Models of the proposed sculptures for the roundabout will be on display at the downtown Bend Deschutes Public Library March 5 – 19. The public is invited to review and vote on their preference of the three works of art made by the Art in Public Places committee for the Mt. Washington and Shevlin Park Roundabout. The sculpture selected will be included in the public art collection for the City of Bend.
The three finalists were selected from a call to artists that attracted over 80 submissions. The three artists are James Pridgeon from Seattle, Micajah Bienvenu from Friday Harbor, Washington and Devon Field from Portland. Installation of the public art sculpture that is selected is anticipated to be in the late summer or fall 2012.
“We reviewed excellent submissions. There are three very talented northwest artists with international portfolios and we eagerly anticipate the public input,” said Sue Hollern, president of Art in Public Places.
Funding for the public art is coming from Art in Public Places, a non-profit organization that provides art to various locations throughout the city of Bend. The Bend Foundation, a non-profit founded and funded by Brooks Scanlon and Brooks Resources Corporation, recently awarded a $500,000 matching grant to Art In Public Places for the purchase and installation of public art in the Bend city limits by the end of December, 2013. Generous donations from the public raised over $500,000, resulting in the matching grant which will provide over $1 million for public art by the end of 2013.
