Public Art

The region’s public art enlivens urban and rural landscapes and promotes dialogue among people of all ages and backgrounds. Through a variety of public-private partnerships, RACC helps acquire and maintain community-owned artworks in public places. A Public Art Advisory Committee oversees RACC’s public art program, which is among the oldest and most highly regarded public art programs in the country.

Team Members to Contact

Kristin Law Calhoun
Director of Partnerships and Programs
kcalhoun@racc.org

Salvador Mayoral IV
Deputy Director of Public Art
smayoral@racc.org

Sophie May
Public Art Project Manager
shook@racc.org

News

“Visual Chronicle of Portland” exhibition opens at the Portland Building, March 28 – April 21

PORTLAND, ORE – A special exhibition focusing on new acquisitions to the Visual Chronicle of Portland collection opens at the Portland Building on March 28th. The Visual Chronicle of Portland, a collection of original works-on-paper that portray artists’ perceptions of what makes Portland unique, has been steadily growing since its inception in 1985 and now boasts […]

Next up at the Portland Building: Recent additions to the Visual Chronicle of Portland, March 27 – April 21, 2017

A special exhibition focusing on new acquisitions to the Visual Chronicle of Portland opens at the Portland Building on March 27th. The Visual Chronicle of Portland, a collection of original works-on-paper that portray artists’ perceptions of what makes Portland unique, has been steadily growing since its inception in 1985 and now boasts 356 works by […]

Kalimah Abioto, Artist-in-Residence with Open Signal and RACC, to debut film on First Thursday

PORTLAND, ORE – Open Signal and the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) have partnered to support an artist-in-residence, Kalimah Abioto. The residency is part of Night Lights, a monthly digital media event in which artists project their work onto the north exterior wall of RACC’s downtown offices on First Thursdays. Abioto will produce a new […]

Public Art Reboot

On Friday, 2/3 the Northwest Public Art Collective (NoWPAC) – which is comprised of artists, curators and Public Art administrators from the Pacific Northwest – gathered at Portland State University for Public Art Reboot, a day-long series of conversations where the group discussed practices, curation, growth, excellence and new ideas in the field of public […]

Stephanie Simek presents “Table of Elements (and Minerals)” at the Portland Building, February 21 – March 17

PORTLAND, ORE – Drawing on her previous work exploring materials with unusual and interesting physical properties, Stephanie Simek will install her deftly crafted, hand-built “table of holograms” in the Portland Building Installation Space beginning February 21st. Simek’s project, titled Table of Elements (and Minerals), was designed with the architecture of the Installation Space in mind. Her […]

RACC temporarily removes “Allow Me” from Pioneer Courthouse Square as brick repair project moves forward

In preparation for the repair and renovation of portions the brick plaza at Pioneer Courthouse Square RACC staff, working with Pioneer Courthouse Square, Portland Parks & Rec, and project contractor Howard S. Wright, removed  J. Seward Johnson’s iconic Allow Me (a.k.a. “Umbrella Man”) sculpture from its location in the square’s southwest corner. The 460 pound […]

February Night Lights: Laura Heit presents “Hypothetical Stars II” in conjunction with the Portland Winter Light Festival on February 2

PORTLAND, ORE – For February’s installment of Night Lights, artist Laura Heit will present Hypothetical Stars II on RACC’s north exterior wall at 411 NW Park Avenue in Portland on February 2 between 5:00 and 8:00 p.m. This month, Night Lights is an affiliate site for The Portland Winter Light Festival, which is now in its […]

Aaron Whelton’s “Stacked Toroid” in the Portland Building lobby January 17 – February 10

PORTLAND, ORE – Architect Aaron Whelton will present his Stacked Toroid project at the Portland Building beginning January 17th. This room-sized installation is part of Whelton’s design research at Portland State University’s School of Architecture and his ongoing investigation of the physical manifestations of digitally designed architecture. The installation, titled Stacked Toroid, is site-specific and is […]