Kenya RPCV James Cloutier says Welcome to my town as depicted in the latest cartoon poster map of Eugene, Oregon
Welcome to my town as depicted in the latest cartoon poster map of Eugene, Oregon. This is the second map I have illustrated in the past 20 years, the first one featuring Eugene and Springfield as they appeared in 1985. Unlike the previous rendering, the current map reflects noticeable growth of our fair city with over 300 businesses and non-profits participating. The 1985 poster map featured only 75 business sponsors many of whom have moved or no longer exist.
A friend and local business owner first suggested the idea for an updated poster map of Eugene back in the fall of 2002. I pondered the idea for several weeks, not entirely sure I wanted to take on the marketing challenge posed by such a project. By January 2003 I decided it was worth the effort and signed up my first sponsor, the same business whose owner suggested the idea for a new map. Other locally owned businesses signed on and by June, the map began taking on a character all of its own.
Soon, the advertising value of the map no longer played a dominant role. Instead, a new theme emerged -the celebration of Eugene's entrepreneurial spirit. Many people I then called upon recognized that and, not wanting to miss out on a cool, fun-filled "party on paper," eagerly signed up their businesses. The lengthy process of drawing the map eventually led to filling it in with watercolor and weeks turned into months. The three-month project I originally envisioned stretched to six months, then nine months and finally to fourteen months before I surrendered and nervously turned over the final art to the printer.
The resulting poster map is more than another oversized advertising flyer. It is a work of art, and even better work of the heart. It's also a lot of fun, featuring countless ducks, a couple of beavers and a worthy share of jokes and puns. For the person interested in how Eugene got its name, or when the first airplane landed here, or why so many folks from Eugene flocked to Springfield in the early nineteen hundreds, the map offers something to learn. And finally, I hope the Eugene poster map succeeds in conveying a strong sense of community while capturing that intangible quality that compels so many of us to continue living here.
Thanks to all the businesses and services who chose to be on the map and thank you for supporting them. If you want to obtain more maps, call on these sponsors as many of them carry the maps. Or, contact me at (541) 342-3797, and also here on the internet at www.imagewestpress.com.
Sincerely,
James Cloutier
