The Port Orford Temporary Mural Project received an Excellence in Downtown Revitalization Award for “Outstanding Beautification Project” from Oregon Main Street on Oct. 1 during the Oregon Main Street Annual Conference in McMinnville. This award is given to the municipality or Main Street organization that has designed and implemented an attractive stand-alone beautification project in the downtown. Accepting the award was Karen Auborn of the Port Orford Main Street Revitalization Association. In many of our communities we have watched buildings suffer from years of neglect for a variety of reasons. The Port Orford Main Street Association wanted to mitigate this issue on their “main street” until funds are available to make necessary repairs on a few prominent buildings. Inspired by murals by British graffiti artist Banksy who created several impromptu murals on abandoned buildings to commemorate the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the Association decided to create temporary murals to change the appearance of the buildings until resolution occurs – creating bright spots of color where formerly there was blight. Project funding came from the Oregon Arts Commission and Coquille Tribal Community Fund. Project and supporters included the Port Orford Arts Council, the City of Port Orford, the Chamber of Commerce and the Curry County Commissioners. While these murals provided a temporary solution to problem buildings, they are having a great impact on the town. According to Karen, “a greater community effort was inspired. Additional murals, works-in progress, are going up all over downtown, including the elementary school, additional buildings, on a derelict fishing boat, the library, and way finder signage. The murals may be temporary, but the increase in community spirit is precious. Further work on Port Orford murals will be presented in a panel on Oct 3.” “We are thrilled to present this award to the “The Temporary Mural Project,” says Sheri Stuart, Oregon Main Street Coordinator. “This is a great example of how a community can transform a blighted space on a limited budget by building partnerships and bringing together volunteers.” The awards presentation was a highlight of the Oregon Main Street Conference, a popular annual conference that brings together people with an interest in downtown revitalization. Astoria was also named a winner of a Downtown Revitalization Project on the North Oregon Coast.
