Best Local artist

1. Ila Rose, Instagram.com/ilaroseart, IlaRoseArt.com.

2. Jud Turner, JudTurner.com.

3. Cindy Ingram, instagram.com/cindy.ingram.art/.

From the mural and menus of Morning Glory Cafe to the walls of Tsunami Books and the Eugene Family YMCA, Ila Rose’s art is an embedded part of Eugene’s culture. In her eighth year as a Best of Eugene winner, Rose is focused on giving back to the community she grew up in and creating a welcoming hub for people of all abilities and backgrounds.

“To become not just an artist in the community,” Rose says, “but be able to engage with the community even more and give back.”

This year, Rose will be opening a new studio and retail space in the Smeed Building at the corner of West 8th Avenue and Monroe. In collaboration with her studio’s downstairs neighbor, Anomaly Hair Collective, they hope to develop it into an “all-inclusive creative space.”

In her first permanent space, Rose will offer Eugeneans the opportunity to explore her prints, inquire about her work, and take art classes. Rose has previously taught art classes with OSLP, the Oregon Supported Living Program, for people with physical and developmental disabilities, and she aims to continue fostering creativity in these communities through private art lessons that she can tailor to each client’s needs.

Rose plans to open the doors to the public in December, just before the holidays, with a grand opening pop-up show to unveil her new space, where visitors will browse and purchase prints, stickers, and sketchbooks. — Gavin Ryan

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

That’s because of you!

Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.

Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.

None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.

Thank you for standing with us!