¡Estamos entusiasmados! We are excited to announce that from a total pool of 15 mural applicants, we have selected not just one, but two talented artists to collaborate to create a visual, bi-cultural representation of our project. The two selected candidates are interestingly both artists and athletes — Rachel Oleson, a life-long soccer player, sculptor and muralist, and Pablo Solares, a professional runner, painter and muralist — will join our team to visually capture various aspects of Latino and Portland culture, identity and history.
Rachel, a Massachusetts native, has painted murals at well-known Latino dining establishments, including Pambiche, Autentica and Uno Más. She is known in the Portland art scene as the founder of Pulse Fine Art. Pablo, from Mexico City and a newcomer to Beaverton, is the founder of a nonprofit, Imagining More, which promotes art and athletics among young woman in the US and Mexico. He has recently been commissioned to paint a large mural at Oregon State University, his first public art mural.
Rachel told us she is really excited about exchanging ideas with Portland Mercado businesses and having her art interact with and represent the community at a space where creativity, entrepreneurship, culture and local businesses flourish.
Pablo expressed his excitement to represent the importance of preserving Latino cultural traditions through an artistic style vibrant, rich and alive in color, and to use this opportunity and engagement tool to involve the community.
Without divulging too much information about how their different and complimentary styles will play out in a Portland Mercado mural, we invite you to take a peek at their art, which can be seen in various places throughout the city. We are looking forward to the magic of this process and will keep you informed on the status of our mural application grant to the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) this fall.
Felicidades to the selected artists and thank you to all who submitted a proposal — we were overwhelmed by the creative energy that this City embraced us with throughout the process. Are you interested in supporting the creation of the mural by donating supplies, equipment, time or funds? Please let us know if you would like to be a donor to help us reach the match funds required for submissions to RACC. ¡Gracias!
Portland Mercado - El Mercado Latino de Portland 