Skip to main content
A new 1,500 square-foot mural now graces the walls of Self Enhancement Inc., the nonprofit organization in North Portland that serves youth and families. It Takes a Village features the words “The Village” interspersed with a portraits, including SEI founder Tony Hopson Sr. (He’s in the “T”.) It’s based on the proverb “it takes a village to raise a child.”
The mural includes children reading and playing instruments and basketball, befitting an organization that began in 1981 as a one-week summer enrichment camp for Black youth.
“I sat down with SEI and they had a clear vision of what they wanted,” says Kyra Watkins, the artist who painted the mural with the help of the community. “I enjoy working on a project when they know what they want instead of me having to guess.”
What the students wanted: colors that made them feel upbeat and energetic. The resulting palette includes cerulean letters and sienna figures with a bright yellow sun in the background. An organization called Project Color Corps helped SEI and Watkins determine the palette through surveys and interviews.
Project Color Corps is a nonprofit organization that works with traditionally underserved communities and “believes in the power of color as a change agent, to infuse a sense of well-being, and energy,” it says.
Portland Street Art Alliance introduced Watson to SEI and Project Color Corps. Watson is the local figurative artist and muralist behind such artworks as Never Look Away at 720 NW Davis St., and the Clyde Best portrait at Providence Park.
Watkins held a community painting day at SEI’s campus at 3920 N Kerby Ave., in September. People volunteered to paint the multicolored homes that form the background for the mural, among other details.
“We have created a powerful multi-generational replica that will stand proudly in our building for years to come,” said Tamra Hickok, SEI’s director of program innovation, in a statement. “This collaboration was deeply rooted in the voices of our students, staff, and community members, who contributed their ideas on design, color, and scale.”
