It’s taken a few years, but a colorful, arresting mural commissioned by Roger Worthington, Bend resident, lawyer and owner of Worthy Brewing, is now installed on the side of his Worthy Building in downtown Bend.
The installation at 806 NW Brooks St. took three people and four hours to complete on Aug. 7. The 40-foot by 30-foot vinyl mural, created by Matthias Petsche, a Northern Arizona-based designer and illustrator who’s collaborated with Worthy on other projects, depicts Mother Earth and several wild animals chasing a rotund, running man who’s holding two bags of cash. An eagle has grabbed his hat off his head, while dollar bills float through the air in his wake. Other wild animals join the chase as oil drills send black plumes of smoke sky-high in the background. The words “The Avengers” is written across the bottom of the mural.
“The avengers is the concept of Gaia, the earth, with her lightning bolt riding on the back of a buffalo and avenging the Earth,” said Jessica Crouch, who managed the installation. Crouch is the event sales manager for Worthy Brewing and organizes events for Worthington. “We are tearing apart our resources, right? The globe is getting warmer. We are not loving our Earth in the way that we should be.”
In a post shared on Instagram, Worthington expounded on the new mural. “I believe in activist art, and I believe in positive messages. I ask for no permission, and I do what I think is right. And I think this is the right time with the right message.…Now more than ever, wildfire smoke everywhere, Worthy may own the building, but this is Mother Nature’s message. This is what she’s telling us. We cannot survive long if we continue to abuse our planet. If I can just change one heart, one mind every day, I think Mother Nature will be proud of us.”
Worthington opened Worthy Brewing in Northeast Bend in 2013. Additionally, he owns Indie Hops, a hop-breeding company based in Portland, and Worthington & Caron Law Firm, which takes on asbestos and medical lawsuits. Worthington was featured in a story in The New York Times in July, discussing his lawsuit against oil producers for their alleged role in climate change.
Numerous murals and pieces of art decorate his Northeast Bend brewery, many with themes centering around protecting the environment. Crouch said Worthington is “passionate” about the environment and his community.
“Everything Roger does is always intentional, and it always comes from him being really passionate and positive,” Crouch said. “Our whole ethos here is really about providing a safe and fun and creative space for people to get together, and we happen to serve beer and food,” Crouch said of Worthy Brewing. “We have live music, we’re family friendly and we host a lot of different nonprofits here that wouldn’t be able to afford (meeting) space. We extend our private event spaces to those groups.”
For more than two years, Worthington has attempted to install and retain a mural on the Worthy Building. Two different attempts were shut down, either by neighbor objections or shifting signage laws.
The Worthy Building is home to, among other businesses, Pizza Mondo, The Bend Store, Higher Elevation and Wonderland Chicken Co., which is in the former site of Worthy Taps & Tacos. A sign on the door announced the temporary closure of Wonderland as of Aug. 12.
This article appears in the Source August 20, 2026.
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