Salem Peace Mural Moves Ahead

Murals would beautify the downtown and instill community pride, Salem's City Council noted.

Mural on the Elsinore Theatre in Salem, Oregon's historic downtown offers an idea of what murals could offer the capital city. Photo by Bonnie King

(SALEM, Ore.) - Salem's desire to reestablish its image based on its name derivation from the word for Peace came a few steps closer to reality this week with the unveiling of a project to create a mosaic mural for peace in its busy downtown area.

The selected site in the north side of the Ike Box coffeehouse, once a mortunary, but since converted into a youth venue for music and socialization. The prospectus calls for Lynn Takata, a noted muralist from Portland, to lead the effort. Assisting in the actual design would be art students and faculty from North Salem HS and Parrish Middle School, both located near the downtown area.

Motivating the drive is the Peace Mural Council of Salem, a coaltion of community groups. Over the past few months, input has been received from the Salem Art Asso- ciation, Salem City Council, Peace Plaza Inc., Go Downtown Salem, OR Fellowship for Reconciliation, Boys and Girls Club of Salem and the Salem-Keizer School District.

A representative from the city urban development unit has served as a liaison.

In addition, based in part on the PMC's noting that an old law bunched together outdoor advertising and public art in the same category with similar restrictions, a new statute was approved by city councilors last month. The law would give public art its own category and put it under the domain of new body, the Salem Art Commission. That commission then would review all proposed murals and have oversight of its content. The proprietor of the property, however, would have responsibility for its proper upkeep.

Murals would beautify the downtown and instill community pride, the Council noted, while helping to build collaboration between the generations. Fundraising will be the next phase of the operation, and an arts grant proposal will be drafted shortly. On July 12th at 4 pm, the group will meet at the Ike Box on Cottage St., Salem, to hear public comment on their proposal and work out details with the Ike Box manager.

He also launched the nation's first tele-conference on health education for shut-ins, created the Eldermentors project in VA to pair retirees with immigrant students needing role models, and was the main catalyst behind CCTV's "Public Public" panel show here in Salem. Lee received his BA in International Relations and an MSW in community organization. He currently serves as a member of Salem's Library Advisory Board. To send Lee an email, please write to this address: luckycoyne@yahoo.com