Community Art Project to Transform Vacant Storefronts in Roseburg and Oakland
Vacant to Vibrant is hosting free community art workshops in Roseburg and Oakland to create “Portraits of Community,” a public installation filling vacant storefronts this summer. Residents are invited to attend March and April drop-in sessions to help make the art.
ROSEBURG & OAKLAND, Ore. — A new community-driven public art project aims to bring color and activity to vacant downtown storefronts in Roseburg and Oakland this year, with free workshops inviting residents to help create a large collaborative installation set to debut this summer.
The initiative, called Vacant to Vibrant, is organized through Thrive Umpqua’s Longest Table event with support from Umpqua Valley Arts. Organizers say the goal is to transform empty window spaces into temporary public art displays while encouraging local participation and civic pride.
The project’s first installation, titled “Portraits of Community,” will feature hundreds of handmade portraits created from paper, yarn and found materials by local artists, residents and students. About 100 Oakland High School art students are expected to participate through art classes led by teacher Rachel Dean.
Free drop-in workshops are scheduled in both communities:
- Oakland workshop: March 7, 10 a.m.–12 p.m., Triple Oak Wine & Coffee Shop, 137 Locust St.
- Roseburg workshop: April 16, 4:30–7 p.m., Umpqua Valley Arts, 1624 W. Harvard Ave.
Participation is open to adults and community members, and no prior art experience is required.
Julie Bailey, an artist and volunteer program manager in Roseburg, helped launch the project with Oakland-based artist and designer Rachelle O’Brien after responding to a call for community projects connected to the 2025 Longest Table event. Bailey said the collaborative nature of the installation is central to its purpose.
“I love the idea of creating a collective portrait of our community through hundreds of self-portraits,” Bailey said. “Activating empty storefronts has been a win-win for artists and property owners. It brings positive energy to downtown spaces.”
Thrive Umpqua Executive Director Jessica Hand said public art projects like this can play a role in broader downtown revitalization.
“We love the downtown areas of Roseburg and Oakland — they are the heart of our community,” Hand said. “Public art fosters civic pride, attracts visitors, and signals that this is a vibrant, desirable place to locate a business.”
Umpqua Valley Arts Executive Director Monica Stanfield said the workshops are designed to be accessible and community-focused.
“Making art together is good for our well-being and creates positive possibilities for our community,” Stanfield said. “We can make something big together and have fun doing it.”
The finished installation will temporarily fill vacant storefront windows in both communities, creating a large-scale visual display made up of individual portraits that together represent the region’s residents.
Artwork is expected to be installed in vacant storefronts in late spring, with public opening events planned for early July in both Roseburg and Oakland.
Participation in the workshops and project is free. For more information, community members can contact organizer Julie Bailey at (541) 977-8282 or juliebaileyemail@gmail.com, or follow the Vacant to Vibrant project on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vacanttovibrantproject
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