Work of 10 mural artists brightens once-drab concrete walls of Nye Beach's staircase in Newport * Oregon ArtsWatch

"Gary Herd used a roller to apply the last coat of protective varnish over the mural on Nye Beach's public restroom. Renditions of the Yaquina Head lighthouse and Yaquina Bay lighthouse stood like columns on the side of the wall and a red Coast Guard helicopter loomed above. A woman visiting from Salem shouted to Herd, thanking him for the work by Herd and nine other artists. "It's exciting, I'm seeing more and more public art happening, more liveliness and less ugly concrete walls," Herd said."

"While each artist had space for their own mural, they were tasked with a common theme: All Things Newport. Artists had to think about what people knew about Newport and what they wanted people to know about the city. So they painted silhouettes of pelicans over colorful geometric shapes, Dungeness crab, various bird species, marine wildlife, tribal patterns, the Yaquina Bay bridge, tsunami warning signs, children playing soccer, and picnicking."

Ten mural artists painted the concrete walls along Nye Beach's stairway and archway, covering the route from the Visual Arts Center to the ocean-overlooking parking lot restroom. The project received $45,000 from the city of Newport and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts. Artists followed a shared theme, All Things Newport, and depicted lighthouses, Coast Guard imagery, pelicans, Dungeness crab, local bird and marine species, tribal patterns, the Yaquina Bay bridge, tsunami warning signs, and scenes of children playing and picnicking. The effort introduced colorful public art to replace once-plain concrete walls and drew positive public reaction.

Read at Oregon ArtsWatch * Arts & Culture News