Northwest MuralFest Responds to Community Concerns
The Dalles Main Street committee in charge of The Northwest MuralFest, released a statement today in response to an outpouring of concerns from the community about diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the mural theme selection process. As well as concerns about equitable access to voting, transparency, and a lack of existing collaborations with local artists and local arts organizations.
The statement acknowledged community concerns, encouraged the community to engage in their public input event this Friday October 15th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at The National Neon Sign Museum, and invited the community to attend their upcoming committee meetings either in-person or via zoom.
Those who cannot attend at the voting and public input event are encouraged to email their votes and public input to info@thenationalneonsignmuseum.com or call the National Neon Sign Museum at 541-370-2242 to submit their vote.
Statement from the Northwest MuralFest committee:
The Committee members of The Northwest MuralFest have heard the concerns from our community concerning mural selection. We would like to thank those who have reached out to us in order for us to make adjustments necessary to better represent the interests of our diverse members of the Gorge.
We will have 3 local historians, Lynn Wilcox, Carolyn Wood, and Karl Vercouteren present at this Friday’s event to speak and take down the input of the public. We encourage individuals to come with ideas for local history that they are passionate about. The voting process is not meant to be a rigidly strict one. Our mission is to get a pulse on what the town is passionate about while keeping in mind that we are looking to represent matters such as important events, iconic locations, history and people from The Dalles.
In addition to the 3 spots to vote on the ballot, we have also added a write in option that we will be reviewing where each person has an opportunity to add a theme if they please. We look forward to hearing what the people of The Dalles have to say and learning from them in the process.
All are welcome to join in our open, upcoming meetings which are held every other Wednesday from 3:30-4:30 at Meadow Outdoor Advertising. We are always looking for more volunteers. The next meeting date is October 27th. Or, request a zoom link if your are unable to attend in person. We also encourage people to check out our website, www.northwestmuralfest.com if they would like to find out more.
Northwest MuralFest Committee Members include: David Benko, Kirsten Benko, Rachel Carter, Addie Case, Tracy Dguick, Dan Durow, Jill Durow, Nora Ferguson, Nikki Leisch, Sarah Mall, Philip Mascher, Rich Mays, Pete McKearnan, Matt Seckora, Scott Stephenson, Karl Vercouteren, and Chris Zukin.
Current Mural Themes on the Voting List
The current themes include 11 white men, 4 white women, historic businesses, 1 Celilo Wyam Chief, and 3 Chinese community themes. Activists have expressed concern that there was no Black, Hispanic, Latino, or LGBT+ representation present in the selected themes. Activists also expressed concern over the inclusion of several individuals and enterprises which were directly accountable for the murder of hundreds of indigenous people.
For more information on each theme click here.
To view additional coverage of this The Northwest MuralFest click here.
