Hillsboro Public Works Facility Public Art Commission

The City of Hillsboro, Oregon seeks a qualified artist or artist team to create an original outdoor work near the entrance to a new public works facility in the North Hillsboro industrial district, eighteen miles west of Portland. The artwork will create a strong entry to the new facility and serve as a landmark in the high-tech industrial district. The site is the landscaped area at the corner of NW Evergreen Road and NE 30th Avenue, a major thoroughfare with high vehicle traffic.

Project goals include inspiring an appreciation of the benefit of Public Works to the community and communicating the role of Public Works as environmental stewards. Themes could come from aspects of public works, such as flow—keeping things moving above the surface and below—or roots—structures above rely on the roots below. Additional goals include establishing a gateway to the high-tech industrial district, generating excitement through form, color or light, and acknowledging the complex department that includes both engineers and operations staff. Budget: $100,000.

Applications must include an artist statement (not exceeding 1000 characters), up to 10 digital images (1920 x 1920 pixels) showing experience with art projects of this scale, up to 2 additional video images, and a current resume (not exceeding 2 pages per artist or team member). Selection criteria include artistic excellence, suitability for the site, and durability, safety and ease of maintenance. Entry deadline: November 16, 2015, 11:59 PM Mountain Time. Eligibility is open to artists in North America. There is no application fee. Semi-finalists will be selected November-December 2015, with site visit and orientation in December, design proposal presentation January-February 2016, and artwork completion by fall 2016.