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13
washington county arts guide
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march – may 2013
between the library and police station on Pacific Avenue, as well as a bronze
girl reading a book inside the library.
Tigard-Tualatin
■
TriMet has funded a number of community arts projects along its
Washington County routes. Its moveable bronze heads—mounted on tracks in
a stainless steel table—grace WES Commuter Rail stops in Tigard, Tualatin,
Beaverton and Wilsonville. The whimsical heads, with their panoply of
different human expressions, owe their existence to the WES Public Art
Program, which TriMet invested with $500,000.
■
The program also funded a mural at the Tigard Transit Center and an
etched willow pattern in the windscreen glass framing the shelters at stations
in Tualatin and Wilsonville.
Artists Frank
Boyden and Brad
Rude developed a
series of cast-
bronze sculptures
for each of the five
stations on the
WES Commuter Rail
line. Funded by
TriMet, the heads
offer a potential
“game” for people
to play while they
wait for their train.
courtesy photo
The laser-cut
steel and enamel
“Sequoia Frond”
by Brian Borello
graces a wall on
the North Plaza
of the Hillsboro
Civic Center,
which included
artwork in its
building plan.
the theater would use the funds as leverage for other grants they had applied for,
Carleson said.
“It was a special one-time deal,” she said.
Chapin was impressed with the city’s direct support of the arts, and their
grasp of the impact organizations like Bag&Baggage can have on the city and the
area.
“Bag&Baggage is a great economic driver,” she said.
Beaverton
In Beaverton, a 1-percent-for-art ordinance has helped create funds for public
art when large-scale building projects and remodels occur.
But it’s been a while since such projects have been underway, said Valerie
Otani, a consultant for the Beaverton Arts Commission who also works as a
cultural arts program supervisor for HACC.
Thanks to the slow economy, “there hasn’t been major capital construction
since the library was built,” Otani said.
Since then, projects have been small, like murals and temporary sculptures,
she said.
Jayne Scott, senior program manager of Arts, Culture and Events for
Beaverton, said she’s excited about the visual and performing art that the city
has been able to support recently.
“It’s really creating an arts district, which is fun,” Scott said, referring to the
city’s downtown core.
The public art mural program is one element of Beaverton’s Public Art
Program, which is funded directly by the city. Five murals are now painted
downtown, and applications are being accepted for future mural grant proposals.
The city has financially supported visual and performing arts in Beaverton on
a project-by-project basis, setting aside between $56,000-$90,000 each year for
programs and consulting fees from 2010 to 2013.
This year, the Beaverton Arts Commission started a grants program, similar
to Hillsboro’s, which will complement its annual funding commitment. The
program will accept applications until March 25. Funding will come from the
Beaverton Arts Foundation, a fundraising arm of the commission.
“This new grant program is an exceptional way to foster the arts,” said Mayor
Denny Doyle. “These projects will add to the vibrancy of our city.”
Individual artists, arts and cultural groups, and Beaverton schools can apply,
as well as social service agencies, religious organizations, and private
businesses, if they partner with a non-profit arts or diverse cultural organization.
Forest Grove
In Forest Grove, a Public Arts Commission gives mini-grants (up to $500) to
organizations for arts programming that offers free opportunities to
underrepresented populations, such as seniors, youth, low-income people and
Latinos.
Commission Chair Kathleen Leatham said the group recently raised the idea
of creating a Public Arts Foundation. But that idea is very new and “may not
materialize this year,” Leatham said. It will likely come up again at the
commission’s March retreat, she said, where members will set the agenda for the
next year.
A Forest Grove bench created by Eric Canon features panels representing the wine
industry, chalk art and the Farmers Market, using brass, stainless steel, copper and
bronze. The bench was funded by the city’s Public Arts Commission.
Funding
continued from page 4
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