Multnomah County Central Courthouse Public Art Commission

The Regional Arts & Culture Council invites professional artists living in the United States to submit qualifications for a percent-for-art commission for the lobby of the new Multnomah County Central Courthouse in Portland, Oregon. The budget is $500,000-$750,000 for a 30'H x 80'W wallwork. The artist's fee will be 20% of the fabrication/installation costs if working with a fabricator. Construction begins in 2017 and the courthouse is scheduled to open in 2020.

The public art site is an 80'L x 30'H wall in the three-story atrium lobby, immediately visible upon entering at the corner of SW Madison & SW First Avenue. The bottom edge is 15-ft above the ground floor and visible from several blocks away and from traffic crossing the Hawthorne Bridge. Four concrete columns (42" diameter) are located 4' from the art wall. Materials resistant to UV light degradation are preferred due to a skylight directly above the wall.

Eligibility requires artists living in the United States who have successfully completed at least one large-scale commission over $100,000 informed by dialogue with a design team or commissioning panel. Submissions must include 6-8 images and up to 2 videos. An Artist Selection Panel will review materials and select no more than four finalists for on-site interviews. Finalists will participate in a three-day site visit including meetings with the design team and Multnomah County staff, a reflection day, and interviews. Finalists receive an honorarium plus travel expenses. The selected artist will collaborate with the design team and Multnomah County on the final design, which must be approved by the Artist Selection Panel and the Board of the Regional Arts & Culture Council. All applications must be submitted through CaFE by 11:59PM (MDT), Monday, December 19, 2016.