals. If you are a business in downtown or NW Portland, PSAA has some support from Neighbors West-Northwest to help make those projects happen.

GET ON-BOARD!

BUSINESSES AND PROPERTY OWNERS

Interested business owners are encouraged to email PSAA at info@pdxstreetart.org. When emailing, please send a photo of the boarded-up windows, the site address, and board dimensions. This program aims to help support struggling artists. There is no city-funding yet for providing these services, so support has to come from the business community to make this happen. Estimating anywhere from $5-$10 per square foot for artwork is suggested. If you can’t afford to make a contribution, please contact your neighborhood or local business association to see if they can help. Some artists are willing to exchange their services for gift certificates, free products, etc, but painting supplies still cost money and PSAA aims to support the artists’ time and labor as well.

ARTISTS

If you are a local artist interested in painting, please sign up on the PSAA Mailing List to receive upcoming open Calls to Artists. Some boarded-up projects will be managed directly by PSAA, others will be posted as open calls where artists can contract the property owner directly to apply.

PSAA highly encourages artists who want to help and participate to take action and just start reaching out (email & calls) to boarded-up businesses in your neighborhood, asking if you can paint. Direct outreach by artists has always and continues to be the best way to secure spaces.

DONATE

A lot of local boarded-up businesses are really struggling right now and don’t have cash on-hand to support the hard work these artists are doing. This special program is a community effort to raise everyone’s spirits during this difficult time. If you are able to make a tax-deductible donation to this emergency PSAA program, it will greatly support the coordination of all this, and go straight into the hands of working artists. All sponsors who are interested, will also be acknowledged by name and/or their logo included at the bottom of this website.

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PSAA BOARDED UP MURAL PROJECTS

QuarterWorld Arcade

Temporary mural production and wheatpaste installation on Tanker Bar & QuarterWorld Arcade, at SE 48th and Hawthorne. Murals by FIBER and EKOSE. Wheatpaste installation by David DaCosta.

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Really Big Video

Really Big Video (539 NW 10th Ave) with artists Heysus, VALLE, Daniel Santollo, Scum Co, and LevelHeadedPress.

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Communion

Communion (3556 SE Hawthorne Blvd) with artists Emily Kepulis, Alicia Schultz, and Nori Rinaldo. Special thanks to OPB’s Oregon Art Beat for covering these projects!

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Treehouse Collective

Artist Latoya Lovely in front of their mural at Treehouse Collective.

Murals with a diverse line-up of local artists for Treehouse Collective on Sandy Blvd. Featured artists include Habiba Abdul Rahim, Latoya Lovely, Wetiko, DesignNine, Lawson Arts, Violent Wire, and Case12.

The boards at Treehouse Collective are no longer on display, as the company has opened back up. After artists were provided the opportunity to pick up their pieces, PSAA has saved a few of the smaller murals for future display at other properties.

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World Trade Center

Artist Betty Alcaraz in front of their mural advocating for Black Trans Lives in downtown Portland. Photo by JDA Productions.

Mural project with a team of local BIPOC street artists on panels surrounding the massive World Trade Center building in downtown, Portland. Support from NeighborsWest Northwest and wall space provided by Portland General Electric.

Artist line-up on the World Trade Center includes: Natalie Clarise Van Clark, Jamaali Roberts, Nicole Light, Carrissa Carbajal-Baltezore, Apikale Kuli, Betty Alcaraz, Rachele Mosley, Breana Depriest, Quanie, Belevroc, Uter, and Naomi Likayi.

If the boards stay up, we will have more murals coming soon!

Artist Naomi Likayi (@mungala_nao) painting a mural at the World Trade Center in Portland OR, along with other local muralists on-display. Video produced by @lovetshot

Artist Jamaali Roberts in front of their mural on the World Trade Center in downtown Portland.

Artists Carrissa Carbajal-Balttezore and Nicole Light.

“We decided on the to keep the message of this mural vague because everyone has something they’re dealing with; whether it is racism, COVID-19, etc., we felt that this was an awesome umbrella phrase that you could apply to so many situations. In these crazy times, rising above the craziness is almost necessary to stay afloat and sane. - Nicole Light”

For many of the World Trade Center artists, this mural project was their first time painting large scale in public space. Including for Carrissa Carbajal-Balttezore and Nicole Light, with their Rise Above Mural.

Carrissa is an illustrator living in Vancouver, Washington. Nicole Light is a 26 year old Filipino-American graphic designer, born and raised in Portland, Oregon. They started out their design career with printmaking and calligraphy, and later fell in love with graphic design.

Artist Naomi Likayi, at the World Trade Center, photograph by Tim Trautmann.

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RELATED NEWS

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Below are a list of artist resources available that we know of. If you know of others, please email us.

RACC COVID-19 Relief Resource Listings

Portland Area Artist Emergency Relief Fund

Oregon Community Foundation

Earl Blumenauer COVID-19 Relief Resources for PDX 

The Center for Cultural Power’s COVID-19 Guide for Artists and Activists

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SPONSORS

Analyzing the Data: Portland “Hate & Political” Graffiti

The City of Portland manages graffiti complaints primarily though the Graffiti Program, which is operated under the Office of Community & Civic Life. This program works with residents and business owners to identify, report, and remove graffiti in the city. They also periodically provide free mural clear coatings to community groups and non-profits.

The City’s Graffiti Program has an annual budget that goes towards paying for personnel salaries, contracts with graffiti removal companies, and providing volunteer cleanup supplies. Although the Graffiti Program’s staffing has changed over the years, as of 2019 it employed one full-time program coordinator and a part-time assistant.

The Willamette Week published data obtained via a public records request. This data shows that the Graffiti Program has logged 99 instances of what they classified as “hate or political graffiti” in Portland since Nov. 1, 2016.

The data showed that almost half of the graffiti reported under this classification during this time (46 of the 99 instances) included some sort of negative reference to Trump. The most common tag that is being classified as “hate or political graffiti” in Portland since the election is "Fuck Trump." The second most common, was swastikas with 24 reports.

