By Ellen Spitaleri
A huge elm tree dominates the scene, roses are in bloom, neighbors are walking their pets or bicycling by, and the sun is always shining on the eye-catching mural on the 7-Eleven on SE Hawthorne Blvd. on the edge of Ladd’s Addition.
Allison McClay, the main artist and designer of the mural, said she walked around the neighborhood in order to get the feel for the surroundings. “It was kind of unique to plan out compositionally, since it’s a corner and there’s not just one main way it is viewed,” she said.
“I had to think about how it would look from different angles and sides of the street. The architectural insets provided a nice framing element, so I knew I wanted to use that in some way,” McClay added.
The mural came about when the Portland Street Art Alliance (PSAA) received a grant from the City of Portland’s Public Environmental Management Office (PEMO) to commission the mural. The grant covered all the production expenses, including paying the artist.
Once franchise owner, Karim Fanir, received permission from 7-Eleven Corporate for the piece to be painted, the PSAA gave him a choice of artists on their roster, and he chose McClay.
As a painter, McClay said she loves a blank, rectangular canvas, which gives her the ability to paint whatever she wants on it. “But with murals, there’s a problem-solving aspect that makes each job so unique and singular; it can be really satisfying to have to figure out all the different pieces,” she said.
“Working on such a busy corner, and at street level, made it so that I had an almost constant stream of people stopping to talk and share stories about the neighborhood,” she said. McClay added that she appreciated hearing all the anecdotes about the history of the area and insights into what life has been like in the neighborhood and on that corner over the years. “It was nice to meet so many different people, and it felt nice to feel like I was contributing something positive to the neighborhood.”
However, one downside of the location was that it is a “corner with a lot going on,” said McClay, “and it can be hard to get work done with near constant distractions.”
Due to the size of the mural, McClay reached out to family friend and fellow artist Gina Parks to help her with the painting. “It’s just so rewarding to see an idea come to life on such a big scale. It was also fun hearing the positive feedback from folks walking by,” Parks said.
“Mural art is appreciated by the community because it brings beauty to public spaces and also helps bring a sense of community to a place. This mural in particular is really honoring the neighborhood, both in its depiction of the architecture and green spaces of Ladd’s Addition, but also included the people as well,” Parks added.
An example of this is that the 7-Eleven mural features several neighborhood pets that passed away recently and Fanir, the franchisee, is depicted in the piece riding his bicycle.
Although Fanir is currently in Morocco, his nephew, Kareem Walton, a cashier at the 7-Eleven, said that his uncle is happy with the mural and noted that customers love it and say it represents the area well.
Neighbor Linda Nettekoven expanded on that thought, noting that the mural “adds a bright spot or focal point” for this particular neighborhood, including “the lovely mix of ages and backgrounds represented in the faces of the people depicted in the mural.”
In addition, the tree canopy and rose gardens included in the mural represent the efforts of organizations like Friends of Trees and Save Our Elms, with the additional help of community volunteers Nettekoven said.
The 7-Eleven mural is one of the “micro-murals” that the PSAA and PEMO have been working on for the past year and a half, noted Tiffany Conklin, PSAA’s executive director. For her organization, “investing in artists and providing opportunities for them to create, promotes dialogue and interaction with people across the city,” she said.
“The community identified that the wall at 7-Eleven would be a good location for a mural, due to its prominence and visibility on busy Hawthorne Boulevard,” Conklin said. “Public art is part of the foundation of what makes a city livable. Artists and their work are a crucial piece of a livable city. More than illustrating a background to our lives, art engages us and ties us to places throughout our city.”
Since the end of pandemic restrictions, people have been talking about how to “bring back Portland,” Conklin said, adding that “artists like Allison are already doing this. They are on the street every day, working to bring inspiration to the rest of us. PSAA wants to support these working artists as they strive to enliven the places that mean so much to all of us.”
“PEMO supports murals because they not only beautify the urban environment, but they also support local businesses, communities and artists,” said John Roble, a communications writer in the mayor’s office who acts as a communications liaison to the PEMO. He added that murals like the one at 7-Eleven can “become gathering spaces, fostering a sense of belonging and ownership among residents. They also encourage a strengthening of community ties.”
Allison McClay, left, and Gina Sparks add details to the houses depicted on the mural on the 7-Eleven store at the corner of SE Hawthorne Blvd. and SE Elliott Ave. in the Ladd’s Addition neighborhood. Photo by Ellen Spitaleri.
