A project that was years in the making officially came to life June 17 as community members gathered at the corner of 13th Avenue and Long Street for the ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating Sweet Home’s newest downtown mural.
Residents, city officials, and project supporters assembled beside the former Santiam Feed building to dedicate the colorful “Greetings from Sweet Home, Oregon” mural, a postcard-style artwork designed to capture the community’s history, culture, and natural beauty.
Painted by Oregon artists Karen Eland and Katie Daisy, the mural features iconic Sweet Home imagery, including Weddle Bridge, native flowers, hummingbirds, pollinators, and fish woven into a vibrant design that now serves as a focal point of downtown.
The mural’s story began more than three years ago when community leaders started exploring ways to expand public art and celebrate Sweet Home’s identity.
According to Mayor Susan Coleman, members of the city’s Arts and Culture Ad Hoc Committee first proposed a mural during the committee’s early meetings in 2023. The committee then worked to promote community pride and celebrate Sweet Home’s unique identity through public art and cultural projects.
“Our goal in establishing that committee was to encourage community pride because we have a rich history and culture that we can highlight,” Coleman said during a recent interview.
The committee spent months developing Sweet Home’s first mural policy before inviting artists to submit proposals. After reviewing nine submissions in early 2024, committee members selected Eland and Daisy’s design for its ability to capture the beauty and character of Sweet Home.
“When Katie and Karen came back with something that actually incorporated every part of the goal of the committee, they captured the essence of what we were hoping to do,” Coleman said.
For Eland, the project was an opportunity to celebrate a community she had long admired.
“Katie and I saw the call for art for Sweet Home, and we just loved the name of your town and knew its lovely setting, having driven many times through it on our way from Central Oregon to the coast,” said Eland, who’s based in Sisters. “We spent several weeks creating our design to apply for the job and were delighted when we were selected.”
The artists researched local landmarks, wildlife, and native plants while developing the design.
“We researched the local flora and fauna and remembered stopping at some of the covered bridges in the area,” Eland said. “Since Weddle Bridge is right in town, we thought that would be the best one to include.”
Although the mural itself took just four and a half days to paint, Eland said the project stretched across more than a year due to funding efforts and the wait for favorable weather conditions.
However, a major factor in the project’s overall success was the work of the former Arts and Culture Ad Hoc Committee and community volunteers, including former Ad Hoc member Rose Peda, who helped secure grant funding shortly after the artists were selected. Funding ultimately came from the Siletz Tribal Charitable Contribution Fund, the Sweet Home Community Foundation, and Pacific Power.
“We wouldn’t be doing this without their funding, honestly,” Coleman said. “When we have partners like these guys step up and donate to these types of cultural things, it actually makes them happen.”
During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Coleman recognized the many people who helped move the project from concept to completion.
“I want to give a huge amount of thanks to Scott Salazar and his team, because they did contribute to this as well, as well as the Sweet Home Community Foundation, former Ad Hoc Committee members like Rose, who truly made this possible,” Coleman said. “And I’m just really grateful to Katie and Karen that you did amazing, beautiful work. I also want to give thanks to the former committee, as well as Rose, for playing an active role in this project.”
City Manager Jason Ogden also thanked the organizations, volunteers, and community partners involved in the grant process and years of planning that led to the mural’s completion.
The mural’s location along the city’s developing Festival Street corridor was intentional. City leaders believe the artwork will help create a welcoming gathering place for future community events while drawing visitors deeper into downtown.
For Eland, however, the mural’s greatest success will be measured by the reaction of the people who see it every day.
“We feel very honored to add to Sweet Home’s excellent mural collection,” she said. “We hope that people feel a boost of community pride and notice the everyday beauty all around them in Sweet Home.”
With the snip of ceremonial scissors and applause filling downtown, community leaders, volunteers, grant partners, and artists celebrated the completion of a mural years in the making. This colorful landmark showcases the beauty, history, and spirit of Sweet Home for generations to come.