Murals make Eugene bright with art

ABOVE: 2018 | Shamsia Hassani (Afghanistan)

(SEPTEMBER 25, 2025) The city of Eugene in Oregon is now famous for street art. This happened because of the 20x21EUG Mural Project. The project started in 2016. The idea was to bring artists from many countries to Eugene to paint murals. The plan was to make 20 murals before the World Athletics Championships. In the end, artists made 22 murals and 45 public artworks.

Many artists came to help. One was Blek le Rat from Paris. He is called the “godfather” of stencil graffiti. Another was Dan Witz from New York. He makes pictures that look very real, almost like 3D. Local artists from Eugene also joined and painted their own murals.

The murals show many ideas. Some are colorful and fun. Some show serious topics like climate change, history, or equal rights. A big mural of athlete Jesse Owens was made from recycled trash by artist Matt Small from the United Kingdom. Another famous mural was painted by Shamsia Hassani from Afghanistan. She is the first woman graffiti artist in her country. In Eugene, she painted a woman playing guitar.

People can see the murals by walking around the city. Some use maps on their phones. Some join special tours. The murals are on walls, near buses, and close to shops. They are easy to see when walking in the city.

The project finished in 2019, but art in Eugene did not stop. More local businesses began to paint art on their buildings. The city also started a program called Urban Canvas. It connects local artists with people who have walls to paint. Now Eugene has even more art and color. The murals show the creativity and pride of the community.