JILLIAN BIRD
she/her
I’m Jillian Bird, an illustrator and muralist born and raised in McMinnville. My parents met at Linfield University over a fax machine at my mom’s desk.
When designing this mural, I was inspired by the thread that ties me to so many of my fellow community members: the Linfield connection. Some of my earliest memories are of going to Linfield basketball games with my family, sketchbook in hand, while my dad worked the stats table. As I got older, I spent many summers working in the cleaning services department, experiencing Linfield as a staff member. I was always struck by how often my parents would bump into someone with a Linfield connection—at the grocery store, at my school, or even hundreds of miles from home.
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Pioneer Hall, one of the oldest buildings in McMinnville, has stood as a foundation for generations of students, staff, faculty, and community members. The glow of the cupola at night, the view toward the Oak Grove, the creak of the floors—all of it is part of our shared memory, tied together by the Linfield connection.
I am honored to have been invited to paint this mural depicting the venerable campus, adding my own small piece to the Linfield legacy.