Tube and Maxwell Bar

Tube & Maxwell, two bars in Portland's Old Town, wanted their temporary Covid closure to say something other than "closed." The owners asked us to turn their boarded up space into a public graffiti piece, something the whole neighborhood could walk by and feel good about while the doors stayed shut. We matched them with a local artist whose style could bridge both bars' aesthetics, modern and a little rough around the edges, with a photo realistic nod to the Pacific Northwest itself.

The mural ended up combining an Oregon blue bird and cherry trees, the kind you'd actually see along the Old Town waterfront, painted with real precision against a looser, more abstract graffiti background. Off to the side, the artist added two words: "We Got This." People stopped to take photos. Neighbors told us it was the first thing that made them smile in weeks. The owners put it best themselves, they said we turned lemons into lemonade. This mural became part of the Together We Grow PDX Community Art Project, alongside the other murals we installed across downtown Portland that year.

Want a public art piece worth stopping for? Kali Grey handles the artist search, the concept, and the full installation from start to finish. Reach out and let's figure out what fits your space.