The Oregon City Library recently received the Arch Bridge Community Mural again after being displayed at eh West Linn Library for several months. This mural was designed by three local artists from the surrounding Arch Bridge connected area. The left portion was designed by TRAG artist, Cathy Rowe. The middle portion was designed by confederated tribe member Brian Krehbiel. And the right portion was designed by West Linn artist Carrie Gilbert. Each panel was painted with the help of community members at the Arch Bridge Centennial Celebration of 2022. The next time you come to the Oregon City Library inside book return, look just above the return window to enjoy this colorful community art piece.
There has recently been some movement towards getting an Arts and Culture Center in Oregon City. A small group of arts and community leaders has come up with a business and financing plan to work towards making this dream a reality.
The property that the group is currently hoping to secure is the Eastham School. This plan is in the very beginning exploratory stages, but has a lot of promise.
If for some reason the Eastham school location is not optimal or possible, the majority of this plan could be easily adapted to an alternative location.
This is all very exciting, but please keep in mind that a project like this usually takes 3-5 years in the best circumstances. Thank you everyone for your optimism and patience.
Cathy Rowe will be giving a presentation about the current state of Oregon City’s Public Art Collection to the Oregon City Arts Commission on Thursday, February 15 at the Oregon City City Hall at 7 pm. Cathy will be discussing the murals, sculptures, and other public art items at the meeting.
This is a public meeting that is open to everyone. Public comments should be submitted before the start of the meeting.
If you would like to attend via Zoom please contact Ann Griffin (agriffin@orcity.org) for zoom link information.
The Friends of the Oregon City Public Library and the Library Foundation are hosting a fundraising event for the Oregon City Library. We are requesting donations of artwork with a value of $50 or more for a raffle. Donations are due by November 17. The funding raised will enable the Oregon City Library to enter their “Next Chapter”.
A Community Interactive Art Piece from the Arch Bridge Celebration
The 3-piece mural that was created by three artists and our communities was installed in the Oregon City Library on Thursday November 10th. Thank you, Cathy Rowe from Oregon City (and a member of TRAG), Brian Krehbiel from the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, and Carrie Gilbert from West Linn. Their original designs were shared at the Arch Bridge Celebration on 4’ by 4” boards as they welcomed the Community to help them paint. At noon each of the 3 pieces were joined together in the middle of the bridge in celebration of our communities. The finished connected piece was placed right above the book return by the elevators and is an amazing piece depicting community connection. It will be in the OC Library for 4 months, then moved to the West Linn Library, and finally to the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde Museum.
On Saturday, October 29, Indigenous artist, Brian Krehbiel of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde, signed the mural “Reflections of the Falls”. It tells the story of how Coyote and Meadowlark created the Willamette Falls. The mural is an interactive piece that can allow the viewer to be a part of the mural. The artist is supplying a canoe paddle so someone can go into the bookstore and look like they are paddling the canoe through the window.
Brian and several family members sang a song in remembrance of the Willamette Falls and how the falls has been an integral part of the Indigenous peoples of the Willamette Valley for thousands of years. The mural is located on the White Rabbit bookstore on the corner of Main Street and 99E.
The Oregon City Art Commission has been hard at work over the past year. It has truly been an adventure defining what the Art Commission is and its relationship between the public and the city. The most important duty of the AC is to bring the public’s wishes to the attention of the City Commissioners and advise them on what our community would like to see as Art in our city. With that in mind we created a short questionnaire to be distributed in every Oregon City resident’s November water/sewer bill. Plus 1000 hard copies distributed throughout Oregon City for those who may not receive their bill by mail. We will also be sharing the link through multiple organizations. Depending on the feedback we are happy to report that there will be funds available for grants, projects, and events within the next 6 months.
So please join in sharing your hopes and dreams for Art in Oregon City. Dreams do come true!
The deadline to fill out the survey is November 30th.
The monthly Art Commission meetings are published on the City’s website and are open to the public. You can attend in person or by zoom. We would love to hear your feedback and share your thoughts. Thank you!
Arch Bridge Celebration on October 1st Community Art Project
The Arch Bridge Celebration takes place on October 1st. One of the events is a Community Art Project which TRAG members Trieste Andrews and Cathy Rowe are involved in. Carrie Gilbert from the West Linn Art Commission and Brian Krehbiel from the Confederated Tribes, who painted the mural funded by TRAG on the White Rabbit Cafe in Oregon City, completes the Team. Watch the video below for more information about the project and the Arch Bridge Celebration Event!
The bridge will be shut down from 7 – 3pm with festivities all day including live music, a community art project with TRAG members participating, and a program of events. Volunteers are needed from 8:30am – 2:30pm to help out at the SWAG tables, Information Tables and as docents at the Old West Linn City Hall. Pitch in for 2 hours and then enjoy the celebration!
The community mural Friends on a Shelf is now official! We had the grand ribbon cutting ceremony on July 23. Thank you to our Chamber of Commerce for letting us borrow their scissors! There was a small group of our friends that attended the ceremony. Lynda said a few words about how the mural idea came about and Lucas talked about his process. This was his first mural on the outside of a building which presented quite a few challenges including him being afraid of heights. Lucas conquered all his fears and finished the mural between rain storms!
The height of the ceremony was when Quinn read her poem “Friends on a Shelf”. She did get a little help from her Dada she confessed! It’s hard to believe the poem was written by a 6-year-old. More like 6 years going on 15! It was such a pleasure getting to know Lucas and his wonderful family during the mural installation! We really enjoyed seeing his artwork in the bookstore for several months.
In the coming months, we are going to be photographing the mural for a closer look at the book titles. We will make it available so our Friends can get a close up of their books way up on the shelves
Now on to the next project! Would you like to see the mural on a bookbag or maybe a mug?
Friends on a Shelf By Quinn Amara Nickerson and Dada
Fairies and magic and books about space Are found on the shelves of your favorite bookcase.
My world is expanding, the more that I Learn,
My eyes become wide with every page That I turn.
Enchanted forests and bubbling brooks, Adventure awaits inside of your books.
At the end of the day, when you want To unwind,
Go to your shelf and a book you will find, To inspire and spark new ideas that take seed.
Creative energy flowing, after every Book that you read.
There’s no better friends to find for yourself, Then the books you can pull down from a shelf.