Infographic Created and Published by the Willamette Week, 3/29/17

At first glance, the “rise” of swastikas appearing on our streets is obviously very concerning. We would however wonder, how many reports of these there were prior to the election, on average. We have unfortunately seen swastikas sprinkled throughout Portland’s graffiti for years. Oregon has historically been a hot bed of KKK activity and was founded as a “whites-only” state. In the mid 1920’s, the KKK's membership was estimated between 14,000 to 20,000 members. During that time, Oregon’s Governor Walter M. Pierce (1922-1926) overtly supported by the Klan and promoted the Klan’s agenda. It was not until 1999, when the Oregon state legislature held a "Day of Acknowledgement" to recognize the past discrimination earlier legislatures had sanctioned, and finally offically removed language from the state's constitution preventing African Americans from owning property in Oregon.

What is concerning PSAA about this report, when it comes to graffiti advocacy, is that the Graffiti Program is lumping “Fuck Trump” graffiti (and other similar anti-Trump graffiti) in together with swastikas and other real hate graffiti directed at minorities – all under this broad umbrella of “hate or political graffiti.”

At a heated public meeting on March 3rd, 2017, the Graffiti Program made a presentation to City Council about the need for more graffiti abatement funding, citing first and foremost a “significant increase” in reports of “hate graffiti.”

This knee jerk reaction to call for increased resources for graffiti abatement correlates with reports that Oregon leads the nation with an increase of “hate incidents’ that have swept the U.S. in the month since Trump was elected.

During a City Council meeting, Commissioner Nick Fish picked up on this blending of these two types of graffiti, asking ONI what they classified as “hate” or “biased” graffiti and if they had a “working definition” of it. In response, the Graffiti Program representative said that hate graffiti was “against historically oppressed groups.”

So, based on their own definition, is the City of Portland saying that Trump and his cabinet are a “historically oppressed group?” Is the fact that they City of Portland is lumping anti-Trump graffiti in with real hate graffiti against historically marginalized and oppressed groups inflating the counts?

We see “Fuck Trump” and “Not my president” tags as understandable public outcry against a possibly illegitimate presidency that represents the wealthy 1% as very different from swastikas or a ‘Fuck Feminism” tags. Although these may all be “political” in nature, there is a huge difference when it comes the symbolism and motivations involved – either standing up against oppression or promoting it. 

We highly suggest the City of Portland further specify and modify their working definition of “hate graffiti” and clearly separate real hate graffiti that targets "protected classes" as outlined by the Civil Rights act of 1964 and Oregon law (Chapter 659A), from general political graffiti that is not directed at these protected and oppressed groups.

To compare Trump to groups that have been subjected to generational hate and mass genocide is an insult. Do not sound un-needed alarms to an already distressed and distraught community. And do not use inflated and skewed data as a tool to argue for more graffiti abatement funding.

Just this week, the home of an Iranian-American man in Troutdale was targeted by anti-Muslim hate graffiti.  This type of targeted and hateful graffiti is the real concern and crime.  The City of Portland should be focusing on preventing and prosecuting real hate graffiti, and supporting programs like the new Portland United Against Hate to develop collaborative strategies to protect vulnerable communities from hate and intimidation. All of this comes at a bad time as ONI is under public scrutiny after the recent and surprising resignation of its Director after a scathing audit of the agency.

It is also important to understand the larger context in which the Graffiti Abatement Program is operating within and how its funding has changed over time, along with the amount of graffiti found on Portland streets.

From 1995 to 2013 there were a total 10,341 incidents of graffiti reported in the City of Portland, which accounted for 8% of the total counts of vandalism. Between 2004 to 2013, vandalism in Portland decreased or remained stable except in a few neighborhoods.

Between 2009 and 2017, the number of graffiti reports being made has increased, but this could partially be due to the implementation of the pdxReport app making it much more easy for people to report things like graffiti and potholes.

Between 2009 and 2012 the budget for the Graffiti Program also increased. However, this increase in graffiti abatement spending did not have that much effect on decreasing the amount of graffiti reported.

For instance, in 2011-2012 GAP’s budget spiked to $527,711. The increase of the GAP budget in 2011 was to support the salaries of two Police officers dedicated to graffiti investigations. This huge increase in spending was justified due to reactionary concerns after Portland hosted a large graffiti art show in the summer of 2011. The Special Delivery show, organized by Endless Canvas an Oakland-based street art collective, drew artists to Portland from all around the country and was one of Portland’s largest art events in the past decade. After this spike in graffiti abatement spending the number of graffiti reports made in 2012 went down some, but still not to pre-2009 levels.

Over the past few fiscal years, between 2014 and 2017 the Graffiti Program budget has remained fairly consistent, around 350k, as have the number of reported cases of graffiti at about 8000 per year.

If you would like to comment on ONI’s upcoming budget decision on June 8th, please email Commissioner Chloe Eudaly who oversees ONI and attend the City budget hearings on April 11th and 19th to voice your opinion. 

Eastern Oregon Mural Festival

Treasure Valley Cannabis Company presented the first mural festival in Eastern Oregon on Oct 11 - 13, 2019 in Ontario, Oregon.

The goal of the Eastern Oregon Mural Festival was to engage the local and surrounding community through the process of creating art and interacting with the artists themselves. Through this process, artists and the community came together to create lasting works of public art that would be accessible to everyone in the Treasure Valley region. Permanent murals were painted along Ontario’s downtown main street by Forest Wolf Kell (Portland, OR) and Sector Seventeen (Boise, ID).

Forest Wolf Kell mural painting in progress

Moore Park, in downtown Ontario, hosted a community art fair where artists from Ontario, Portland, Eugene, and the Boise area hosted pop-up merchandise booths, glass blowing demos, event screen printing (by Tour Print), and several live painting (sponsored by Green State of Mind).

Mural in-progress by Sector Seventeen team

People from the community became inspired. That weekend, there was a buzz in downtown with this new flurry of activity activating the streets. It was a great coming together of Oregon and Idaho creative communities.

Live painting by @ponopinto and @dreyfus.art

Treasure Valley has plans to move forward with more murals in Ontario and help the community increase its reputation and recognition as a hub for craft industries.

