The City of Florence is pleased to invite emerging, mid-career, and established artists to submit work to the Public Art Committee’s program, Art Exposed, a rotating outdoor art gallery. Florence is offering artists an opportunity to display their work on a .7-mile stretch of Highway 101, called ReVision Florence, for a two-year period.

Florence is host to over one million visitors a year, and the busy Oregon Coast Highway leads people to popular restaurants, galleries, and shops throughout the area. The Art Exposed program generates community pride, provides artists a display with high visibility, stimulates conversations about art, promotes Florence as a destination to view public art, and creates a sense of place for our community members and visitors, all while providing a venue for the purchase of public art.

The City of Florence’s Public Arts Committee is a dedicated group of volunteers composed of local artists, business owners, and long-term supporters of the arts. The Committee, since its inception in 2015, has installed 23 pieces of art, including a large-scale mural at the Highway 126 gateway entrance to Florence.

Currently, the Art Exposed program has eight pieces of art that are on display in Historic Old Town. In this year’s call-to-artists, the City of Florence will be expanding the program to include six locations in the ReVision Corridor of the Florence Urban Renewal District. Each location has specific dimensions and particular requirements.

While on display, the pieces are for sale to locals and Florence visitors. The City has been successful in selling the pieces on display, making Art Exposed one of the most successful programs of Florence’s Public Arts Program. This provides members of the local artist community, as well as national and international artists, an opportunity to display their art while the City provides marketing materials for the public.

Artists are offered a stipend of $1,500 to provide their work for a maximum of two years. During the two-year period, the art would be offered for sale, with the City of Florence keeping a portion of the sale proceeds to support the future of the Public Arts Program. The artist also has the opportunity to replace any sold art with a new piece during the two-year time frame. 

General Project Information:

• Six (6) locations for art have been selected by the Public Arts Committee, located on Highway 101 between the Siuslaw River Bridge and the Highway 126 intersection in Florence. Details of the locations are listed in the Site Plan and visuals are included in the downloadable Supplemental Materials document.
• Artists are allowed to submit one entry for each of the 6 locations.
• Each piece submitted will be part of a new application, and a $25 fee will be applied.
• Each artist will be provided a stipend for their piece of $1,500.00.
• Art displayed as part of the Art Exposed program must be available for sale to the public and be available for two years from date of installation (April 2024).
• Should art be purchased prior to the completion of the contract timeline, the artist shall be given first opportunity to replace art with a suitable piece to be approved by the Public Arts Committee. If the artist chooses not to replace the work, the Committee will decide whether to open the space to a new artist through a new call-to-artist.
• The City of Florence provides bases for the art to be installed upon (Pictures and descriptions of the bases are available in the Supplemental Materials) and Public Works crews are available to support installation with direction of the artist.
• All costs associated with transportation of the artwork to Florence, Oregon, will be the responsibility of the artist.
• All artwork must be the original design and artwork of the artists and suitable to be viewed by all ages.
• All artists must be over the age of 18 to apply.
• Selected artwork will be scheduled to be installed in April 2024. The schedule of installation will be adjusted based on location and artist, depending on the situation.
• The deadline for submission is December 15, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. MST (10:59 p.m. PST)
• The Committee determines by vote which location is most appropriate for the submitted piece, while also taking into account the artist’s preference in location.

General Application Timeline:

• November 2023 – December 2023: Call To Artists available for application through Call For Entry (CAFÉ), /
• December 15, 2023: Call-to-Artists closes for applications
• January 2024: Public Arts Committee and its Art Exposed Subcommittee narrows applications and chooses finalists for each space at January special meeting
• January 2024: Public Arts Committee decides on final artist for each space at January regular committee meeting
• February 2024: Artists are notified of committee decisions
• April 2024: New art is installed by artists, with assistance from Florence Public Works

Application Requirements

Submission Information and Requirements:

• When submitting, artists must specify the location for which they are submitting their piece of art (Please note that all locations have unique requirements). Artists’ preferred location will be taken into consideration as the Public Arts Committee votes.
• Artists are allowed to submit one piece per location.
• There is a $25.00 entry fee for each artist (See Supplemental Materials document at https://bit.ly/FlorenceArtExposed for a Sample Contract).

Artists Must Submit the Following Information for Each Piece of Art: 

• Preferred Location Number and Name (Please reference Location Information section)
• Title of Work
• Date Created
• Short Description of Work
• List Price (Please note, the City of Florence collects 30% of proceeds the piece is purchased while on displayed)
• Detailed list of materials used
• Height
• Width of Widest Point
• Width of Base
• Total weight of the piece
• Artist’s history using these materials
• Recommended Maintenance Procedures & Schedule (repairs of possible damage and cleaning)
• A 250-word artist statement for use in marketing materials
• Other pertinent information, including artist website or social media, videos of the completed work, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility and Design Guidelines:

• All artists must be over eighteen (18) years old to be eligible
• There is no required theme for most locations; creativity and innovation of designs are encouraged.
• Artists must submit photographs of the specific art that is being entered, from multiple angles. Work-in-progress must be at least 75% completed and photographs of the work in progress must be submitted. Mock ups, models, drawings, or concepts are not accepted for this Call. If work is not fully complete, a process timeline must be included and show completion by time of install.
• Entries must be the original design and artwork of the entrant. Designs must not include any breach of intellectual property, trademarks, brands, business names, corporate or organizational brandings or imagery of violence, drugs and alcohol.
• Entries must be suitable for viewing for all ages. Links to the City of Florence’s Public Art Program and guidelines can be accessed at https://www.ci.florence.or.us/bc-edc/public-art-program.
• Artwork submitted may not be used for advertisement or to promote a business, product, or viewpoint.
• Artists may submit work on their own or as part of a team.
• Artwork can be of any medium but must be able to withstand coastal weather conditions including wind and seasonal rain, as well as resistance to theft, vandalism, excessive maintenance, and repair costs. Please note: the sites in the ReVision Corridor are next to a major highway, with a traffic speed limit of 30 miles per hour.
• Artwork cannot exceed 500 pounds in total weight, except by approval of the City of Florence. Contact Economic Development Analyst Chantelle Meyer at chantelle.meyer@ci.florence.or.us for more information.
• Artists must present a plan and diagrams for mounting work. In previous Calls for Art, artwork had to include a thirty-six-inch (36”) diameter plate on the bottom with four (4) one-inch (1”) diameter bolt holes to accommodate 3/4th inch bolts on 22-inch spacing, which was used to attach to the base provided by the City of Florence for installation (See Supplemental Materials).
• Each work will be evaluated to require that it does not present a hazard to public safety and must conform to ADA standards.