Concourse E Extension | PDX International Airport
Portland, Oregon

The Regional Arts & Culture Council and the Port of Portland invite artists/teams living in the U.S. and Canada to submit qualifications for permanent complementary suspended artworks created by one artist/team and in two separate locations along Concourse E at Portland International Airport. The art budget is $600,000. The deadine for submission on CaFÉ™ is 11:59 PM Mountain Time, Monday, November 12, 2018. Project installation occurs early 2020. 

PROJECT BACKGROUND
Concourse E is currently home to United Airlines and Air Canada Airlines as well as many popular local eateries including the Laurelwood Brewpub and Country Cat. By spring 2020, the airport will complete an expansion of the terminal, adding Southwest airlines which represents about 18% of all PDX passenger traffic. Portland architecture firm Hennebery Eddy, in partnership with Colorado-based Fentress, are the project designers. The project extends Concourse E approximately 840 feet, creating six gates and two concessions nodes. Poised as an impactful gateway to the airport, the concourse extension is designed to be complementary in materials and form to the existing concourse. Taking advantage of its south-facing orientation, the project features a sweeping window wall that washes the interior spaces with daylight. Inside, the public concourse and concession areas feature a welcoming and durable palette of regionally inspired materials. Soft lighting balances abundant daylight to give passengers an intuitive sense of place and connection to the outside, while also meeting universal design goals. The Concourse E Extension reinforces the Port of Portland’s longstanding commitment to environmental stewardship, pursuing LEED Gold certification and using Energy Trust of Oregon incentives to guide its environmentally responsible design. Images and information about the project can be found here.

ARTIST ELIGIBILITY
This call is open to artists and teams in the U.S. and Canada. Applicants must have successfully completed at least one art commission (public or private) within the past five years.  RACC staff, Artist Selection Panelists, and Port of Portland employees or their immediate families are not eligible to apply.

ART SCOPE AND LOCATION
This is an opportunity for one artist/team to create large scale, signature artworks that would be visually complementary and suspended from the ceiling of Concourse E in two separate locations. The artworks will be accessible to ticketed customers, PDX employees and vendor employees. Each zone measures 60-ft by 60-ft and artwork must be at least 12 ft from the ground plane. The highest point on the sloped ceiling is 30-ft; and each area is engineered for a weight load of 12,000 lbs.  A PDF describing structural details and lighting are available as part of the RFQ on CaFÉ™.

The primary goals of this opportunity are for the art to: 

• Express inspiration from regional features through light, form and materials
• Be impactful, iconic and be a memorable landmark for travelers
• Be designed specifically for the airport environment and in consideration of specific architectural factors and general character of PDX.

PROJECT BUDGET
A total budget of $600,000 has been allocated to commission complementary suspended artworks in two separate locations along Concourse E that are created by one artist/team.  The budget fully includes artist design fees, travel costs, permits, insurance, fabrication, transportation and installation of the artwork on site.

The selected artist/team will be issued a Proposal/Design Phase Contract and begin collaborating with the design team of Hennebery Eddy and Fentress Architects and the Port of Portland. The final design will be approved by the Artist Selection Panel and the Port of Portland. The fabrication contract will be issued and managed by the Port of Portland. 

SELECTION CRITERIA/PROCESS
The Artist Selection Panel, consisting of artists, the architect, and Port of Portland representatives, will evaluate artist/team applications based on (1) artistic merit of submitted past work; (2) statement of interest; (3) ability to think and work in a scale and with materials appropriate to a site as evidenced by past work; (4) ability to successfully collaborate as part of a design team. 

The Panel will review artists’ materials using the on-line CaFÉ™ system and intends to choose no more than four finalists for on-site interviews from which the finalist will be selected.  

A three-day site visit will be required of all interview finalists. Each finalist will be paid a $2000 honorarium plus travel expenses. On Day One, artists will visit the site and meet with the design team to learn about the construction project and the uses and functions of Concourse E. Day Two is reserved for reflection on what was learned and the development of a short presentation for the interview that reflects initial thoughts, questions and direction for the artwork based on what was learned the previous day. Interviews will be conducted on Day Three. Project specific proposals will not be required at the interview stage.  The selected artist/team will be issued a proposal contract during which time they will work closely with the design team to realize their concept.

PORT OF PORTLAND SOCIAL EQUITY POLICY
The Port of Portland’s Social Equity Policy promotes social equity, using a racial equity focus, with the purpose of advancing fair and equitable inclusion and creating the conditions in which all people can participate, prosper, and achieve equitable outcomes with respect to the Port’s employment, business, and services.

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST
All applications must be submitted through CaFE™.  Artists unfamiliar with or requiring assistance with the system may contact WESTAF's technical advisors who can provide support during the application process. Incomplete applications cannot be considered. The system will prompt the applicant if the application has not been completed but it is the responsibility of the applicant to complete and submit it by the deadline – 11:59PM MountainTime, Monday, November 12, 2018. The application must include the following materials:

 1.      Statement of interest.  In 2000 or less characters and spaces, explain why this project is of interest to you. Describe how your previous work addressed site and some similar goals stated for this project. Include descriptions of how you worked with a design team as well as other comments that might help to differentiate you as a candidate for this project. (When this item is printed, the CaFE™ system automatically omits all characters/spaces that exceed the 2000 limit.)

2.      Two-page résumé uploaded as a PDF that outlines professional accomplishment and includes two professional references (name, affiliated organization, email address and phone number) for both individual applicants and teams (2 per team). For team applications, include a 2-page résumé for each team member that are combined into one PDF.

3.      Up to 10 images of past work including details. These images are the primary way the quality of your work is judged. Provide the following information for each visual:  title, year produced, dimensions, budget, media and a brief description.  Do not embed label information into the jpeg image. Up to 2 videos may be included.

4.      Annotated image list uploaded as a PDF, numbered according to order of images submitted, and including title, location, date completed, media, brief description/conceptual information and budget.

WORKING PROJECT TIMELINE
Application deadline                    11:59PM (Mountain Time) Monday, November 12, 2018
Artist selection for interview         November/December 2018
Site visits, interviews                    December/January 2019
Completion                                   Spring 2020

PDX ART PROGRAM
PDX is a highly regarded venue for artists and community arts organizations seeking exposure for their works and collections and includes a Rotating Exhibits program and a Temporary Installation Program in four locations.   More information on the art program can be found here.

PORT OF PORTLAND MISSION STATEMENT
The Port of Portland’s mission is to enhance the region’s economy and quality of life by providing efficient cargo and air passenger access to national and global markets and by promoting industrial development.

 The Port of Portland has contracted with the Portland area’s Regional Arts & Culture Council to manage the selection process for this public art opportunity. 

QUESTIONS?                                                                                                                            Peggy Kendellen, Public Art Manager | Regional Arts & Culture Council | pkendellen@racc.org | 503.823.4196

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria