Riverfront Plaza Percent for Art Project: Request for Qualifications

The City of Eugene is issuing a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for the Riverfront Plaza Percent for Art Project. This commission is open to all professional artists located and working within Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Northern California. Experienced artists without public art experience paired with an experienced public artist are encouraged to apply. The all-inclusive budget for this project is $150,000.

The Downtown Riverfront Plaza is a one-acre expansion of the newly constructed Downtown Riverfront Park, envisioned as a vibrant urban space offering river views, shaded plaza spaces for events and performances, an interactive water feature or other interpretive elements, a play area, and integrated public art. Three potential locations are available for artworks: a tree grove in the upper plaza that could feature singular or series works providing interest, focus, or functional elements such as seating; an intimate garden with indigenous plantings offering opportunities for curiosity or reflection; and a large triangular stormwater planter along the riverfront trail suitable for sequential or series works. Potential themes include interactive and accessible works for all ages, inclusive and welcoming designs centering people of color, works that encourage viewers to pause and engage, site-responsive pieces incorporating colorful elements, circular shapes, native animals, varied textures, responsiveness to weather and time, ecological integration, and embracing imperfection.

Submissions must include a statement of interest (up to 2,000 characters), a portfolio of six images from past projects with detailed information, a resume/CV (maximum two pages), three professional references, and optionally one video up to two minutes in length. Entry deadline is September 4th, 2022 at 10:59 p.m. The selection timeline includes application review in the second week of September, finalist interviews and commission award in the last week of September, followed by artist meetings, proposal development, engineering, and fabrication/installation through March 2025.