RACC posts “Call for Proposals” for the Portland Building Installation Space

Written by

PORTLAND, ORE – The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has just posted its annual “Call for Proposals” for artists and artist teams who create installation art. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, November 5, 2014; complete guidelines for submitting a proposal can be found at www.racc.org/public-art/overview-opportunities. 

Background: Each fall RACC invites artists currently living in Oregon or Washington to submit proposals for temporary installations in the lobby of the Portland Building at 1120 SW 5th Avenue in Downtown Port­land.  Since the program began in 1994 over 160 installations by regional artists have been featured in this space.  The coming season, which will run from March 2015 through February 2016, will commission eight new installations. Proposals submitted will be reviewed by a volunteer selection panel and the finalists selected will receive honorari­ums to produce their four week long, site-specific exhibitions. The Installation Space Series is known for presenting some of Portland’s best interactive and experimental media. Over time this modestly sized venue has developed a devout following and competition for a spot on the season roster is always spirited.

An opportunity for professional and students artists alike: This season, five of the eight slots available with be reserved for artists applying in the “professional” category, the other three will be reserved for “student artists” enrolled in a creative study program at the college level. Aside from some additional support and mentoring from RACC program staff, the format and presentation requirements for the student installations are identical to those for established professional artists.  RACC created this separate eligibility category to help introduce emerging talents to the world of public art.

Find out more: Statements and images all for installations dating from 1994 to the pres­ent can be viewed at www.racc.org/installationspace. To download the guidelines and background information on this year’s proposal process visit the link at the top of this page.

A general orientation, information and help session for those new to the proposal submission process will be held at the RACC offices (411 NW Park Avenue, Suite 101) the evening of October 15th from 5:30 to 6:30. Contact Keith Lachowicz at klachowicz@racc.org to reserve a spot.

Sample of past Portland Building Installation Space projects:  

Shu-Ju Wang The Laundry Maze (2013) The Laundry Maze documented the profession transitions recent immigrants to Portland made as they negotiated our country’s maze-like immigration process.

Shu-Ju Wang The Laundry Maze (2013)
The Laundry Maze documented the profession transitions recent immigrants to Portland made as they negotiated our country’s maze-like immigration process.

Felicity Fenton & Michael T. Hensley Emotional Garbage Disposal Service (2010) An interactive, creative, and free emotional garbage disposal service that provided visitors with an opportunity to rid themselves of objects that hinder their lives.

Felicity Fenton & Michael T. Hensley Emotional Garbage Disposal Service (2010)
An interactive, creative, and free emotional garbage disposal service that provided visitors with an opportunity to rid themselves of objects that hinder their lives.

Michael Endo Et in Arcadia Ego (2011) Created using discarded industrial materials, Et in Arcadia Ego functions as both a record of the present day and as a reminder of both the glory, and the failure, that our industrial past represent.

Michael Endo Et in Arcadia Ego (2011)
Created using discarded industrial materials, Et in Arcadia Ego functions as both a record of the present day and as a reminder of both the glory, and the failure, that our industrial past represent.