River Miles I by James Lavadour (Oil on Paper)
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.
Posted July 31, 2012
Project Background: The Material Rescue League is setting up shop in the Portland Building. Created by artist Leslie Vigeant in 2010, the Material Rescue League (MRL) is an ongoing and evolving homage to humble materials. MRL installations also offer a critique on the marketing practices the mainstream retail industry employs. The degree to which we, […]
Posted July 6, 2012
The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) announced today that Boston based artist, Mikyoung Kim, has been selected to create public art for the Sellwood Bridge, slated to open in 2016. The art is funded through the city’s percent for art program and will be owned by the City and maintained by RACC. Kim, an […]
Posted June 29, 2012
Project Background: Christy Hawkins presents her ambitious quilting project Outdoors In at the Portland Building next week. Using a combination of organic cotton and “up-cycled” fabrics, Hawkins has created a full scale, three-dimensional campfire scene complete with scenic backdrops made entirely with quilted material. Her aim is to help counteract “nature deficit disorder” by inspiring […]
Posted April 24, 2012
Project Description: Kendra Larson’s installation Aviary is designed to spark conversation about the ownership of nature. Drawing on her interest in literature of the woods, contemporary film noir, and research on natural phenomena Larson was inspired to combine her slightly spooky wall paintings—a mix of conifer trees, mountain vistas and clouds—with an aviary of bird […]
Posted March 22, 2012
Project Background: Artist Jodie Cavalier will bring her uncanny ability to translate the essence of an experience into evocative, minimalist sculptural form (picture a folded sheet of corrugated metal for a waterfall, a loosely tied sheet of rolled foam for a hug) to focus on the iconic postmodern architecture of the Portland Building itself. Love […]
Posted March 14, 2012
The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has added 52 new works by 32 Oregon artists to its portable works collection. The collection of more than 1,000 pieces represents hundreds of Northwest artists, and these artworks are displayed on a rotating basis in publicly accessible buildings throughout the City of Portland and Multnomah County. RACC […]
Posted March 1, 2012
The Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC) has announced a line-up of nine new installations by local artists scheduled to appear in the Portland Building over the next twelve months. For 18 years, RACC has managed the Installation Space in the Portland Building (located downtown at 1120 SW 5th Avenue) as a way to present […]
Posted February 2, 2012
Project Background: The Chinese laundry is an iconic thread of the early China-to-US immigration story. It was a business that required little start-up capital or spoken English and was viewed as an undesirable task that could be passed on to immigrants without controversy. Regardless of professions they may have attained before coming to the U.S., […]