Call for Artists: CityFleet Mural or Low Relief Artwork

The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), in partnership with CityFleet and the Office of Arts & Culture at the City of Portland, invite artists/artist teams to submit their qualifications for art opportunities at CityFleet’s facilities on Swan Island. Made possible by the City of Portland’s Percent for Art Program, which specifies that up to 2% of qualifying infrastructure project budgets be dedicated to public art, this Call for Artists is for an interior mural or low relief artwork. The budget for this opportunity is $45,000. The submission due date is Monday, January 5, 2026. Artists/artist teams representing communities of color are encouraged to participate.

RACC and CityFleet anticipate launching two additional calls for artists in Spring 2026 for other art opportunities at CityFleet’s facilities on Swan Island. Those opportunities will include an interior graphic and a large-scale exterior mural.

About CityFleet

CityFleet is part of the City of Portland’s Division of Asset Management within City Operations. CityFleet is responsible for the acquisition, maintenance, repair, and disposal of all City-owned vehicles and related equipment (except fire apparatuses). CityFleet provides safe, reliable, affordable, and clean vehicles and equipment to all City bureaus. Approximately 83 staff perform acquisition and leasing, upfitting, parts management, maintenance, repair, and decommissioning services for over 150 types of vehicles and specialized equipment.

About the Project Site

This project moves CityFleet from the Kerby Garage in North Portland, which was built in 1922 as the City’s first public works building, to an existing warehouse located on Swan Island which will be renovated into a vehicle maintenance facility. CityFleet’s office headquarters are located at the same site. The leased site includes over 105,000 sq. ft. and 125 parking stalls. Surrounding neighbors include FedEx, Swan Island Wholesale Flower Market, Portland Community College’s Swan Island Trade Center, and Maletis Beverage.

Swan Island has been an important historical site for Portland’s industry as well as for Indigenous peoples of the area (including the Multnomah, Clackamas, and Cowlitz peoples) prior to White settlement.

Art Goals

The artwork created for CityFleet’s Swan Island facilities should meet one or more of the following goals:

• Contributes to an inviting space that evokes a sense of well-being for staff & visitors
• Evokes a sense of place, which may include natural, historical, industrial, or cultural themes
• Honors the legacy of industry and trade workers
• Recognizes CityFleet’s key role in essential functions of the City of Portland
• Takes inspiration from a technologically advanced future

Art Opportunity

This art opportunity is for an artist to design and execute a mural or low relief artwork to be installed in the designated frieze area of the walls of the Training Room. Artists working in a variety of types of materials are welcome to apply.

CityFleet’s Training Room is a large room located in the office headquarters building that is used by CityFleet, other City of Portland bureaus, and other businesses, organizations, or community groups for trainings and large meetings. The room can seat 60 people with a max capacity of 109, and has tables, chairs, and an audio/visual system available for use. Many different types of people will spend extended periods of time in this space as they receive or provide training.

The walls range in length from 35 ½’ to 62’, with an approximate 178 linear feet x 3 ½’ height available for artwork. The artwork may be a mural directly painted onto the wall or a low relief artwork installed onto the wall. The maximum depth for the artwork is 3”. The artwork may occupy a portion of the frieze on different walls or may wrap around the room on all four walls. The wall material is paint over drywall with steel studs. There is access to electricity in the frieze area on two of the walls.

The artist will be responsible for design, materials, fabrication, any structural engineering of art components/attachments, delivery of the artwork to the site, and installation of the artwork.

Budget

The budget for this art opportunity is not to exceed $45,000. The budget is inclusive of all project expenses including artist fees, design development, any permits and engineering required, materials, fabrication, transportation, installation and subcontractors who may help to fabricate or install the artwork.

Are you eligible?

Artists or artist teams living in Oregon are eligible to apply. RACC is committed to reflecting the cultural richness of our city by promoting opportunities for emerging and historically underrepresented artists. RACC is committed to engaging new communities of artists and expanding the range of artistic and cultural expression represented in the City’s public art collection.