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Participating Artists & Project Partners

@treasurevalleycannabiscompany @invoicepdx @sector_seventeen @forestwolfkell @yachterboat @ponopinto @dreyfus.art @miguelalmeida.art @ethos2ma @mostmotivatedartists @heatherpugh_creative @parkeone @eyedrawp @alltheveg @tourprint @bonadimani_art @kid_nickels @noblehardesty @find.sly @mfpinekone @notphew2ma @mawkaroni @iffybusiness1 @setonone @elmstatus @portlandstreetartalliance @volcanicglassart @borobywombat @jensglassart @highdesertglassstudio

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Photos @treasurevalleycannabiscompany and @portlandstreetartalliance

A Place Called Home

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Street art has arrived at the Portland International Airport. Through a partnership with the Port of Portland and Portland Street Art Alliance, two local artists, Alex Chiu and Jeremy Nichols, created a mural in the north pedestrian tunnel at PDX that celebrates the people, history and natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.

Port of Portland leaders believed it was important to showcase the diversity of the region and take a fresh approach to art in the terminal, especially in a space that many travelers pass through every day to access the parking garage. That’s why the Port of Portland partnered with PSAA to help breathe new life into the space. The goal was to create a magical and fantastic landscape, inspired by the culture and spirit of Portland and the Pacific Northwest. 

PSAA's Executive Director Tiffany Conklin said, "PSAA is excited to build this new partnership with the Port of Portland. We have always enjoyed traveling; and experiencing street art around the world is a great way to learn about other cultures and traditions. Street art enriches our everyday lives. It can help foster a unique sense of place and pride of our local communities, while also providing visitors with a way to connect and understand the PNW lifestyle."

The Port also saw this as an opportunity to celebrate an art style that is well established in Portland. While art is common at airports, partnering with artists who create large-scale murals on walls and buildings throughout the city isn’t a standard approach. Given the city’s support for street art, a partnership with PSAA felt like a natural extension of the airport’s work to bring the best of Portland’s food, culture and art and music to travelers. 

The PDX mural is part of the Port of Portland’s broader Art Program, which maintains rotating exhibits throughout the airport terminal in addition to permanent art space at PDX and the Port headquarters. The program focuses on creating space for a variety of artists in different mediums. That includes a new permanent display created by internationally recognized artist Jacob Hashimoto, which is coming to Concourse E in 2020.

“It was important to us that the mural reflect themes of community, inclusion and home,” Lise Harwin with the Port of Portland’s Corporate Communications team said. “From the beginning, Chiu and Nichols gathered ideas and inspiration from both Port employees and our community partners at Native American Youth and Family Center (NAYA), Urban League of Portland, Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), Immigrant & Refugee Community Organization (IRCO), Latino Network and Black United Fund.”

All images, figures and landscapes were inspired by this feedback and the desire of stakeholders to see diversity, family, sharing food and nature represented.

Muralist Alex Chiu reflected on the massive project, “Part of my role as a muralist is to engage with community in order to reflect what it wants to see and how it wants to be seen.  After processing the feedback and concerns of representatives of cultural organizations, community leaders, and Port or Portland staff, I had the privilege of painting the diverse faces of Portland and the Pacific Northwest.  Although it would be impossible for me to include all cultures and communities represented here in Portland, I feel that this mural highlights important aspects of local culture and daily life that truly does reflect a sense of home for different communities in the area.”

The artists began painting on September 10 and completed the mural on October 31, 2019. The mural will eventually include a content key to help local, national and international travelers understand who and what is pictured and why.  The mural is now on display and open to the public. It is located in the North Tunnel of the airport (before security), between the parking garage and baggage claim.

After the mural was completed, the Port of Portland hosted a mural unveiling event where members of the community gathered to celebrate the new artwork. Several iconic Portlanders depicted in the mural, such as native elder storyteller Ed Edmo, blues musician Norman Sylvester and Rose Festival Queen Mya Brazile were in attendance, along with representatives from community groups like Vanport Mosaic, Latino Network, and the Confluence Project.

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About the Artists

Alex Chiu is a second-generation Chinese American who has two daughters, a 4-year-old and 10-month old. His parents began their careers as accountants before transitioning to help other immigrant families start their own businesses. Chiu brings his own childhood experience growing up in the United States – combined with his hope for his daughters – to inform his art. As Chui said, “My art is about redefining what being American means. America is a nation of racial diversity, immigrants and refugees, different languages, different spiritual beliefs, and different cultural practices. I want to celebrate our differences. I want people to relinquish their fears of the “other.” My art is about breaking those barriers.”

Jeremy Nichols grew up traveling regularly between upstate New York and Tokyo – his birthplace and his family’s home country – all the while growing up in the suburbs of Ohio. Like many families with immigrant roots, the contrasting cultural atmospheres confused Nichols as a child – leading him to question where to really call home. Nichols brings this “outsider looking in” approach to his artwork, combining elements of design and nature to “depict the relationship, energy and juxtaposition between nature and culture. I try to present the viewer with a sense of how I feel and see the world around me.”

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IN THE NEWS

Special thanks to Sam King (@Sammysam_iam) and Jerry McCarthy for contributing photographs.

Farmworkers in Lake Oswego

Local muralist restores and creates a mural in Lake Oswego, honoring farmworkers and cooperatives

A partnership between Wilco Farm Stores and the Portland Street Art Alliance is revitalizing and bringing new public art to Lake Oswego, Oregon

Fresh new public art is up in Lake Oswego thanks to a new partnership between Wilco Farm Stores and the Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA).  Located at 17711 Jean Way in Lake Oswego, OR this is an exciting new addition to the public art landscape of Lake Oswego.

Long-time Portland-based muralist, Hector H. Hernandez restored a historic mural designed by illustrator Mike Benny and painted by ArtFx in 1998. The artwork honors and celebrates the farmers and local farming cooperatives that have a long history in the Willamette Valley region (Stayton, Lake Oswego, Donald, Mt Angel). Hernandez worked with the Wilco team to develop additional scenery to extend the original mural by an additional 864 square feet.

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Mural painting and restoration by Hector Hernandez. Photo: Sam King

“Agriculture is a vital part of Oregon’s culture. We wanted to help celebrate the area’s heritage in way that adds value to the community. This was a perfect opportunity to share the story of farming in a modern way,” said Sam Bugarsky, CEO of Wilco. “We are excited about becoming a more active part of the Lake Oswego community. This was just a first step.”

Jerad Lillegard, the Project Manager overseeing the mural-making process, said, “It has been a fun and rewarding opportunity to add to the beautification of the Gateway of Lake Oswego. By working with local muralist Hector Hernandez, he has enabled us to visually describe some of the lifestyle activities that Wilco serves through our customers. Our team at Wilco is very excited to open our new store and join this beautiful community.”

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Muralist Hector Hernandez. Photo: Sam King

Hector Hernandez has produced murals and other artworks throughout communities and educational institutions in Oregon since 1995. Permanent exhibition murals by Hernandez are located at the OSU Memorial Union, Portland Community College (Rock Creek Campus), Portland State University, as well as Independence High School, Canby School Districts, Parks and Recreations among others. Hernandez has shown his works in numerous galleries across Oregon, Japan, and Mexico. Among the subjects and themes reflected in his murals are the community involvement on issues such as environment, education, multiculturalism, and social change.

Portland Street Art Alliance is a 501(c)3 non-profit that provides access to resources, networking platforms, and professional development opportunities for Pacific Northwest street artists. Since its founding in 2012, PSAA has managed over 100 private and publicly-funded street art projects, collaborating with hundreds of artists in the region.

PSAA's Executive Director Tiffany Conklin said, "PSAA is excited to work with Hector Hernandez, Wilco, and the City of Lake Oswego for the first time. This mural is an exciting new addition to the public art landscape, and we are happy to see a historic mural being saved. Street art enriches our everyday lives. It can help foster a unique sense of place and pride of our local communities, teach people about the rich and diverse history of our region, while also providing visitors with a way to connect and understand the PNW lifestyle."

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Muralist Hector Hernandez. Photo: Sam King

“We hope this brings people closer to the story of farmers and farming in our region. As a brand we celebrate the passions of small town living and this mural expresses those beautifully,” says Maria Olivier, VP Marketing at Wilco.

In reflecting on the process thus far, muralist Hector Hernandez said, “this project has been quite a challenge to undertake due to the site requiring that painting be done between nearby cables and large trees. It’s also a challenge to match my artwork to someone else's when doing the restoration work. I aim to bring my perspective of the Oregon landscape and the farming activities to this project. I hope my approach contributes to ample the perspectives of the Oregon landscape, with a refreshing view of colors and motifs.”

Photo Credits: Sam King (@Sammysam_iam) and Hector Hernandez.

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MEDIA COVERAGE

Sunnyside Piazza

SUNNYSIDE PIAZZA

Since 2000, neighbors of Portland’s historic Sunnyside neighborhood have come together every Spring to re-paint a huge sunflower at the intersection of SE 33rd and Yamhill, one block off Belmont. Originally, without City permission, neighborhood residents came together to claim ownership of their public space and create a vibrant community gathering place.

This was one of Portland‘s City Repair’s first projects that aimed to repair and reclaim underutilized space. City Repair facilitates artistic and ecologically-oriented placemaking through projects that honor the interconnection of human communities and the natural world. City Repair provides support, resources, and opportunities to volunteers from each neighborhood project. 

The original team that created Sunnyside Piazza included Mark Lakeman (co-founder of City Repair), Dr. Jan Semenza (a neighbor and professor of public health), and Dr. Lisa Weasel (a neighbor and professor at PSU’s Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies).

In an effort to create community-oriented spaces, artist Brian Borrello designed a huge orange sunflower, inspired by Fibonacci spiral geometry, in the middle of the intersection and installed multiple art pieces at each corner. Ever since then, engaged residents have turned this intersection into a space for art, expression and community building. 

In 2003 an academic study entitled “The Intersection of Urban Planning, Art, and Community Health: The Sunnyside Piazza” was lead by Dr. Semenza, and interviewed over 700 residents. Findings suggested that the community experiences more happiness, health and safety because of the repair. The Piazza also became a a central point of the Sunnyside Neighborhood and Historic Belmont Main Street, in the heart of Southeast Portland. It blossomed into a community cooperative movement that has cultivated social connectedness and a sense of community that gains momentum every year.

A lot of planning and effort goes into making this happen every year. Starting months before the event, organizers start planning. They canvas the neighborhood getting the required signatures for the block party permit, so they can close the intersection off to traffic and provide their community with a safe space to spend the weekend together, re-painting, talking, picnicking, and playing. They take inventory and order paint materials, repair benches, cob structures, clean-up poles, plant new flowers, coordinate a team of volunteers, and gather monetary and material donations from local businesses and the community.

Local businesses donate funds and supplies to help support this annual community event. Escape from New York Pizza on Belmont hosts an annual Piazza Pizza Party fundraiser in mid-May where 30% of all proceeds between 5pm-10pm go towards the project. Other local businesses, like The Sweet Hereafter and Dick's Kitchen, make significant monetary donations that help the community purchase the paint and supplies needed to repaint the sunflower every year. 

What also makes Sunnyside unique is that in addition to the commissioned and organized art at the Piazza (like the painted sunflower, cob structures, mosaics, sidewalk trellises, and planter barrels), there are several un-commissioned street art interventions in the area. These unofficial pieces of art vary, but often include birdhouses, chalk boxes, metal sculptors, wooden plaques, yarn installations, and various forms of art adhered to the backs of signs and poles. Passersby tend to notice and be drawn to this community art, it is a real tourist destination. Visitors often ask questions, touch, and take pictures of these quirky interventions.

Brooklyn NY-based Portlandia star, Fred Armisen even commented on Sunnyside neighborhood’s distinct character:

“At the corner of Southeast Yamhill and Southeast 33rd Avenue is the most Portland-y spot in the city. There is an artwork painted on the actual road. It’s like a sun or something. It’s too big for me to remember exactly what it is. It just looks cool and feels cool. I feel the most like I am in Portland when I stand in this spot. You’ll see what I mean. It’s residential, but there’s something about it that makes me feel very much at peace. Not like nature-guy peace. I hate that. I mean like “Hey, I am going to stand here for a few minutes and not think.” It’s quiet but you can still hear some cars go by a street over on Belmont. It feels European but still American. I stand by that description.”

Along Belmont, there is a high-concentration of businesses between 33rd and 35th Avenues. Most of these mixed-use properties have high real-estate values due to their visibility and foot-traffic along this historic arterial roadway emanating from downtown. Through the 1980s and 90s, Sunnyside struggled with problems such as drug and alcohol abuse, crime, and vandalism. Younger creatives were drawn into the neighborhood by its cheap rents, historic bungalows and Victorians, and its proximity to public transit. Just a few years ago in 2010, many of the businesses along Belmont were closed and boarded up. Now, all storefronts are occupied and business is booming. Sunnyside often teems with activity. On sunny days, people fill the sidewalks, eating, drinking, taking pictures, sitting on benches, and visiting local shops. When the sun sets, the night crowd descends, frequenting the bars and pool halls on the strip.

