SEASIDE, Ore. — Dylan Milliren is one of the biggest Disney fans you'll ever meet.
Inspired by Walt Disney's work during the Great Depression and films that sparked hope during World War II, Milliren wanted to activate an army of artists during this unprecedented time.
"For artists are soldiers as well; their imaginations are their strength and their projects are their weapons," Milliren said.
Milliren, who lives in Seaside, imagined a space where creative brains could band together to lift people up, as we are all confined to our homes and perhaps discouraged by COVID-19.
With physical places like libraries and community centers closed, Milliren created a virtual space on Facebook this month - a page called Artists Unite.
"If artists were to help bring hope to other dark times like the Great Depression, we need them more than ever during this tragedy," Milliren said.
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Milliren has autism and works mostly odd jobs on the Oregon Coast. During the COVID-19 outbreak and stay-home order, he's essentially been unable to work. Despite those challenges and what may feel like a bleak period in our lives, he is choosing to spread hope and joy.
Since the stay-home order went into effect in Oregon, Milliren says he's been drawing pictures connected to this pandemic. Many other artists, filmmakers and writers are doing the same.
Milliren feels all artists should be recognized as heroes; through their work they can bring hope and inspiration to those on the frontlines of the fight against the coronavirus, researchers seeking a cure to the disease, or those who have been afflicted by COVID-19.
"I believe all kinds of artists, whether through drawing, media, writing or even performing types are all important. For they reflect the human spirit, give meaningful messages through words or movement, or even lift the spirit through the best and worst of times," Milliren said.
Everyone needs lightening up and can find encouragement from artwork, poetry, songs, and other arts and aesthetics, Milliren says.
"Arts and aesthetics are part of humanity. The arts are connected to humankind. So that is why art is needed so much during these tough times," he added.
You don't have to be an artist to join Artists United because everyone has creative potential, Milliren says. Heartened by Patch Adams, he says creativity involves using your imagination and inventiveness and our unique expression of ourselves is our creativity.
Milliren's life-long friend Sean Davies reached out to KGW to tell us about Artists Unite. Davies says his friend's deep care and compassion for others is evident in his decision to create the page.
Davies wants the page to be successful in uniting people, bringing exposure to artists' work, and he wants his friend to be seen and recognized for the caring and compassionate person he is.
"Walt Disney during the Great Depression used his industry to create a new thought process, a new understanding of the world around you. He brilliantly turned something that a lot of people didn’t recognize as art into the most famous art in our time," Davies said.
"And I think the brilliance behind Dylan is he’s emulating not only his role model and his idol, Walt Disney, but also emulating himself in that and being able to project that forward and manifest for other people some good and wholesome and wonderful things."
If you're interested, you can request to join the Artists Unite page and share your work or check out other artists' work.
