City of Tigard: Gateway Artwork for Downtown Tigard

The City of Tigard seeks to commission permanent public artwork at gateways leading to the historic downtown Main Street. The artwork will mark the entry to a newly redesigned "green street" with streetscape improvements and a revitalized retail district.

There are two locations for art gateways at each end of Main Street: Liberty Park and the Southwest Gateway. At the Southwest Gateway, both the southwest and southeast corners of Main Street are potential locations. The Liberty Park site features a 50-foot cedar that is lighted annually as a "holiday tree." The selection committee would like the artist to address both ends of Main Street with related elements that would identify the entrances to downtown. Both locations are along Pacific Highway/99W, a busy commuter route on which 45,000 vehicles pass each day. The artwork should be of adequate scale and presence to make an impact in an auto-oriented environment, while also engaging at the pedestrian scale. Artwork must integrate or address planned natural stone gateway elements to be constructed in conjunction with artwork. The selection committee is particularly interested in artwork that engages all ages, makes the connection to the natural environment and contributes to the vitality of this both historic and contemporary downtown.

The total budget is $60,000, inclusive of all materials, artist fees, installation, travel and transportation. The commission is open to professional artists or artist teams from Oregon, Washington, Nevada, Idaho, Montana and California. All materials must be appropriate to their purpose and compatible with the environment. Completed artwork must be durable, permanent and free of materials that may be considered precious or fragile. All materials must be suitable to the outdoor setting with pedestrian, skateboard and bicycle traffic, and must be reasonably vandal-resistant. The artwork should be easily maintained and must meet all public safety and accessibility requirements. Applications must include an artist's statement (not exceeding 2,000 characters), 10 digital images (1920 x 1920 pixels) illustrating completion of similar projects, a current résumé (not to exceed two pages), and contact information for two professional references. There is no application fee.