Yachats artist and banner project coordinator Michael Guerriero works in his home studio to get the canvas prepared for local artists to then paint their designs on the theme “What’s Inside Gets Out at Yachats.”

By CHERYL ROMANO/YachatsNews.com

For the fifth consecutive summer, Yachats will greet the season with dozens of unique art banners festooning the downtown light poles along U.S. Highway 101.

And for the fifth consecutive year, Michael Guerriero is coordinating the Yachats Banner Project under the sponsorship of Polly Plumb Productions.

Beginning in mid-June, 36 canvas banners will flutter in the ocean breeze, all created by area volunteer artists to reflect their individual expression. The theme “What’s Inside Gets Out at Yachats” is a guideline, but not a mandatory motif.

Whatever the final results, bring the banner project to life takes more than artistic talent — it also calls on Guerriero’s background in community organizing and creating exhibits.

Guerriero and his wife, Rosemarye Valentine, moved to the Oregon coast in 2013. It didn’t take the California native long to have his art publicly on display.

“Soon after we moved here, I got involved with the Commons and ended up designing and painting a mural for the skateboard park in the back,” Guerriero said. Valentine later served as chair of the non-profit Friends of the Commons.

**For the fifth year, 36 banners will go up on light poles along U.S. Highway 101 in Yachats in June then be auctioned off in the fall.**

When the city’s light poles were installed a few years ago, Guerriero suggested the banner project to Friends of the Commons, patterning it after a similar effort in the Nye Beach area of Newport. The Friends group supported the first Yachats effort, and “the project has been pretty much self-sustaining since then,” he said.

“The banners welcome people and decorate the town,” said Guerriero, and they also help the art scene in general.

The 23- by 42-inch banners will be taken down after Labor Day. Soon after that, Polly Plumb Productions will recognize the artists at a reception and silent auction sale of the banners. The funds raised support arts programs, the Waldport High School art classes, a stipend for Guerriero, and the next year’s banners project. Last year’s auction generated $6,000.

“I enjoy the organizational challenge, finding acquaintances and friendships among the artists who get involved,” Guerriero told YachatsNews. “I enjoy seeing how it all sorts out.” Guerriero’s background makes him well-suited to coordinate the project. After taking art classes in high school in the San Joaquin Valley, he studied art at California State University Stanislaus, and went on to earn a master’s degree in fine arts in Michigan. On the non-art side, he once served as director of a community center, and has also worked in design, creating exhibits, and carpentry.

“I was drawn to the Yachats project through similar fundraising projects in Eureka, Calif. There’s a group called The Ink People that did arts-related projects throughout the county,” he said. “They’d invite artists to put glazes on plates as fund-raisers, or have us paint old chairs and auction those off.”

The Yachats Banner Project has matured into a summer fixture, bringing artists together and bringing highly-visible flair to downtown. And people notice.

“For the most part, people are grateful that I’ve taken on the task, and that it has created community in Yachats,” said Guerriero.

While most of the 36 banner slots had been reserved by early March, interested artists may contact Guerriero about a possible opening: 541/547-5024, email [email protected]. Details can also be found on Polly Plumb’s website.