You might’ve seen some new Chronicle newsboxes lining the avenues of our coverage areas in Creswell, Cottage Grove, Springfield and Pleasant Hill — decked out with logos, social links and art. While they don’t hold physical papers, they hold a little of that hyper-local spirit we’re always on about.
The “sidewalk billboards” were designed in collaboration with students at the Academy of Arts and Academics (A3) in Springfield. Students in the advanced art course worked to illustrate seven newspaper racks, each with a distinct theme and vision.
“This is an idea that bubbled up because these newspaper racks are costly to maintain,” said Noel Nash, Chronicle Publisher. “They are iconic industry devices and we wanted to save them somehow. We wanted to make them unique and partner with a local school to have them stand out.”
For aspiring artists, the racks are a chance to display their work in their communities.
“I think for us it was a unique experience to collaborate with businesses and not only support that business, but put our artwork on display for people to recognize. And not just us, but even you know, our school and what we do,” said Levi Cleary, a junior at A3. The artwork on the news racks was inspired by close-to-home icons, like the covered bridges in Cottage Grove, the Creswell Bulldogs logo and towering pines. Some even took on “newsy” themes – like crossword puzzles, maps and sports players.
“It was really based on community, since we know the newspaper is very community-oriented,” said Maya Mayes, a junior at A3. “We were inspired by things we’re used to seeing around town.”
“We were really impressed with the creativity of the young artists,” Nash said. “They did a wonderful job illustrating the unique things that a hyper-local newspaper does.”
