New mural unveiled on Pioneer Way

Vanessa Cisco has certainly added her creative touch to Oak Harbor.

Before embarking on a new artistic adventure at the University of Washington this fall, recent graduate Vanessa Cisco left her creative mark in Oak Harbor by painting a colorful celebration of diversity, youth camping and s’mores.

Cisco’s mural is the newest addition to the largest public mural collection in the Pacific Northwest and can be seen on the walls of the Allgire Project buildings and parking lot at 720 and 740 Southeast Pioneer Way.

Cisco was selected to paint a mural on the north side of the building at 740 Pioneer Way. She was tasked with creating a work of art thematically addressing Whidbey’s history, culture, industry and ecology.

The scene shows 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 prosthetic leg and the boy with the cochlear implant – who Cisco says was inspired by his mother, who wears the same device.

Cisco also drew inspiration from John Allgire, the late grandfather of Allgire Project founder Sarah Schacht and a longtime Boy Scout volunteer. In 1964, Allgire co-founded Scout Troop 62, the Mount Baker Council Boy Scouts of America’s first troop for scouts with learning disabilities.

Cisco is also Japanese-American and hopes to advocate for other mixed-race children, according to her bio. She likes to depict religious themes and beliefs, as well as childlike innocence, in her art, as can be seen on her Instagram account. @vanessaciscoo.

The mural was created in four days with the help of three volunteers, Cisco said, while materials are paid for by community donations to the Allgire Project. She borrowed a projector from a friend, projected her artwork onto the wall and traced the outline 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.

Each year, the Allgire Project raises $1,000 for a mural painting scholarship, which is awarded to a graduating senior with a talent for art. Schacht founded the project in 2019 and provides an outdoor art and performance space designed to support local community members, businesses and young artists like Vanessa, who can meet experienced artists and gain valuable career advice.

Schacht said all of the murals are meaningful to the local community and serve an educational purpose for visitors to the area. At the same time, public art has been proven to improve a community’s quality of life and promote the success of businesses.

There are still a wall and a half to fill before the 2019 murals are painted over to make room for new art, Schacht said. Next year, she hopes to fill the empty 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 outside 720 South East Pioneer Way. The code leads to a website with descriptions of each mural for a museum-like experience.

For more information about the Allgire project and the gallery, visit allgireproject.com.