Work of 10 mural artists now brightens the once-drab concrete walls of Nye Beach’s staircase, restroom

By SHAYLA ESCUDERO/Lincoln Chronicle

NEWPORT – 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 of he 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.

Funded by $45,000 from the city of Newport and the Oregon Coast Council for the Arts, the murals now cover the concrete walls at the Nye Beach archway down the series of stairs by the Visual Arts Center to the bathroom at the parking lot overlooking the ocean.

While each artist had space for their own mural, they were tasked with converging 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.

For Herd, a Waldport resident who is active in central coast art and acting organizations, that meant paying homage to Newport’s two iconic lighthouses and honoring the work of the Coast Guard. He already has a dragon mural in Nye Beach and recently finished another city project – a series of banned books along Newport’s Public Library steps.

Other artists were Ram Papish, Miguel Martinez, Ken Spencer, Kim Bush, Crystal Meneses, Carol Shenk, Khara Ledonne, Casey McEneny, and a section painted by students.

Visual Arts Center director Chasse Davidson’s office overlooks the staircase and the concrete walls surrounding it. It felt drab, she said. Now, the space is transformed.

From her window she can see a painted procession of animals – a hummingbird, sea lion, orca and whale, wrapped in tribal patterns. Each mural has the repeating motif of a hummingbird. Some murals feature the hummingbird as a central part of the artwork while others are hidden inside the art.

“I didn’t want one big project, I wanted multiple to beautify this area,” Davidson said.

It can be difficult for muralists to get their foot in the door, so having their artwork on display is also meant to help showcase their work to the community, she said. Instead of the funding going to one commissioned artist, the council hand picked 10.

The biggest difficulty with murals is maintenance, she said, but having all local artists means they will be around to make any needed repairs.

There are still some empty stretches of concrete along the walkways and parking lot but Davidson thinks they won’t stay that way for long. The goal is to continue subsequent mural projects.

With the changes she sees the groundwork for new opportunities for the area – a place to linger, for local musicians to play and for people to take their lunch. Public art also discourages vandalism, she said. Recently, someone left graffiti all over the area but they avoided the murals, she said.

“We want to encourage community engagement,” Davidson said. “When you make a place more beautiful it encourages people to stop and spend time there.”

A celebration with live music and a ribbon cutting ceremony for the mural project is scheduled from 12-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 at the Newport Visual Arts Center, 777 N.W. Beach Drive.

• Shayla Escudero covers Lincoln County government, education, Newport, housing and social services for Lincoln Chronicle and can be reached at Shayla@LincolnChronicle.org