7
Street roots
Aug. 19, 2011
Hands on,
from the
heart
BY M . ROCHNA, B.HOLLOWAY
AND P. WALSH
the project, as well as in
his work to involve a
range of Old Town
rom the moment the sun rises, the
community members,
corner of NW 6th Avenue and
including Larry Kangas,
Burnside becomes a fast-paced and
a muralist and mural
bustling part of Portland. Cars, trains, and coordinator at p:ear,
buses tear by en route on the main artery
who contributed
that is Burnside. Pedestrians shuffle through materials.
the summer heat, all passing through the
The mural, though
neighborhood to their destinations. Though
ambitious in scale and focused
the intersection seems to embody the high
in its message, is only one part of the
♦
speed and impersonal nature of modern
umbrella arts program at The Downtown
urban living, the heart of a community still
Chapel. For the second year in a row, the
beats within Old Town behind the sturdy red chapel art program, led by pastoral associate
doors of the Downtown Chapel. There,
Andrew Noethe, offers a summer-long
volunteers, guests and staff are hard at work
curriculum of weeklong classes. A staff of 10
on a mural based on the theme of
volunteers provides a structured and safe
community living in the Old Town
environment for artists to immerse
neighborhood. On Sept. 1, the iconic red
themselves in working with various
doors will fly open for a First Thursday
mediums.
exhibit of the rich and varied, though
The 35 panels, designed by volunteer
sometimes troubled, face of this community.
Jeannie Noethe, will be sewn onto a single
“For so long,” chapel guest Albert
backing, then treated with transparent
Tuinzing said. “The streets were breaking
weatherproof paint, and on Thursday, Sept
C O N T R IB U T IN G W R ITE R S
H
my heart for the homeless. I’d like to be able,
to help.”
Though the art on each of the mural’s 35
rectangular and triangular panel pieces is as
varied as the individuals who painted them,
many of the artists are driven by a
motivation similar to Tuinzing’s; The mural
functions as a way for guests and volunteers
to give back to the community that has
supported them in times of need. It will
raise awareness of the hardships eftdured by
many people who live in the Old Town
neighborhood, as well as highlight the values
and strengths of the community fostered in v
the chapel.
“The project is a way to demolish
stereotypes,” said Gabriel Romero,
coordinator of the mural project. “It is a way
for the artists to show that they are creative,
talented and resourceful people.” Romero
'himself was resourceful in his effort to
secure the “Friends of Old Town” grant from
Neighbors West-Northwest in order to fund
volunteer
at the
chapel,
wrote the short
poem, “Daisy and
Our Dawn,” about a cat, Daisy, who shares
his tent. These valuable depictions of Old
Town life will get their rightful places in the
patchwork mural, helping to raise awareness
of the community that many people, in their
hurried commute, may not see.
During one afternoon workshop, it was
apparent that coffee is an overall outstanding
1, th e m ural will hang on the ou ter east wall
theme oi Both the chape! and its guests.
of the chapel. Until then, the panels, both
works in progress and finished pieces,
decorate the walls and tables on the second
floor of the chapel.
The workspace is next to the kitchen,
where the smell of food and coffee lends a
comforting and homey feeling to the large
room. The vibrant handprints of some of the
volunteers wave on the pastel field of one of
the panels, welcoming all who enter the
workroom. Many of the panels depict a
similar direct representation of community
and togetherness, while other panels reflect
the specific character of the Old Town
community. Portland’s landmark bridges as
well as its public gardens and the Chinatown
gates are popular images, though there are
also images among those less welcoming
landmarks that show aspects of the Old
Town community that are often overlooked.
A man with a bedroll lies under a tree in one
of the panels. Steve Mason, a poet and
Nadja and her daughter Inina, while arched
over a colorful garden of heart-shaped
flowers, compared the group’s work to
drinking coffee in the morning; a social
action. Rows of coffee cups appear in one of
the panels painted by volunteer Rosemary ,
Weiring, or “Granny” to regulars at The Red
Doors. Her work symbolizes the warmth and
hospitality always readily available at The
Downtown Chapel.
The guests and volunteers spread out
around a few tables, hovering over their
panels, paints and coffee. A light and
constant conversation reverberates
throughout the room as artists banter, tell
stories, and consult each other on aesthetic
details. They look and sound like a group of
friends, coworkers, or simply; a community.
Adam Hinkle, a volunteer, had just
finished his painting of the Steel Bridge
silhouetted against an open blue sky and
complemented by a foreground of evergreen
P H O T O S B Y M A R C IA R O C H N A
A t right, Albert Tuinzing works o n the
fin ish in g touches o f his colorful p a in tin g
while Beryl M cN air starts her first sketch.
Above, Richard Maldonado has been a
participant in m any o f the chapel’s a rt ,
Programs but said that the m ural project is
the first tim e he has really gotten into his
art.
trees.
Hinkle painted the
Steel Bridge because he has a strong
interest in bridges and history. Leafing
through a library book dedicated to the
history of Oregon bridges Hinkle began
listing extensive facts about the bridges in >
Portland; what style and architecture, how
they operated, and the various positive and
negative qualities they held as" compared
with each other. Not only had Hinkle’s mural
work led to the exploration of a new topic,
he says th a t “it keeps my mind off of other
things.” Hinkle lives at the Clark Center and
soon will be six months sober after a
struggle with drugs and alcohol that led to
homelessness.
Today the mural is a focal point within a
small community. Come Sept. 1, the mural
will function as a tool to raise awareness of
the realities of the homeless experience in
Old Town as well as the community-building
efforts of The Downtown Chapel. The
project will also work to give the participants
skills they need to continue tq succeed. As
Hinkle says, “its part of making a
commitment, following through with it, and
being part of a community.”
This story is part o f a collaboration between
Street Roots and Portland State University’s
Capstone Class: Street Roots Exploring
Issues o f Homelessness.