Art and soul

Three Eugene artists prove that medium doesn't matter. It’s the message that counts.

written by BRIANNA MURSCHEL

photographed by HIMALI GLOR

In recent years, social justice protests and movements promoting racial, gender and identity equality have intensified on a national level — and in Eugene, Oregon, a city known for supporting progressive causes. The movements in Eugene have manifested in boisterous ways and in more low-key ways such as visual art. Artists creatively spread awareness to the public about issues surrounding them. 

Around Eugene, it seems like a mural or a pop of color exists on every building, each one directed toward a cause. The city has dozens of artists who demonstrate their dedication to social justice through creative expressions. Tahoe Mack, Lisa Yu and Eleanor Soleil are local artists, and the social justice issues that hold importance to them include environmentalism, Asian American women’s identity and transgender well-being. They use their knowledge, experience, motivation and especially their talent to connect with their audiences. Their stories have the ability to inspire, influence and encourage people to support social justice movements. 

Earth Art

In 2018, Tahoe Mack became a local sensation in her hometown of Las Vegas by sculpting a life-size, steel Columbian mammoth. With the help of the community, Mack raised environmental awareness while using recycled materials to build the 23-foot by 40-foot by 8-foot mammoth. Now, as a University of Oregon student, Mack, 21, has made a name for herself in her latest locale by sculpting an 6.75-foot by 11.4-foot mild steel shadowy aster. Big Flower resides in the university’s art studio. Mack says, “I am a huge environmentalist nerd.” Her work as an artist portrays this passion. 

FLUX: What is the meaning behind Big Flower? 

Tahoe Mack: This piece is a reminder of spring during the winter in Eugene, when the trees lose their leaves and the flowers go dormant. It was a reminder of whimsy that I hoped would pull people in to experience their surroundings. Work in public space can be uplifting and positive. 

F: Where did you find inspiration for this piece? 

TM: I was thinking about trees as a pedestal. I was thinking of the flower as a beacon of hope. It’s inspired by flowers that grow all around campus. I was originally going to make four different types of flowers, but the shadowy aster, a purple flower, was just such an interesting flower. Shadowy asters look kind of like weeds, but when you look closer, they are little flowers. They were blooming all through the winter. 

F: What does environmentalism mean to you? 

TM: I love using found objects that you can re-purpose. It’s like giving them another life. I like the idea of highlighting nature in human-made spaces. We tend to say that people aren’t one with nature, and it’s false. It’s important to remind ourselves that we are a part of nature just as much as any other animal. 

Identity Perceptions

In May 2021, Lisa Yu, 55, developed an art piece focused on women of Asian descent, and she drew it on a 9 ½-inch by 12-inch folder. Three prominent Asian American women appear in the foreground of the drawing. Yu created a blog post to accompany the sketch. The post includes her thoughts and feelings about ethnic identity perceptions. She relates her experience as a part of the BIPOC (or Black, Indigenous and people of color) community in this piece. Many of Yu’s art works are rooted in social justice causes. 

FLUX: What were your thoughts while creating this piece? 

Lisa Yu: This was about a year ago, and we just had the anniversary of the Atlanta shootings. These were hate-crime killings of Asian Americans. I got a couple of nice communications from people of positivity and warmth. I didn’t even know why at first, and then I realized it was because of those killings. So, it led me to think about how I felt about it. The blog post was a reaction of the moment. 

F: What do the women in the artwork symbolize? 

LY: I chose Tammy Duckworth (U.S. senator from Illinois), Joanna Gaines (author and television host) and Naomi Osaka (professional tennis player) because they all have one Asian parent, they are in very different fields, and they are active in each field. I also have one Asian parent. I want to get it across that everybody is distinct from everybody else. 

F: What does this piece mean to you? 

LY: What’s happened in the last couple of years has adjusted the way I felt about being Asian American. It’s worth it to use my voice to say what my experience and what my thoughts are. I’m coming to a place with visual art where I want to combine it with writing to get more out there with what I want to say.

Visions of Life

The death of Sophie Xeon, a widely recognized pop musician, on January 30, 2021, left Eleanor Soleil, 22, grief-stricken. Like Sophie, perhaps best known for the album “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un – Insides,” Soleil identifies as a trans, nonbinary woman and supports the strength and well-being of transgender people. The idea of creating the work “Cold Water (Sophie)” to memorialize the musician came to Soleil the night after Sophie’s death. In the comfort of Soleil’s vibrant bedroom and studio, the hyper impressionist portrait of Sophie sits on a rotating frame. Soleil has always been imaginative and says their art conveys it. 

FLUX: What was your thought process for your painting? 

Eleanor Soleil: It came to me in a vision the night after she died. I saw her in front of me. I knew I had to paint what I saw. It changed my entire perception of life and death, and what it means to create art. Just like Sophie, I need to put all of myself into my art. That was a source of enormous motivation and patience. A year later, I finished it on the anniversary of her death. 

F: What was your inspiration? 

ES: When I was painting her, I was listening to her music. I have gotten bits and pieces from everything she made. One of her albums in particular, “Oil of Every Pearl’s Un – Insides,” I would always put on when I was painting her. All of her is in all of her music. 

F: Who is your selected audience? 

ES: I am making art for people who need the strength to reject any social construct. I want to create paintings to empower trans people and anyone else who fits that description. I think my art really does have the capacity to heal people, and it has restorative power.