Whether it is authorized or un-authorized by the City does not seem to concern many Sunnyside residents. They see this as their community space and their responsibility to maintain. This is an active community that feels strongly about the power of community art and access to the public spaces around them.

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For five years, Portland Street Art Alliance managed the project, along with fellow dedicated neighbors. In tradition, PSAA has now passed that touch on to another group of local neighbors.

Follow Sunnyside Piazza on Facebook and Instagram for updates! 

All Photos: © PSAA | © Anton Legoo

Bread & Roses Mural

Old Mack Truck Warehouse Transformed into Vibrant Mural Honoring Labor Rights History and Activism

Work has begun on a new community art space organized by the Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) at the Steel Bridge-head in the Rose Quarter of Portland. The warehouse, owned by the Kalberer Company, has been used as a storage facility for many decades. The property is also used by TriMet and the City of Portland for parking. The mural entitled “Bread & Roses,” honors the working-class history of this site, as being the headquarters of Mack Trucks International and being situated at the Steel Bridge head and Union Pacific railroad tracks.

The Mack International Motor Truck Corporation constructed this 35,000 square-foot building in 1924, moving their headquarters from downtown Portland to across the Willamette River. It was the largest structure in Oregon devoted exclusively to the sale and services of a single make of motor truck. At the street-level corner, was the showroom and unique movable partitions which separated new and used trucks. In the basement, there was a boiler, lockers, showers and storage for the workers. The streetcar passed right in front of the building, turning north onto what was then Adams Street. Later in the 1950s, the building was bought and used by Roberts Motors.

The new community mural includes a variety of styles, painted by about a dozen local and visiting artists. The artwork honors the working-class history of the site as being the headquarters of Mack Trucks International and its location at the Steel Bridge head and Union Pacific railroad tracks. The mural pays homage to the struggle for workers’ rights.

Mural of Rose Schneiderman by N.O. Bonzo

The painted doorway mural by Portland-based artist N.O. Bonzo is a homage to Rose Schneiderman the Polish-American feminist and one of the labor union leaders who led the 1912 labour worker strike. With her activism, Rose drew attention to unsafe workplace conditions following the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory and was one of the founding members of the American Civil Liberties Union. Rose is credited with coining the phrase "Bread & Roses," to indicate workers’ rights to something higher than subsistence living. For nearly half a century, Rose worked to improve basic human rights including living wages, decent hours, and safe working conditions for women – the symbolic “bread.” She also tirelessly worked for “roses” such as schools, recreational facilities, and professional networks for trade union women, believing working women deserved more than meager subsistence. The legendary graffiti artist, GATS painted their signature masked figure across the top of the building along with a slogan that reads “The worker must have bread, but she must have roses too”- a popular slogan used during this uprising. Supporting the theme of worker and women’s rights, visiting Miami artist Claudio Picasso painted a portrait of Marie Equi (1872-1952), a doctor in Portland, devoted to providing care to poor patients.

Mural by GATS.

Mural of Marie Equi by Claudio Picasso.

Commenting on the mural work’s message, N.O. Bonzo stated, “We know that many of the conditions that workers struggled against in 1912 are still experienced today by peoples worldwide. Exploitation, sexual and physical violence, wages which do not meet our needs, and conditions designed to alienate and isolate us. This piece celebrates both our victories and our current and future struggles till the day we all are free.”

The artist team painting the backside of the building include rail-hopping graffiti artists, Maddo, Clamo, and Boycott Yourself. This trio’s murals depict railroad and industrial-inspired imagery, including a horse and chicken - symbolic of early urban ties to rural life. The roses represent Portland’s strong working-class women throughout its history, and the chain represents the capitalistic and male-dominated political and social system that often prevents them from blossoming into their fullest potential.

Mural by Maddo and Clamo.

This rotating art project is a win-win for local and visiting artists and property owners alike. Artists have space to build their portfolios and show new work, and property owners are giving back to the local community.

Mural work by Jeff Sheridan.

This project is also the result of new exciting partnerships for Portland Street Art Alliance, including ongoing sponsorship from Metro Paint and Miller Paint. “Supporting Portland Street Art Alliance is a way for Miller Paint and our partner MetroPaint to stay connected to the artist community in Portland. Our founder, Ernest Miller, was a muralist himself back in the 1890s when he founded our company on the promise to make paint specifically formulated for our Pacific Northwest climate” says Puji Sherer, Color Marketing Manager for Miller Paint.

Buildings such as this can be an important part of Portland’s public art landscape. They provide easily accessible spaces for artists to explore new techniques, build their portfolios, and interact with each other in a safe, comfortable, and open urban setting. Unlike commissioned murals, these community projects are much more organic and don’t have any planned sketches or timetables. Each team of artists choose their color scheme, designs, and make their own schedules. Artists are provided creative freedom and the opportunity to foster unique spaces for innovation and experimentation. PSAA manages the logistics, including securing the city’s original art mural permit and sponsorship, arranging for site access, managing painting logistics, media inquiries, and documenting the physical and social history of the site.

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Participating Artists (More to Come Soon!):

• GATS (@gatsptv)

• NO BONZO (@nobonzo)

• MADDO (@murky.mind)

• CLAMO (@imminentdecay)

• OUCH (@ouchey)

• CHET MALINOW (@chetmalinow)

• DEPTHS (@horrible_kreatures)

• OTHER (@other0ne)

• JOINS (@desertstocross)

• RAIN (@rizainwashizere)

• JEREMY NICHOLS (@plasticbirdie)

• CLAUDIO PICASSO (@cpwon)

• JEFF SHERIDAN (@jeffsheridan)

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BREAD & ROSES MURAL IN THE NEWS

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL OF OUR SPONSORS

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Sunshine Dairy

In the Spring of 2019, PSAA was approached about an installation at the Sunshine Dairy factory - a 39,000-square-foot plant located at 801 NE 21st Avenue, in Portland’s Kerns Neighborhood.

