Our Stories Through Art Tells Talent’s Story

 

The Our Stories Through Art (OSTA) initiative is seizing this moment to help Talent rebuild through connection, creativity, and commerce, recovering local untold histories while strengthening economic vitality through art and culture. OSTA celebrates the strength, creativity, and resilience of Talent’s people, transforming their stories into public expressions that inspire hope and renewal.

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OSTA is led by the Talent Business Alliance (TBA), as part of a broader economic revitalization master plan that also includes a Destination Development Strategy. Starting in 2023, TBA convened a coalition of nonprofits to plan and implement an accessible Interpretive Art Tour that tells Talent’s stories through art, including a design to attract residents and visitors to downtown Talent. This coalition includes Coalición Fortaleza, which advocates for Latine and Indigenous communities through cultural organizing and creative placemaking; the Talent Public Art Committee, which guides public art planning and execution; the Talent Historical Society, which preserves and shares Talent’s history through archives and oral histories; and Talent Maker City, working to build a more connected, prosperous, and resilient community through hands-on creativity and innovative STEAM-based learning.

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OSTA unites the community in celebrating local histories through collaborative storytelling and art, creating a cultural destination rooted in education, creativity, and civic pride - painting the town with stories told and untold, turning recovery into an opportunity for lasting cultural enrichment.

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The OSTA team has been actively advancing three major art projects in 2025. We are grateful to announce that key funding partners, the Oregon Community Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, the Oregon State University Recreation Recovery Grant, and the Roundhouse Foundation, have joined this effort, providing critical support to the OSTA project. 

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The Talent Strong Community Murals project, managed in partnership with the Talent Business Alliance and implemented by Talent Maker City, is one of the largest OSTA initiatives. Focused on the recovery and preservation of community artwork, it is now entering a new phase with plans for public installation. Building on a 2021 initiative funded by the Talent Urban Renewal Agency and compassionately led by Talent Maker City, the project produced thirty-two murals created by fire survivors and community members after the Almeda Fire. Previously displayed at the Talent Gateway site, the murals are being re-sealed and preserved with support from the City of Talent, and several will be mounted onto a permanent metal sculpture downtown as part of Phase 1 of the project. Talent Maker City’s Executive Director Allison French, reported that local metal sculpture artist Rick Evans will lead the sculpture’s creation and teach a series of Talent Maker City welding classes for the community. This art piece will beautifully honor the human story of the fire and is expected to revitalize downtown by bringing renewed foot traffic and energy to the district. The work is progressing through digitization, prototyping, and material selection, with fabrication scheduled for 2026.

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On another project, OSTA has completed its 2025 public art Request for Proposals with recommendations by the Talent Public Art Committee and is being managed by Donna Ruiz, co-owner of Project Space at Studio 5 in Talent. The theme, Ecological Narratives: Biodiversity and Belonging, invited artists to explore the connections between people, wildlife, and the landscapes that shape Talent. The selected artist, professionally known as Kyrianna, will produce mural panels to be installed on the exterior of the Talent Historical Museum along Market St. As part of her proposal, Kyrianna stated, “My intention with this mural is to honor, educate and inspire.” Contracting and design development are now underway, and the community eagerly anticipates the unveiling.

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OSTA is also collaborating with educator and local leader Brook Colley, to develop a culturally authentic artwork storytelling about life in the Talent area prior to colonization. The project is being co-managed by Talent resident Debra Moon, Outreach Coordinator of the Talent Historical Society and Darby Ayers-Flood, Executive Director of the Talent Business Alliance. “We are working with Brook to develop a narrative that will inform the artwork’s design, ensuring that the project respectfully reflects Indigenous histories and experiences,” said Debra Moon. OSTA hopes to engage a local Native American artist to participate in this project and help bring a culturally authentic vision to life. 

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At its core, OSTA is founded in story gathering and storytelling. From the very beginning, the initiative has prioritized documenting the experiences of Talent residents and amplifying voices that might otherwise go unheard. By collecting personal narratives, oral histories, and creative expressions, OSTA ensures that each project reflects the lived experiences of the community. These stories inform public art, murals, performances, and installations, turning individual memories into shared cultural treasures that celebrate Talent’s past, present, and future.

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OSTA is collaborating with both the Talent Historical Society and Erica Ledesma of De La Raíz for story gathering. Erica brings a broad professional background in story gathering and community storytelling. Her work captures high-quality audio stories from community members, including identifying storytellers, conducting interviews, and editing each story for clarity and narrative flow. These recordings will become part of the permanent Talent Historical Society archive. 

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Through these efforts, OSTA is transforming Talent’s public spaces into a living cultural tapestry, ensuring that recovery becomes an enduring, inclusive renaissance that inspires residents, businesses, and visitors alike.​