Photos: Murals of Hope
- Written by Kim Moore
- Published in Restaurants and Retail
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Photo: Tim Kamp
"Good Vibes" mural at the Lizard Lounge, 1323 NW Irving St., Portland
An architecture and design firm partnered with small businesses to paint murals on boarded-up storefronts and offices as a promise of better times to come.
Boarded-up storefronts are a bleak reminder of the far-reaching impacts of the shutdown and the severity of the recession.
A group of designers aim to give hope of recovery by painting murals on these boarded-up facades.
Designers from architecture firm Gensler volunteered their time to partner with small business owners to create colorful murals that try to reflect the personality of each business.
Color Speaks - a research project led by Gensler's Seattle office - was initially created to study how color can bring hope and optimism to the future of cities.
"We have been looking at how applications of color in the urban environment affect our behavior and hypothesized that it may just improve our collective well-being," says Krista Reeder, associate and brand design director at Gensler, in a release.
The team hopes the initiative will encourage others to revitalize storefronts and transform abandoned streets with uplifting color.
Here are some of the murals in Portland.
"Flower Power" mural painted by Gensler Portland artist Sarah McCracken for Redux, 811 E. Burnside St. Photo: Eric Hagstrom
"Good Vibes" mural by Gensler Portland artists Tim Kamp and Jeanne Coelho decorates the Lizard Lounge at 1323 NW Irving St. in Portland. Photo: Tim Kamp
Photo: Tim Kamp
"Keep Growing" mural by Gensler Portland artist Giselle Sheeran for Kate Towers Studio + Shop, 811 E. Burnside, Portland Photo: Nilu Amali
Photo: Giselle Sheeran