Sunshine Dairy is iconic for not only their milk products, but also their massive spinning milk carton that sits atop the roof of the building. In May 2018, Sunshine Dairy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, closing their historic location after 83 years of dairy production. The Oregonian newspaper reported that Sunshine's bankruptcy reflects changing dynamics in the dairy industry, Boverman said, driven primarily by consolidation among dairy producers and grocery chains, which has given the supermarkets more pricing power.

Given the Sunshine Dairy factory has structural foundation issues, Eastbank Development decided to redevelop the site. This was not surprising considering it is in prime location, right off I-84. This building was originally constructed in 1935, and has unique industrial zoning, which allows for both residential and mixed-use development at the site.

Hand of Dogg has been hard at work for over a month on this massive mural, using only brush work. Photo: Paul Landeros

Realizing that the factory would be sitting vacant for almost a year, Eastbank decided to activate this space with street art until its demise. With the help of a donation, PSAA was able to arrange for four teams of artists to completely cover the factory building with fresh new art of their choosing. PSAA covered most of the paint costs, and artists are donating their time to make this happen. Over 30 artists are now on display on walls of the factory. This temporary and rotating art project is a win-win, where local artists can have space to practice and the community gets new art.

Aerial view of Sunshine Dairy. Photo: InvoicePDX

The mural wall along SE 20th was managed by InvoicePDX and Hand of Dogg and displays a mixture of classic graffiti-style text, and hyper-realistic sign painting techniques. Participating artists in the first round of painting include: DETR, YATSE, YUCKO, COPS, GIMER, ENVY, FNGER, AT ME, KENRO, and GRISLE.

Photo: Paul Landeros

Each side of the building was organized by a different Team Captains, so each side of the building has a distinct style and vibe. PSAA aims to empower local leaders in the arts through projects such as Sunshine Dairy. The wall along NE Pacific St (pictured below), was managed by JOINS, and the mural was a collaboration between JOINS, Jeremy Nichols, and RASKOE. Jeremy wanted to practice his new hyper-realistic rendering of animals that he started painting in the Dallas recently for another large-scale mural. The bears were all done using aerosol spray paint and took Jeremy about 2 weeks to complete, along with the forest background. RASKOE came in underneath along the bottom portion of the wall, adding 3D wildstyle graffiti pieces, masterfully blending these two unique styles.

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JOINS laying down the lines. Photo: Tiffany Conklin

Spaces like Sunshine Dairy are important pieces of our public art landscape, as they provide easily accessible space for artists to explore new techniques and build their portfolios. Unlike commissioned murals, these community projects are much more organic and don’t have any planned sketches or themes. Each team of artists chooses a general color scheme, and their own schedules. Artists are provided very open creative freedom, which provides spaces for innovation and experimentation.

In-progress mural along NE 21st Avenue, managed by Galen Malcolm of PSAA. Art along this wall included work by EKOSE, NEKON, NOTES, ADJUST, GIVER, VIDEO, FIBER, ABNR, KANGO, and Level Headed Press.

Photo: Paul Landeros

EKOSE working on a robotic character towering over the city below. Photo: InvoicePDX

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Detail of KANGO’s piece. Photo: Tiffany Conklin

Artist at work at Sunshine Dairy. Photo: Tiffany Conklin

In-progress mural wall managed by the MLS crew in Portland, OR. Still in-progress. Line-up TBA!

Photo: Tiffany Conklin

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Photo: Tiffany Conklin

Final shot of wall along SE 21st Ave, managed by InvoicePDX. Photo: InvoicePDX.

Mural work by GATS. Photo: InvoicePDX.

HISTORY OF SUNSHINE DAIRY

Written By Josie Allison, Photos Scanned by Anton Legoo & Tiffany Conklin

In the 1930s, John Karamanos, a Greek restauranteur, wanted to start a dairy delivery service for his friends and founded Sunshine Dairy products. At the time, Portland was home to 50 independent dairy processors.

For the next 83 years, Sunshine stayed committed to serving local food service industry, local manufacturers, and local retailers and co-packers with their personalized delivery and steadfast dedication to high quality, naturally-produced products. By 2018, Sunshine Dairy was a fourth generation, family-owned operation.

The company gained organic certification and was consistently committed to producing the highest quality dairy products through specialized processes that produced superior, fresh taste. Every load of milk was screened for antibiotics and surpassed the federal standards of quality and safety. Sunshine was devoted to the philosophy that natural is better.

Since the development of the bovine growth hormone rBST in 1994, the company sourced from farmers who signed an affidavit not to inject their cows with the artificial stimulant and sought to support farms with sustainable farming practices. In return for their promise, Sunshine paid the farmers a premium to compensate for the economic benefits that using the artificial hormone would have brought. In order to keep their prices low, the company was willing to accept smaller profits from each gallon of milk. In 2001, Sunshine officially became the first dairy in the region to buy exclusively rBST-free milk. The company reaped the rewards from their dedication to natural products as organic milk sales began to rise after growth hormones were increasingly introduced into mainstream dairy.

One of Sunshine’s largest vendors was the Farmers Cooperative Creamery (FCC), whose members are nearly all small to mid-sized, family farmers from the Willamette Valley in Oregon, and Chehalis and the Yakima Valley in Washington

The shifting climate of the dairy industry and the consolidation of dairies throughout the U.S. pushed Sunshine Dairy into bankruptcy. Sunshine signed an agreement with Alpenrose Dairy, another company founded in Portland.

Logo Design by Forrest Wolf Kell

Fanno Creek History Mural

In July 2019 artist Jeremy Nichols completed a large-scale mural in Downtown Tigard. The mural, entitled A Walk Through Time, is a interwoven tapestry of Tigard’s history and culture along the Fanno Creek corridor.

Working with local historian, Sean Garvey, and ecology specialists in the city, Nichols’ design incorporates images from Tigard’s past. The mural depicts a member of the Kalapuya tribe (the indigenous inhabitants of the area) alongside native flora and fauna, including Red-tailed Hawk, Western Painted Turtle, Great Blue Heron and Oregon Iris and Camas flowers. Nichols hopes that the mural will raise awareness about the original inhabitants of the Tigard area, as well as the local ecosystem. “It is important to me to create a mural that will stay relevant and be enjoyed by generations to come. I wanted to create a design that steps away from the norms of ‘traditional cultural’ murals and create a design with a more contemporary approach that is equally informative and significant,” says Jeremy Nichols, the artist designing and painting the mural. 

