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Washington Center has a new message for Portland lately: “Love, care, empathy, compassion, dignity, grace and stewardship.”
It’s the result of a new mural called 7 Pillars that wraps around the south and eastern walls of the shuttered downtown Portland commercial building at SW Fourth Avenue and Washington Street. The massive mural of bright, digitally-stylized words covers about 20,000 square feet and is a partnership between Washington Center’s owner Menashe Properties, the Portland Street Art Alliance, the city and Metro.
7 Pillars is by New Zealand street artist Askew One (aka Elliot O’Donnell), who has lived in Portland since 2022. This is Askew One’s first major public art since moving to the Rose City and an outgrowth of the artist’s graphically-rendered “word of the day” project on Instagram earlier this year. The mural has been in progress since the summer.
“Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how we practice corporeal politics and which values help us strengthen our communities,” Askew One said in a press release. “I think we can all agree that Love, Care, Empathy, Compassion, Dignity, Grace, and Stewardship are amongst the greatest to hold and practice.”
Many local artists helped Askew One paint the mural, including Ray from Hand of Dogg Murals, Ruban Nielson and helpers from the street art community They Drift, KSRA, B-Side, Jay, Theearwig22 and Aerosolsmith.
“This mural breathes life and joy back into a vital part of our city. I’m grateful for the outstanding teamwork with Portland Street Art Alliance and Menashe Properties to fund the mural, illuminate the sculpture, seal the tree wells, and create a space Portlanders can be proud of,” said Anne Hill director of Portland’s Public Environment Management Office, in the release.
This is a happy turn of events in what has been a difficult period for the 1977-built Washington Center, which devolved into an open-air fentanyl market during the pandemic. Menashe Properties currently has the site listed for sale on its website as an “outstanding high rise development site and creative office opportunity.”