Anticipated Timeline*

• January 5, 2026: Submission due date
• February 2026: Finalists notified
• March 2026: Finalist site visit
• April 2026: Design proposal interviews
• May 2026: Final artwork design
• July 2026: Fabrication starts
• Fall-Winter 2026: Installation (date will depend on the selected artwork and the extent of time needed for fabrication)

* The above dates are estimates based on current information and may be subject to change depending on the project’s design and construction timeline.

Selection Process

Members of the Art Selection Panel include CityFleet representatives, local artists, community members, and project design team members. The Art Selection Panel will utilize the published criteria below during the Selection Phase to review artists’ submitted materials and select up to three (3) finalists.

During the Proposal/Interview Phase, each finalist/team will be paid a $750 honorarium to develop a design proposal and will be reimbursed for travel expenses. Finalists will present their proposals in an interview format with the Art Selection Panel. After the interviews are completed, the Selection Panel will select the artist/artist team to receive the award for the artwork commission.

The Selection Panel maintains the option to make no selection from submitted applications and to reopen the selection process or propose other methods of selection if no applicant is accepted.

Evaluation Criteria

During the Selection Phase:

• Artistic vibrancy of submitted past work**
• Potential of the artist(s) to meet one or more of the Art Goals described above
• Artist’s interest in the project and project art goals

During the Proposal/Interview Phase:

• Demonstrated artistic vibrancy of the proposed concept**
• Feasibility of the proposed concept
• Demonstrated competency of materials and fabrication through own skills or subcontracted fabricators
• Potential to work successfully with the project design team
• Ease of maintenance and durability of materials

** “Artistic vibrancy” is defined as an artistic practice that:

• Demonstrates integrity of process (artist’s commitment to their authentic vision and values)
• Embodies excellence of craft and skill
• Demonstrates imagination, distinctiveness, and originality
• Contributes to the development of artistic practice
• Engages with the diversity and complexity of contemporary life
• Is relevant in a local, national, and global context

How to Apply

All application materials must be submitted through the RACC Opportunity Portal, an online application system. Applicants will need to create an account, or log into their existing account at racc.smapply.org. If you are applying as a team, please assign one person to apply and be the contact on behalf of the team.

Application Requirements

• Artist Resume/Bio. Upload a PDF of no more than two pages that outlines your creative activities and artistic accomplishments. If applying as a team, submit one PDF that includes a resume/bio for all team members, with no more than two pages per team member.
• Statement of interest. In 3,000 characters or less, provide a statement that addresses the following. (Do not submit a proposed artwork at this stage of the process.)
  • Why this project’s focus and art goals interest you
  • Why you’d be a good match for the project
  • Your capacity and/or experience to create these artworks
  • If you are applying as a team, describe your individual roles on the team and how you anticipate working together
• Images of up to 8 past work samples (no larger than 5MB each). These images are the primary way the artistic vibrancy and quality of your work is evaluated. You may provide one or two images per artwork. For each artwork, please provide title, year completed, dimensions, media, budget, and location if applicable. Conceptual information is desirable but not required.

Once you have started your application, you can save after each step and sign out—your application will be saved as a draft that you can continue to work on as needed. Once you hit “Submit,” your application is final.

Submissions due by 11:59pm PST on Monday, January 5, 2026

Information Session for Artists

The information in this RFQ, along with additional images for the project, are presented in a recorded video format that can be accessed online

We’re Here to Help!

If you have questions about the overall opportunity or the RACC application portal; to set up a time for a phone call; or if you have any other needs for assistance, please email project manager Eleanor Sandys at esandys@racc.org.

If you would like to be considered for this opportunity and don’t have a computer or online access, please feel free to contact RACC for support. Also, if you prefer these materials in another language you can contact the RACC project team for translation services.

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