Request for Qualifications: Main Street Commons Public Art

Tualatin Valley Creates (TVC) is administering a call for public art for the Main Street Commons project in Hillsboro, Oregon. In partnership with the City of Hillsboro and Henry Point Development, this project will install artworks as suspended, commercial quality banners and panels on the exterior facades of the old US Bank Building located at the southeast corner of E Main Street and SE 2nd Ave in Downtown Hillsboro's Cultural Art District. The artwork will be reproduced large-scale and re-curated every 5+ years to keep Downtown fresh and promote multiple artists' talents over time. All mediums and modalities are welcome, including printmaking, graphic design, literary arts, fabric arts, photography, and collage.

No more than seven (7) works will be commissioned. Each work has a maximum budget of $3,000-10,000, which includes all expenses from design, artist fees, photography and/or file conversions, and installation oversight. Artists will maintain copyright ownership and grant a license agreement to TVC and HPD for non-monetary reproduction for promotional purposes in perpetuity. If monetary reproduction is desired, a separate license agreement with compensation will be negotiated. The E Main Street opportunity is either one singular image (max 10' tall x 20' long) or up to three panels (max 10' tall x 5' wide each). The SE 2nd Avenue opportunities consist of three panels, each 10' tall x 5' wide.

The theme focuses on "Past, Present, and Future" representations of Pacific Northwest ecological and geological uniqueness. Applicants must be Pacific Northwest residents (WA, OR, ID, North CA) and submit a brief letter of interest (300 words max), artist's statement (500 words max), no more than five images of past work with descriptions, and optional resume/CV and artistic references. Artwork must be family-friendly and appropriate for all audiences. Priority is given to woman-identifying artists, BIPOC and/or ALAANA, and LGBTQ+-identifying artists. There is no application fee. Timeline: RFQ deadline August 31, 2022; notifications September 30, 2022; RFP deadline October 31, 2022; designs delivered March 2023; installation April 2023; unveiling reception May 2023.