One of the lasting legacies of the collapse seems to be the “Cheer Up” mural. This is where rather than giving struggling but trustworthy artists the keys to the retail or office space they give them grants and permission to paint the plywood put up to protect the property in their planned absence.
Virtually every block still has them. These messages of hope based on empty promises about the shutdown. It would just be temporary, people would be taken care of, life will go back to normal, etc. They’re quite beautiful at first, but the bloom falls off these roses as soon as the taggers snort their lines of asshole dust and cover them with their visual vomit.
With good lumber and enough neglect the process can last years. And last for years, it has!
Things went from “This is Temporary” to “The New Normal” and stayed there. Building owners simply need to wait the 2-5-10 years it takes for a city to pull its head out of its ass.
The landlords do their part. they pay outrageous property taxes and support the arts. Their investors require no more from them and neither does the city. If the King County Courthouse can stay boarded and gray, surely this building can stay boarded and empty if its covered in cute colorful ducks. Right?
–Pioneer Post – Issue 1, Page 2 – Spring 2023
