Earlier this year, the city of Bend, Ore., commissioned a large-scale work of art for the new Headquarters Building on the city’s new $130 million public works campus at Juniper Ridge. The city has worked closely with its partner, Art in Public Spaces, and the general public to narrow down the selection process to two finalists. In the upcoming months, members of the public and a selection committee will work together to determine which art installation will be chosen to occupy the massive space.

In February 2024, the city of Bend determined that its new Headquarters Building, which is to be the gateway for the new public works campus, would be the perfect spot for a new art installation that will showcase the native history of the city and the importance of the public works departments housed within.

The Headquarters Building in Juniper Ridge will be home to five public works departments: utilities; transportation and mobility; fleet maintenance; facilities; and engineering and infrastructure planning. The 35.5-acre site will include offices, meeting spaces, storage facilities, specialized workshop areas and the city’s water lab.

The size of the piece needs to be quite large in scale, as it will reach from the main floor lobby wall, which can be viewed from the exterior drop off area, to the main lobby on the third floor, and then carry out onto the third-floor terrace.

Due to the immense size of this project, the city has partnered with a local nonprofit organization that has donated public art throughout Bend since 1973. For over 40 years, Art in Public Places has created an enhanced visual environment for Bend residents and promoted tourism and economic vitality through the artistic design of public spaces.

To gain some further insight into the collaboration process between the city of Bend and Art in Public Spaces, Romy Mortensen, president of Art in Public Spaces, discussed the partnership with the city, “We have partnered and contracted with the city to administer the art selection process. We have worked with the building architects and project managers from the city standpoint and created a call to artists. We managed the selection criteria, coordinated the meetings, reviewed the applications and facilitated discussions surrounding the project.”

When asked in an interview about what the city is looking for when considering applications, Mortensten said, “We are really looking for a concept that resonates with the public and the employees that are working within this campus. The concepts could be abstract or literal, but they should consider the work of the public works employees within their planning. Also, the artists should consider the topography and the native history of the location.”

A call for artists was placed and the city received over 40 artist proposals. A selection committee — consisting of a local student, a city councilor, a project manager, the architect’s representative, a representative from the city who is in charge of diversity and equity, another public member and two representatives from Art in Public Places — collectively worked together during the intensive process to consider each proposal and narrowed the selection down to a solid 13 proposals for the next round.

Mortensten told of their selection process, saying that, “We selected the artists based on their body of work that was submitted. We were also able to look at their existing works. We wanted to be sure that we selected a team that could work well with both indoor and outdoor materials. We wanted finalists who were very thoughtful in consideration to the employees and the community, as well as the fact that this installation would be going in a public works building. Ultimately, the artists we selected needed to demonstrate the ability to complete meaningful structures.”

As of May 2024, Art in Public Spaces has released the names of the two finalists that will move forward to the next part of the process. Mortensen said, “We have selected two finalists: John Flemming from Seattle, Wash., and FreelandBuck, which is an artist team of David Freeland and Brennan Buck, from LA.”

FreelandBuck’s piece, called “Below the Surface,” “celebrates the unseen innovations that keep the city flowing, transforming the invisible into a luminous network that celebrates the unseen work of Bend Public Works.”

Their structure will be painted stainless steel and LED lighting and will “serve as a vibrant, bold core — a molten, crystalline interior that energizes the headquarters. It’s strategically positioned to be visible from the exterior drop-off area, inviting curiosity from the moment one arrives.”

John Flemming’s piece, called “Water Tapestries,” “illustrates the course of the Deschutes River as it flows from Benham Falls, through Bend, and down toward the new public works campus.”

Flemming’s piece, made of repurposed traffic signs (aluminum with prismatic film) attached to mirror-finish stainless steel reflectors, will be “inspired by this water system and the maps that help to illustrate it.” Flemming’s proposal also considers the city’s environmental concerns, as he “proposes fabricating my ‘Water Tapestries’ from the city’s castoff aluminum traffic signs. Their colors and graphics create a rich mosaic and their prismatic film surfaces provide a surprising glow for nighttime illumination.”

In the upcoming months, both art installations will be showcased in the local library and parks and recreation building, where all members of the community can go to vote for their favorite piece. Mortensten said that while the public’s perception will be extremely important in the selection process, “Ultimately, the city has the final say.”

The final decision is scheduled to take place in late August 2024 and will be viewable on the Art in Public Spaces website.

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