THE STORY OF CLEGG BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
LENTS, Portland, Oregon
The recently renamed Clegg Boys & Girls Club has a new mural honoring the clubs’ history and celebrating its future. Artist Miche McCausey was tasked with creating a visual ‘timeline’ of the club’s history. Miche included various portraits of individuals that were a part of the clubs’ history, all atop a transitioning landscape background.
The mural starts at ‘Katy Beach.’ Katy was a beloved employee at the club who passed away in a car accident. Along with working with youth, Katy loved the beach, which is where Miche chose to add her portrait.
The next image is of a young Mike Kuiawa. Mike attended the club as a youth and continued working with the club into adulthood. A portrait of a younger Mike stands in the forest, next to a trailhead sign for the imagined ‘Mike Kuiawa Trail.’ The trailhead sign includes a full timeline of the club, while the trail through the forest contains stepping stones with phrases that describe all the types of ways youth benefit from the club, including things such as “friendship,” building “confidence,” and more.
As the forest transitions into a city scene, the viewer is welcomed to ‘Wattles Street’ by the former club namesake, Mike Wattles. In 1999, Mike donated a million dollars to support the clubs’ long-term programming. Next, a girl dribbling a basketball leads the viewer into a scene of kids and adults painting a street mural in front of the club.
The final portrait on the wall is of beloved Woodlawn neighborhood teacher Lionel Clegg, the new namesake for the club. In fall of 2023, Clegg was honored by the Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland Metropolitan Area for his many years of service and dedication to the community. The organization also renamed their Wattles location in SE Portland to the Lionel Clegg Boys & Girls Club.
Along with the portraits, Miche included a variety of ‘easter eggs’ for the kids to discover, including a starfish, salmon, squirrel, owl, cat, and a dog.
When planning the mural, Miche considered the environment and audience. A natural initiative artist, Miche chose a trauma-informed color palette to create a calm and caring space. This was PSAA’s first opportunity to work with Miche and we are so impressed with their creative and thoughtful approach to this mural.
ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
