My husband and I bought the gray building on the corner of Seventh and Baker with a dream. We wanted to create an art space that truly supported all of the arts. A place for visual art, music, poetry, writing, reading events, and learning. We imagined a space built for sight, sound, and emotion. That vision became MECA, the McMinnville Event Center for the Arts. Arts with a capital A.
At the time, the building blended into the Oregon winter sky. It was quiet and easy to miss when driving down Baker Street. We painted it bright white, added sage green accents, and a deep blue black trim that shifted in the sunlight. It helped the building stand out, but it still did not fully express what we were trying to create.
One of the artists in our gallery was Eddie Johnson. From the first day we met, sitting on the steps of the gallery floor talking for hours, we connected. We came from different backgrounds, yet shared many of the same values and beliefs about art, community, and humanity. Eddie was a strong supporter of MECA in its earliest days and became a close friend to both of us.
I shared my dream of creating a mural with Eddie and he immediately said yes. We spent many conversations talking through the vision. We wanted the mural to represent the fertility of the valley, not only in the soil, but in the creativity of our community. We wanted it to be inclusive of our Indigenous and Latinx communities, to honor LGBTQ plus voices, and to reflect many forms of artistic expression. It mattered that the mural carried love, romance, fantasy, inclusivity, and imagination.
The mural began in the spring of 2019 in Eddie’s backyard. As late spring storms arrived, the work had to move indoors. Because of its scale, the mural was created in four panels and space became critical. Eddie’s friend Frosty generously opened his workshop, making it possible for the work to continue. During this time, Eddie also painted alongside his twelve year old granddaughter Karis, adding a beautiful generational layer to the process.
Once completed, the mural was taken to Portland to be professionally coated to protect it from weather and graffiti. Installation took many hands and many hours, including help from Frosty and others who believed in the project. When it was finally hung, the building transformed. The mural became a landmark. You could not drive by without noticing it. It announced presence, intention, and welcome.
In 2019, I also joined the board of the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County. Like so many arts organizations, we tried to keep MECA open through the uncertainty of 2020 brought on by Covid, but it was not possible. We closed our doors on our one year anniversary, continued with curbside and online sales for a short time, and ultimately sold the building that November. While that chapter ended, the values behind it did not.
I have maintained the AAYC website since joining the board, and over the years we have used different imagery to represent who we are. Last year, I used AI generated imagery to create a banner that reflected similar themes. As the year went on, I realized I did not want our front door, our welcome mat, to be an AI image. It felt important that it be something created by human hands. Something rooted in real relationships, real place, and real community.
That is why this mural now welcomes you to the Arts Alliance of Yamhill County. It carries forward the same values that shaped MECA and reflects AAYC’s commitment to creativity, inclusion, collaboration, and care. It is a reminder that the arts are built through people, shared effort, and imagination, and that together we can continue to nourish the creative spirit in everyone.
- Holli