Page 47 - Southern Oregon Magazine Spring 2019

MILE OF ART

Port Orford

& BY HELEN PICCA

rive through the sleepy town of Port Orford and if you
are not paying attention, you might just miss it. There are
Dno fast food restaurants, no big box stores, no Starbucks,
nothing flashy to grab your eye. On a Sunday or Monday, you might
think it's a ghost town, with nothing open but the all-day breakfast
place, the gas station and the supermarket—just a bunch of store-
fronts, some of them empty. But if you drive through and don't
stop, you’ll miss one of the Oregon Coast’s hidden treasures in the
heart of Port Orford—nine art galleries and studios. For a town of
only 1.56-square miles and a population of 1,190, that is a notable
concentration.

Port Orford, located about halfway ...Voted #4 on
between the California border and
Coos Bay and sandwiched between Travelocity’s
the forest and the ocean, was nationwide list
recently voted #4 on Travelocity’s
nationwide list of 10 Best Small of 10 Best Small
City Road-Trip Destinations. As City Road-Trip
you drive at an enforced 30-mph,
be sure and note the wall murals, Destinations.
canvasses hung on fences and
fences as canvases, even a unique,
mosaic lookout to view the southern coastline and ocean. Plus,
there are one-of-a-kind, whimsically-painted fire hydrants, which
received honorable mention in the Oregon Main Street 2017 Best
Image Campaign Award. Port Orford Arts Council unites this
community, organizing and supporting cultural events, including
Art Walks, throughout the year.

The city council designated the town an Art and Culture District,
with its creative community of artists, sculptors, photographers,
writers, poets, musicians, dancers, singers, artisans and craftspeo-
ple. In the past several years, new artists have moved into town
and set up galleries to showcase their work. What is it the draw?
Perhaps it’s the creative vortex I felt when I visited and decided
to move here, mysteriously inspired to write. Or, the community
itself, described as independent and iconoclastic, even eccentric.
It is friendly and inclusive, yet allows space and the freedom to be
yourself and allow your creativity to flow.

Jonathan Paul Bennett is the latest addition, drawn here from the
east coast by a confluence of inexplicable events that convinced
him this is where he wanted to create his magnificent glassworks.
Surrounded by the ocean and the beauty of nature, he felt grounded
when standing on Battle Rock. He instantly knew this was home,
where he wanted to explore his creativity and discover new ways

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