Artist Erick Wonderly Varela led a group of youth muralists from the Mural Apprenticeship Program to create a depiction of Eugene as a whimsical, underwater fish world.
In the summer of 2026, the City of Eugene launched a mural apprenticeship program where local teens worked with muralist Erick Wonderly-Varela to design and paint a new mural in downtown Eugene. Over this past summer, the artist and 12 high schoolers met with the neighboring community (including Confetti Crown Salon, Connected Lane County, Karin Clarke Gallery, Lookout Eugene, and City of Eugene departments), decided on visual themes (whittling possible themes of Eugene down to “green, punk rock scene, skateboarding, & fish”), sketched their designs, projected/outlined them onto a wall and painted this impressive mural, all while getting to know each other as a talented artist team. This was a meaningful opportunity to amplify youth voice through a real-world public art project that contributed to creative placemaking and beautification in downtown Eugene, just in time for the World Athletics U20 Championships.
This project was funded in part by the Community Safety Payroll Tax, with additional support from City of Eugene and classroom space donated by Connected Lane County.
