Lake Oswego dedicated a permanent art installation at the public library Saturday, Sept. 19, documenting the city's history as a sundown town and honoring the people of color who shaped it.

"Echoes of Belonging," a series of paintings, interpretive panels and stones bearing quotes from Black feminist thinkers, was unveiled at a ribbon-cutting at the library at 706 Fourth St.

The $31,000 project grew out of a six-year effort by the nonprofit Respond to Racism, the Arts Council of Lake Oswego (ACLO) and the city, as first reported by the Lake Oswego Review.

West Linn artist Sahara Aylanna Defrees created the installation with help from dozens of residents who joined community painting sessions over the summer.

One session, "Paint the Story: Sundown, Redlining and Covenants," drew participants to Sundeleaf Plaza on July 14.

The artwork and accompanying essays, written by Defrees's brother Cairo Defrees, trace the area's Indigenous history and the contributions of Chinese, Japanese and Black workers.

They also document restrictive housing covenants that barred people of color from owning homes and the city's past as a "sundown" community, where people of color were expected to leave by dark. The city was once known by some as "Lake No Negro."

"I see this installation as not this is of the past," Respond to Racism board president Tammie Zhao said at the dedication. "This is of the present. This is of the future."

Defrees, who runs the art studio Studio Eden, was selected by City Council in October 2025 after Respond to Racism first proposed the project in 2020. The city funded the commission through a General Fund grant after reallocating previously designated American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to another project in January 2025, according to the city's project page.

The experience of building the piece underscored why it matters. Someone called police on Defrees while she worked in front of the library. She told the Review she was also stared at and had drivers speed away when she waved. Defrees said the responding officer told her she did not seem "sketchy at all" and was "literally hired to do this."

Library Director Melissa Kelly said in an August 2025 press release that the library "welcomes everyone" and called the installation a visible symbol of inclusion.

The installation is now part of the city's permanent public art collection. The ACLO, which manages the city's public art program, has hinted that a sidewalk element will be added, though no timeline has been announced. Residents can contact the ACLO at 503-272-1214 for more information.