Hayley Q&As
Esteban Camacho is an artist and muralists for the city of Eugene. Camacho is currently working on a mural project for the WJ Skatepark + Urban Plaza. He’s been working on this project for two weeks, and by June 21 the four main pillars in the skate park will be fully painted. Not only will the murals be done, but also June 21 is the date for the grand opening of the skate park. So the community of Eugene can enjoy this artists amazing work while enjoying the skate park.
Q: What do you do here at the WJ Skatepark?
A: I come here everyday to paint on a mural project. I have elements of the wilderness area of Oregon and Eugene, and I have elements of skateboarding. There are four main columns, one is an iceberg scene, the other one is a cliff scene, the other one is an underwater scene with skate ramps underneath the water, and then there’s a human constructed scene hovering over a marshland. These scenes represent the four different elements, and on the edges of the pillars there’s a sunset and a sunrise.
Q: How did you get started in this business?
A: When I was a high school student I was given the opportunity to do a mural that was 93 feet long at the YMC. That became a project that allowed me to express and manifest my painting skills, my work skills, and my commitment to a single task. Since that moment I’ve been painting a mural every year. I’ve actually painted over 25 murals. I have a passion for doing public art. I also have a passion concerning conservation and protecting our environment, and I’m an artist so I do that conservation through doing artwork. It’s a really rewarding activity because you’re creating beauty. You’re creating beauty for people and with people.
Q: Do you find that a lot of the skaters are looking at your work and asking questions?
A: When I’m painting I think it’s something, and when people look at the artwork they’re having their own creativity. It’s supposed to bring creativity and consciousness about the environment. That’s what I’m throwing inside my artwork.
Q: How do you see the future for these murals?
A: I think it’s a great idea to come back to do a retouching. This work is worth updating and protecting, so that over time it has a cultural value to the community.
Written by: Hayley Stephens
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Colette Ramirez is the Community Events Manager for the city of Eugene, Oregon. She overseas a large marketing event umbrella called, Summer In the City, which is made up of 57 free city sponsored events, as well as the Eugene special event team, and other events. For over five years, Ramirez has been involved in the WJ Skatepark. Her upcoming role in the skate park is managing and coordinating the grand opening that is scheduled for June 21, 2014.
Q: So you mentioned you were in a skate program a while back, is that why you decided to get involved with the WJ Skatepark?
A: Yeah, I’ve always had a lot of friends that skateboarded, and enjoyed some of the music that’s associated with the culture. So I really understood the skateboarding culture. Also with my job, as I did it more and I got to see how passionate the skateboarders were, their passion spilled over to me. I really started to see the skate park as a huge benefit to the community, and a chance to reclaim a under utilized park. That really ended up jumping behind the vision of this skate park as becoming this landmark legacy project in the heart of our city.
Q: Is there a certain reason why the skate park has been open to the public for two months, but the grand opening is not until June 21?
A: You know I think often with any business or park they’ll do a soft opening, and we wanted the grand opening event to be a big splash. We wanted to work out some kinks too with the skate park. Since this project moved so quickly we wanted to make sure that before we invited a few thousand people down that we had a good understanding of the flow of the park and any safety concerns. It’s also the first day of summer and it’s “International Go Skate Day.”
Q: So will you be continuing to work with the skate park even after the grand opening?
A: I am still helping with some events that are happening at the park. We have one of our city of Eugene signature events called, Eugene Sunday Streets, at that is happening on Sunday July 20. So I will still be involved with the events that are down there. Since I manage our Eugene special event team I get to see events that are happening and help coordinate their efforts, and make sure that any outside body organization that wants to use the park can, and I’ll help them create a successful event.
Written by: Hayley Stephens