Dr. Edwin Coleman, Jr., Center Mural ProjectIn 2019, FAN Equity Action Team received two City of Eugene Neighborhood Matching Grants and raised the matching donations needed to fund the creation of three murals and an informational signboard to honor the life and legacy of Dr. Coleman, for whom the community center in Westmoreland Park was renamed by the Eugene City Council in April, 2018. Support for the Coleman Center Mural Project came from many organizations, businesses, and individuals in the community.
Thank you to all who have helped the Dr. Edwin Coleman Jr. Center Mural Project be a huge success! The first mural on the south wall was completed in May, 2019. Designed by muralist Jessilyn Brinkerhoff, it shows Dr. Coleman during his 50 years in Eugene as an educator, musician, civil rights activist, writer, and community and UO campus organizer.
The second mural on the west wall, right, was completed in October, 2019. Designed by muralist Esteban Camacho Steffensen, it illustrates two of Dr. Coleman’s passions throughout his life: Social Justice and Music. It features Dr. Coleman in a “magical” jazz band of iconic musicians with whom he performed, and visionary civil rights leaders, some of whom he met. The figures in the mural are Edwin and Charmaine Coleman; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; Maya Angelou; Cal Tjader; Miles Davis; James Baldwin; Peter, Paul and Mary; and Mahatma Gandhi. Read the quotes included on this mural and the artist's statement.
The theme of the third mural on the west wall, left, is “Building a Better, More Just and Equitable World.” The designs on this mural were created by middle school students at Boys & Girls Club, which is housed in the Center. The students were asked to bring the ideas they had learned about the life and legacy of Dr. Coleman into the present and future, and to envision a better, more just and equitable world. What would a better world look like, and how can each one of us help to make it better? The students worked with Lane Arts Council muralist Jessilyn Brinkerhoff to create the designs, which she arranged in a beautiful mural. The students then spent several days painting the mural, with the assistance of 30 community volunteers.
The informational signboard was installed in December 2020. A final Mural Celebration was held on Aug. 8, 2021.
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