Interpretation services available, email info@racc.org
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Art Purchase Opportunity
Hobbs Waters, 51018, mixed media on canvas, 2018. Currently installed at the Multnomah County Health Headquarters in Portland, Oregon.
Artists from Oregon & Washington can add to the vitality of Portland’s Public Art Collection by submitting portable scale two dimensional works for purchase by the Regional Arts & Culture Council. Types of artwork that qualify for this opportunity are prints, paintings, photographs, drawings, textiles, collage, Bas relief, mosaic, glass, ceramic, and metal, intended to be hung on a wall with a 4” depth maximum. Special consideration will be given to artwork that relates to key concepts that guided the development of the Vanport Building: Ecology, Wellness, and Connectivity. Learn more about these concepts in the “About the Vanport Building” section below.
Selected artworks will initially be displayed in publicly accessible spaces in the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability offices on the 7th floor of the new Vanport Building, located at Southwest Fourth Avenue and Southwest Montgomery Streets in downtown Portland. All purchased artwork will become part of the Portable Works Public Art Collection, consisting of more than 1,300 pieces exhibited in publicly accessible buildings owned and operated by the City of Portland and Multnomah County. To view the current collection, visit our online gallery.
Submissions Due: 5 p.m., Wednesday, March 31, 2021
Selection criteria and decision-making
Selected works will strongly meet the criteria based on panel rankings, available budget, and The City of Portland and the Regional Arts & Culture Council’s commitment to supporting artists from historically underrepresented communities, as well as expanding the range of artistic and cultural expression represented in the Public Art Collection. This opportunity prioritizes Black artists, Indigenous artists, and artists of color to acknowledge the disproportionate impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has on BIPOC communities.
A panel of artists, curators, community and City representatives will select artwork for purchase.
Find the submission information here.
Apply online in the RACC Opportunity Portal.
Funding for investments in artworks created by local Northwest artists comes from the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program and is approximately $65,000.
Marie Watt, Part and Whole: Ripple, Hoop, Baron Mill, reclaimed wool blankets and thread, 2011. Currently installed at the Portland Building.
Learn more at two upcoming info sessions for artists
Instagram Live – 6 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 23
Follow @regionalarts on Instagram to stay informed of this and other upcoming opportunities.
On Zoom, 6 p.m., Tuesday, March 16, RSVP HERE
We’re Here to Help!
Questions about the overall opportunity?
Contact: Morgan Ritter at 503.823.5046, mritter@racc.org
Questions about the online portal and application materials?
Contact: Danielle Davis at ddavis@racc.org
About the Vanport Building
If you want to learn more about the history of the Vanport flood, see Vanport Mosaic, “The Time Nature And Racism Teamed Up To Wipe Out A Whole Town” on NPR’s Code Switch, and the “How Oregon’s Second Largest City Vanished in a Day” in the Smithsonian Magazine.
Portland State University, Portland Community College, Oregon Health & Sciences University and the City of Portland join together in the Vanport Building to share resources, enhance programs, and further expand their impact in our communities. This vibrant ecology of collaborators work together toward climate protection, energy efficiency, green building and sustainability. Natural light fills the building, creating comfortable environments to work and learn, whether in introspection or interaction. The building’s guiding principles center health and include wellness, universal access, and social justice and equity. Through this dynamic partnership, the building holds collaboration and connectivity at its core.
Learn more about the Vanport Building here.