OAK HARBOR, Wash. — These Oak Harbor buildings were blank canvasses. Until owner Sarah Schacht helped turn them into masterpieces.
She started the Allgire Project - named for her grandparents - in 2019. Fundraising and hiring artists to make their mark on her walls in this Whidbey Island town. She believes it’s the largest outdoor mural collection on the West coast. It was inspired by an outdoor gallery in Miami called Wynwood Walls.
"So, this is a free spot for tourists to come and take selfies to see Whidbey Island inspired art and kind of engage more deeply with the history, cultures and ecology of Whidbey Island,” Schacht said.
Some of the most popular murals are created by Oak Harbor high school seniors. Katie Swanson painted a view from her favorite bike trail near Deception Pass — and received a $1000 scholarship.
"Honestly I was just so excited to have my art and my work here, on a wall where everyone could see it,” Swanson said.
A bright mural of kids enjoying smores deserves a closer look – one child in the mural has a cochlear implant, another has a prosthetic leg. It's inspired by Whidbey's first scouting troop for kids with disabilities, started by Schacht’s grandfather John Allgire. It was painted by Vanessa Cisco, another scholarship winner.
"I feel very accomplished, I feel proud of my piece. I'm grateful Sarah gave me the opportunity to paint on her building,” Cisco laughed.
These murals have inspired more murals in other parts of town.
“It's a little contagious,” Schacht admitted.
Each one an illustration of something that makes this place — a work of art.
“I think people in Pacific Northwest need to be reintroduced to downtown Oak Harbor and the small business community that's really been, I think, putting in a lot of effort to become a place that you come and check out when you're on Whidbey Island,” Schacht said.
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