July 10, 2008
News Advisory

Attention: Visual arts, neighborhoods and books sections
Orlo Unveils New “Art Boxes” around Alphabet and Pearl Districts

Walking the streets of Portland recently got a little more colorful. Three-dimensional paintings chained to street signs can prove to be quite arresting.
With the installation of five new “art boxes”—outdoor metal newspaper boxes designed to reflect neighborhood themes—pedestrians in certain areas of the city can now enjoy the talents of local muralists, illustrators and painters.
“Our goal is introduce the publication to new readers but also to alter the street-level experience,” says Tom Webb, editor of The Bear Deluxe, an environmental magazine based in Portland.
This first set of boxes was sponsored by Neighbors West-Northwest, the umbrella organization representing 12 Northwest and inner Southwest neighborhood associations. Funds were made available through the neighborhood small grants program of the Office of Neighborhood Involvement.
The box artists are Portland based and their works consider subjects ranging from art making, to the Portland Streetcar, to the alphabet and learning. The artists include Chris Haberman, Jennifer Mercede, Lukas Ketner, Jason Lockett, and Annette and Joe Thurston.
In time for the recent First Thursday art walk, the boxes were installed on July 2 and by the following Saturday, the first 80 copies in each box had been taken by passers-by.
“We’ll keep restocking the boxes as long as there are copies of each new issue,” says Webb. Each box currently holds The Bear Deluxe #27 (spring-summer 2008), which includes a feature on logging in Lake County, Oregon, and an interview with mayor-elect Sam Adams.
The Bear Deluxe Magazine is published by Orlo, a nonprofit organization using the creative arts to explore environmental issues. The Bear Deluxe has been recognized by the Oregon Arts Commission, the Oregon Cultural Trust, the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Literary Arts for design and editorial excellence.
Box Locations and Artists
Northwest 23rd and Irving (Annette and Joe Thurston)
Northwest 21st and Glisan (Jason Lockett)
Northwest 11th and Couch (Lukas Ketner)
Northwest 9th and Flanders (Jennifer Mercede)
Northwest 12th and Glisan (Chris Haberman)
High-resolution and onsite digital images are available upon request.
Photo credit: Jeffrey Kolar


Thurston


Lukas Ketner


Jason Lockett


Chirs Haberman


Jennifer Mercede