Make Salem "the City of Murals and Music "— Let’s Bring Art and Live Music Downtown!

For too long, Salem has been called the “Gateway to Oregon.”

Sure, we’re close to everything — Portland, the beach, the mountains — but a gateway is something you pass through. It’s time Salem to become a destination.

We’re launching a community campaign to transform downtown Salem into the City of Murals and Music — a city alive with color, creativity, and sound.

🎨 Murals That Tell Our Story
We want to turn an entire downtown alleyway and several large buildings into a living outdoor art gallery — filled with murals created by local artists.

This will be Salem’s version of Boise’s Freak Alley, one of the Northwest’s most successful public art spaces. It started with a few painted doors and became a major attraction that boosted nearby businesses and brought new life downtown. Salem can do the same, on an even larger scale.

Imagine every wall downtown telling a story — celebrating our culture, our diversity, our people. Murals make cities feel alive. They draw visitors, build pride, and help residents see their home in a new way.

🎶 Music That Moves the City
At the same time, we want to bring live music back to downtown — every week, all year long.

Three nights a week — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — Salem will come alive with three different artists performing across three different venues, each representing a different genre of music. Rock, jazz, Latin, folk, hip-hop, blues — all of it has a place here.

Local musicians will be paid fairly, with half covered by the venue and half matched by a community or city fund. It’s a sustainable way to keep downtown vibrant and give emerging artists a place to grow.

A city that celebrates art and music doesn’t just look better — it feels better. It becomes safer, busier, more interesting, and more connected.

💡 Why This Matters
Public art and live performance are proven engines of local growth. Studies by Americans for the Arts show that cultural events add billions to the economy nationwide and strengthen the heartbeat of local business districts.

When people come downtown for murals or music, they stay longer — they eat, shop, and spend money at local businesses. Art creates energy. Music creates momentum. Together, they can redefine Salem’s identity.

💪 How You Can Help
This movement starts with you.

1. Sign our letter of support.
   Add your name to show you believe in making Salem the City of Murals and Music. 
2. Follow @sbjoregon on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
   We’ll be sharing design concepts, artist features, and behind-the-scenes updates as this campaign grows. We will be hosting community meetings to help shape the idea, healthy debate on how to pay for it, and you’ll get updates as we work with local artists, businesses, and city leaders to bring this to life.

Join us.

Roll up your sleeves and get involved. We’ll be hosting community meetings to plan the mural alleyway, coordinate with downtown businesses, and map out how to fund the live-music program.
This isn’t about copying Portland or Bend. It’s about creating a version of Salem that looks and sounds like us — vibrant, proud, and full of life.

Let’s stop being the place people drive through.
Let’s become the place they can’t wait to visit.

Sign the petition. Share it. Show up.

Together, we’ll make Salem the City of Murals and Music.