The project:
Street Painting has been a way to connect communities and instill ownership for the last 17 years in Portland. City Repair is a non-profit that has helped support some of these projects to make intentional community happen. The beautiful irony is that the end-product of the projects themselves is not the most important part. The main goal is for the community to come together and form relationships while creating these inspiring and literally larger than life paintings. Turning space into place is the motto City Repair works by, and these street painting projects are truly transforming communities one intersection at time.
One street painting project that occurred in May 2013 was at 130th Place and Southeast Ramona in East Portland. Laura DeVito facilitated conversations with the East Portland community explaining that art is a catalyst for words and making a street painting would help communicate vision, lead to future street painting and strengthen connectivity in East Portland. Through this collaboration an intersection was chosen connecting Gilbert Park Elementary School and Alice Ott Middle School. The design is a book that turns into a butterfly, which symbolically tells the story that a strong educational foundation helps one navigate the world.