"Art is about process, not about product."
You need to know about Ila Rose Art! The artist behind the incredible Medusa Mural, ‘Offering,’ is a local changemaker you need to have on your radar. We got to meet with Ila and learn more about how she is making art more accessible and introducing more mindfulness through her artwork.
This month, our team member Jasmine Anderson nominated Ila Rose Art for our Peace & Chai to be one of our Featured Changemakers. Ila Rose Art is based in Eugene, OR, the hometown of Blue Lotus Chai.
We are super excited to introduce Peace & Chai, Blue Lotus Chai’s community outreach mission. If you haven’t heard about this new program, you can read our other blog post here.
Ila is known for her nature-rooted, human-centered murals. We met up with Ila at her first mural, ‘Whiteaker Deity,’ to learn more about her involvement in our community. She shared about her process and how she works to create more accessibility within art for our community.
Blue Lotus Chai: Your work often weaves together nature, community, and the human form. What themes or values guide your art practice?
Ila Rose: The simplest answer to what themes or values guide my art is that my art often aims at pointing to the reality that we and our environment are all interconnected. We do not live in a bubble or a vacuum, and how we choose to live and act affects the lives and world around us.
Ila works with OSLP to provide art classes for people of all abilities. Learn more here.
Blue Lotus Chai: Why is accessibility in the arts important to you, and how do you approach that in your teaching?
Ila Rose: Every human, in every form, and on every path, lives a life in which they wrestle with choices and obstacles. Each of us deserves to have avenues of expression. To offer the opportunity to move through the creative process to people in all walks of life is to give them access to understanding their own inner world, their own form of self-expression, and their own opportunity for a sense of growth and accomplishment. The creative process is much like exercise or education or nutrition or healthcare; it is a pursuit that offers a path to health and healing, and everyone deserves that.
Peace & Chai Mission Statement
Peace & Chai was born from Blue Lotus Chai’s mission to create community. We created Peace & Chai to promote peace, connection, and positive action through partnerships with local artists, nonprofits, and grassroots initiatives. We believe one of the simplest ways a person can create positive change is by uplifting local artists and organizations that support our community and cultivate peace.
Peace & Chai is rooted in meaningful action and change. We believe everyone regardless of background, race, orientation, identity, or ability deserves access to care and community. We recognize that meaningful impact requires more than intention—it requires participation. Peace & Chai is grounded in equitable action.
Our commitment is hands-on: we contribute time, resources, and visibility to local efforts that reflect these values. Through Peace & Chai, we expose our community of chai lovers in this work—amplifying marginalized voices, investing in creative collaboration, and strengthening our community.
Ila is working with Community Supported Shelters (CSS) to provide more accessibility to art! Her mural tour with CSS (7/31/25) was put together as a way to “inspire and empower members in the CSS community through art.”
Blue Lotus Chai: Can you share what it’s been like collaborating with Community Supported Shelters and OSLP? Why is working with these organizations important to you?
Ila Rose: I believe art is medicine. What I mean by that is that the practice of making art allows us to tap into our inherent creative abilities. It allows us to confront obstacles, sit with that discomfort, and then push forward to work through them. The creative process reminds us that even though not everything we start will turn into a masterpiece, as long as we continue to try and be generative, we will accomplish things, and some of those things will be beautiful. The feeling of creating beauty or meaning is worth all of the struggle. Art is about process, not about product.
Blue Lotus Chai: What do you hope someone feels when they see one of your murals or take part in your classes?
Ila Rose: I hope, in the least, that when people see my art they ask themselves questions. I hope that my art sparks curiosity. I hope that my art inspires dialogue that allows room for people to explore ideas and feelings in a way that equates conflict with collaboration.
Everyone at Blue Lotus Chai is now a huge Ila Rose Art fan. We can’t wait to see what Ila’s next projects will be. We wish to thank everyone who purchases our chai as you are supporting our program, Peace & Chai. Through this support, we are able to make donations and raise awareness for artists and organizations in our community, making a positive impact!