Mural Design Concept

Located at 12553 SW Main Street, the mural is directly adjacent to the popular Fanno Creek multi-use trail on the recently renovated building home to several new Downtown Tigard businesses including Frameabl, Versus Board Games and Senet Game Bar. Building upon previous arts initiatives led by the City of Tigard and non-profit Tigard Downtown Alliance the mural will aid in the ongoing revitalization of downtown Tigard. Dylan Dekay-Bemis, the City of Tigard’s Economic Development Coordinator, believes the project will “increase access to art in Tigard, help improve walkability in downtown and draw attention to the great local businesses housed within the building where the mural will be located.”

In recent years, art initiatives have driven commercial success and interest in Downtown Tigard, including the annual Downtown Art Walk event, gateway art sculptures by artist Brian Borrello, an Art on Loan program that places art leased from local artists in locations around downtown, and the award-winning SubUrban street art exhibition. 

Artist Jeremy Nichols working on the Walk Through Time Mural in Tigard. Photo: Paul Landeros

Portland based non-profit Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) facilitated the commissioning of Jeremy Nichols for the City of Tigard and will continue to assist the City in managing this mural project. PSAA Executive Director Tiffany Conklin explains that “the quality of our shared public spaces speaks volumes about what we, as a society, believe to be important. Public art projects like A Walk Through Time not only bring more cultural vibrancy and interest to a place, but ensure that everyone has the opportunity to experience art in their everyday lives.” The mural took Nichols 10 days to complete.

A Walk Through Time was funded through the City of Tigard’s Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper (LQC) program.  LQC projects are inexpensive but impactful actions that improve walkability, connectivity and health in Tigard.

Final Mural by Jeremy Nichols

All Photos © Portland Street Art Alliance @ Paul Landeros

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IN THE NEWS!

Produce Row Mural

In the fall of 2018, Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) was approached by Harsch Investments Properties. Harsch had recently purchased the old Coast Auto Supply building at SE 2nd & Stark in Portland’s Central Eastside Industrial District (CEID). Located at 125 SE Stark St, this site has a long and colorful past, being in the heart of the city’s Produce Row for the past 83 years, and a popular space for graffiti art over the past decade. With Harsch’s support, PSAA hired a team of four lead artists from the MLS (Nimby, Zae, Ckos, Ouch, Ugh, Raskoe, Senik, Elboe) and 4SK crews (Giver, Nekon, Abnr, Fiber) in Portland to coordinate a massive dual-mural, wrapping around most of the warehouse along Stark, 2nd, and Oak Streets.

The Produce Row Mural

PSAA wanted to ensure that local artists would still have access to the walls, so two teams of long-time Portland-based graffiti artists were hired to produce a design that was inspired by the history of the district, but with a fresh new twist to the traditional history murals. Digging through archive records, the team landed on a simple concept - massive piles of Willamette Valley fruits and vegetables. The team wanted to experiment with showcasing both sides of their artistic abilities; a concept that is very rarely seen. The final composition blended painterly techniques with their unique text-based graffiti lettering. This experiment manifested itself in overlaid wild-style graffiti lettering, keeping to the colors of the background imagery.

The mural painting took three months to complete, as the work had to be done incrementally due to Portland’s wet fall and winter weather. Most of the underlying base coats were done with bucket paint and rollers, and then the muralists added details with aerosol and brush paint.

Photo: Chris Christian

Photo: Chris Christian

PSAA is working with several Central Eastside property owners trying to ensure that art remains an integral part of the district’s identity. As the city and the district quickly changes beyond our collective control, we want to ensure that long time local graffiti culture is still part of the urban landscape.

PSAA is dedicated to creating inclusive models for place and district-making by engaging diverse audiences and artists, and increasing access to public art opportunities such as this, while helping to support local and regional artists.

Produce Row History

In 1913 Italian immigrants began establishing truck farms that supplied fruit and vegetable wholesalers in a bustling new riverside industrial district that became to be known as “Produce Row.” At the heart of this historic industrial area, are two parallel loading dock streets - 2nd & 3rd Avenues. These thoroughfares transect three viaducts - the Hawthorne Bridge, Morrison Bridge, and Burnside Bridge pass overhead creating deep cavern-like spaces cutting through the Central Eastside. In 1981 it was officially declared in as an ‘industrial sanctuary’ an effort to maintain its unique land use and character. Warehouses and storage facilities were a significant part of the district’s beginnings, and the area provided a variety of blue-collar jobs (Jones, 2014).

Today, SE 2nd and 3rd Avenues still rumble with heavy trucking activity, but the industrial uses have changed, with cleaner and lighter wholesalers, and an increasing number of exclusive commercial services, including fine dining restaurants, multi-media production, as well as high-end retail have begun moving into the CEID (Jones, 2014). This is juxtapose to Portland’s booming creative, tech, and service industry, which is closing in on this historic industrial sanctuary. The infamous DIY Burnside Skatepark lies just a few blocks north on SE 2nd Avenue, nestled underneath the Burnside Bridgehead surrounded by sparkling modern towers.

SE Alder St between 3rd and Union Avenues in 1940. The building on the left would later become Corno’s Market (City of Portland Archives)

SE 3rd Avenue and SE Alder Street in 1950 (City of Portland Archives)

SE 3rd Avenue in 2018 (Portland Street Art Alliance)

Produce Row used to be the home to dozens of produce warehouses, some of which are still in operation today. Family-owned Rinella Produce at 231 SE Alder St opened in 1914. The Rinella and Lombardo families immigrated from Sicily and Rome to the US. The business has been passed down from father to his son and is one of the oldest produce distribution buildings on the West Coast of the US.

Rinella Produce

Frank and David Rinella (Rinella Produce)

Over the past three or four decades, Produce Row has nurtured newer generations of produce distributors. Pacific Coast Fruit Company at 201 NE 2nd Ave is another produce company that still exists on Produce Row. Pacific Coast was founded in 1977 by Emil Nemarnik. Today they have become one of the largest, independent produce distributors in the Northwest.

Pacific Coast Groundbreaking (Pacific Coast Fruit Company)

Alexis Foods at the corner of SE Stark and 2nd was established by Alexis Bakouros in 1987 after operating a successful Greek restaurant. Using his European contacts, Alexis was able to import high quality specialty foods from Greece, Spain, Italy and France. As the local market evolved and vendors emerged, Alexis Foods' product line expanded to also source crafted, locally sustainable products.

