Before embarking on a new artistic adventure at the University of Washington this fall, recent grad Vanessa Cisco made sure to leave her creative mark on Oak Harbor, painting a colorful celebration of diversity, youth camping and s’mores.
Cisco’s mural is the latest addition to the Pacific Northwest’s largest public mural collection, displayed on the walls of the Allgire Project’s buildings and parking lot at 720 and 740 Southeast Pioneer Way.
Cisco was selected to paint a mural on the northern side of the building at 740 Pioneer Way. She was tasked with creating art that would follow the theme of Whidbey histories, cultures, industries and ecologies.
The scene depicts a diverse group of children with learning and physical disabilities eating s’mores around a campfire. Some have visible disabilities, like the girl with the leg prosthetic and the boy with the cochlear implant — who, Cisco said, was inspired by her mother who uses the same device.
Cisco was also inspired by John Allgire, the late grandfather of Allgire Project founder Sarah Schacht and a longtime volunteer with the Boy Scouts. In 1964, Allgire co-founded Scout Troop 62, the first troop in the Mount Baker Council Boy Scouts of America for scouts with learning disabilities.
Cisco is also Japanese American and, according to her bio, she hopes to become an advocate for other biracial children. Through her art, she likes to depict religious subjects and beliefs as well as childhood innocence, as seen on her Instagram account @vanessaciscoo.
The mural was created in four days with the help of three volunteers, Cisco said, while the supplies are paid for with community donations to the Allgire Project. She borrowed a projector from a friend, projecting her art on the wall and tracing the outlines with chalk at night.
For her skills and contribution to the project, Cisco was rewarded with a $1,000 college scholarship with funds donated by Windermere Whidbey Island.
Every year, the Allgire Project project raises $1,000 for a mural scholarship that is awarded to a graduating wildcat with a knack for the arts. Schacht founded the project in 2019, providing an art and outdoor event space that would support local community members, businesses and young artists like Vanessa, who can meet veteran artists and get valuable career advice.
Schacht said all of the murals are relevant to the local community and serve an educational purpose for people visiting the area. At the same time, public art is proven to increase a community’s quality of life and make businesses thrive.
There is still a wall and a half left to fill before the murals from 2019 are painted over to make room for new art, Schacht said. Next year, she hopes to fill the blank space with a razzle dazzle pattern, a geometric pattern with contrasting colors used by American ships during the World Wars that made it difficult for the enemy to determine the ship’s direction, range and speed.
Visitors can learn more about each mural by scanning a QR code displayed on a sign in front of 720 South East Pioneer Way. The code will lead to a website with descriptions for each mural for a museum-like experience.
For more information about the Allgire Project and the gallery, visit allgireproject.com.
Photo by Luisa Loi Vanessa Cisco’s mural depicts a blond boy with a chochlear implant as he is about to eat a s’more while his peers sit by a campfire.