Even though Produce Row continues to thrive as a distribution hub, many of these warehouses and distributors are now gone, including the Independent Fruit and Produce Company pictured below. In the summer of 2017, Alexis Foods partnered with Portland Street Art Alliance to produce two murals by local artists, one of which depicts a series of Greek-style vases.

Independent Fruit & Produce Co. at 705 SE MLK in 1932 (City of Portland Archives)

Another lost landmark was the Corno family-owned produce market. Corno’s opened in 1951 and was a very popular and well-loved market in Portland. It closed its doors in 1995, and was torn down in 2006 to make way for a pipe project which runs under 3rd Ave now.

Corno Market (City of Portland Archives)

Today, the Sheridan Fruit Company at 409 SE MLK Blvd is the last of Portland’s ‘old-school’ produce markets. In 1916, John Sheridan started an open-air produce market on Union Avenue (now MLK Blvd). In 1946, the Poleo Brothers, whose family still owns and operates The Sheridan Fruit Company today, purchased the company and began a wholesale operation in 1950. 

Sheridan Fruit Company at 333 SE Alder St (Public Works Administration Archives)

Sheridan Fruit Company

Sheridan Fruit Company

Another Pacific Fruit & Produce Co. Building at SE 2nd & Alder, 1935 (City of Portland Archives)

The History of 125 SE Stark

Built in 1936, the building at 125 SE Stark St was originally home to Pacific Fruit and Produce, built and owned by the Portland Terminal Investment Company. Sometime in the 1980s it was purchased by Coast Auto Supply, which operated an auto supply business out of it until 2017 when it was acquired by Harsch.

Legal Walls Research Project

In 2012, PSAA was founded as an advocacy group. Our friends were being pressured and harassed by the police for making art in the street, even when they had permission from owners. Art shows and galleries that supported street and graffiti art were being shut down. Since then, PSAA has been working behind-the-scenes to help advocate for this form of art and shape the future of street and graffiti art in Portland by advocating for new City policies.

From January to June 2019, PSAA worked in a collaboration with Portland State University’s Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning to develop a Legal Walls proposal to go before the Portland Council for city-wide approval in August 2019. PSAA was one of a few organizations selected (including the City of Portland Bureau of Transportation, the City of Vancouver, the City of Monroe, and the Cathedral Park Neighborhood Association) by the School’s Master of Urban & Regional Planning Workshop Project students to participate in this initiative.

Working closely with PSAA, a team of students crafted a proposal to advance the City’s policies surrounding street murals and public art for the collective empowerment of Portland’s street artist community, drawing on street art best practices and case studies from around the world. The proposal combines research, original data collection, and analysis to present policy alternatives allowing Portland to better leverage its thriving street arts culture and solidify the City’s identity as a haven for creatives.

By listening to stories from artists and free wall organizers from around the world, and working with policymakers, property owners, and other stakeholders, this team developed recommendations supporting street art’s potential to achieve City-wide district revitalization goals and use art as a means to include the voices and perspectives of historically marginalized communities.

On August 7th, 2019, PSAA, graduates from the PSU research team (Brittany Quale and Joey Williams), and a young emerging local artist (Qwyinn), presented the research findings and provided testimony to Portland City Council. Commissioner Chloe Eudaly expressed appreciation for the Legal Walls PDX proposal and affirmed her willingness to support the project. In response to the presentation, Mayor Ted Wheeler asked PSAA to identify a site, draft a community agreement, and craft a proposal for a pilot legal wall program before returning to the Council for approval.

On October 16th, 2019, PSAA, Quale, and Qwyinn met with Eudaly’s Arts & Culture Policy Director, Pollyanne Faith Birge, to strategize next steps towards realizing a legal wall in Portland. Over the next several months, PSAA and supporters of Legal Walls PDX will be meeting with property owners, the Central Eastside Industrial Council, and City representatives from the Bureau of Planning & Sustainability, Bureau of Development Services, Civic Life, and Parks & Recreation to discuss potential avenues for implementation.

Portland City Council Presentation on August 7, 2019

To receive updates on the efforts to implement a pilot Legal Walls program in Portland, join the PSAA community list for notifications about upcoming related events.

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LEARN MORE

Rotating Graffiti Art Walls

Logo Design by @Rupeezy

Design Week Portland

On April 10th, 2019, PSAA participated in a Design Week Portland panel discussion and non-profit fundraiser, organized by Killian Pacific and held at Clay Creative (the site of our recent Taylor Electric Project). The panel was moderated by Ann Hudner, an Art Consultant + Communications Strategist based in Portland, OR. Panelists included Adam Tyler, President of Killian Pacific, Tiffany Conklin & Tomás Valladares, Founders of the Portland Street Art Alliance, Kristin Calhoun, the Director of Public Art at the Regional Arts and Culture Council, Chris Herring, the Founder Portland Winter Light Festival, artists Alex Chiu, Lane Walkup, and Joe Thurston. The event also featured interactive art pieces, including a diatom-inspired LED interactive lantern show by Tor Clausen, hyperreal arrangements by Manu Torres, metallic dreams by Lane Walkup, and live mural painting by Alex Chiu, with assistance from several local Portland-based artists including HeySus, May Cat, and Vincent Kukua.

Panel Topic: Has the definition of public art expanded?

Our built environment is a canvas for artistic expression providing opportunities for artists that extend beyond the confines of gallery walls. How can we advocate for and broaden not only the understanding of public art, but the city’s expansive creative capacity and its potential to impact the cultural vibrancy of Portland? As individual property owners, real estate developers, government entities, community members and civic leaders incorporate the artistic community as active participants in a dynamic city, what is the role of public discourse and community engagement?

In this changing landscape where urban planning, business objectives and artistic expression intersect, what are the challenges and opportunities for meaningful change? How does one interpret beauty, cultural aesthetics and new art forms in public spaces? How do we celebrate the public art that currently exists or the experimental spaces and communities that are emerging? Where are the crossroads for public/private and city-wide collaboration?

Huge thank you to our friends at Killian Pacific for hosting this event. Thank you to the beverage sponsors: Union Wine Co., Dirty Pretty Brewing & Brew Dr. Kombucha.