Everybody's Art – An Oregon Art Beat Special - Premieres May 22 at 8pm

Updated: May 07, 2008

What do you think about public art? From Portlandia in Portland, bronze sculptures in Joseph, whale bones in Newport, and art on our college campuses, we're surrounded by art in public places. We walk or drive past it, love it or ignore it -- but did you know that we all own thousands of pieces of art? Our tax dollars have commissioned them, and each one impacts the visual landscape of Oregon.

But how do we think about this public art, and do we value it? And what does it add to our communities, our culture and our state? "Everybody's Art," a half-hour Oregon Art Beat special, takes a look at the topic, from artists who work with committees to create public art, to communities impacted by installing art, as well as a look back at the history of our "Percent for Art" legislation from the late 1970s. "Everybody's Art" is airing on the stations of Oregon Public Broadcasting on Thursday, May 22 at 8pm (and Sunday, May 25 at 2am and 6pm).

Frank Boyden is an internationally known ceramic artist and sculptor. Brad Rude is two decades younger, with years of experience in foundry work and metal sculpture. The two are collaborating on a commission for TriMet, which provides public transportation to the Portland metro area. Their groundbreaking interactive installation, designed for five towns served by TriMet's new suburban rail line, is the first of its kind in the nation. Because they're creating art paid for with public funds, a committee is involved in every step of their creative process. During "Everybody's Art," an Oregon Art Beat special, we follow Frank and Brad from their initial meetings through design and construction through the final approval of their work. Can innovative art come from a process that involves so much committee input? The two artists think so, and we follow them from their studios, to committee meetings, and back again as they work towards their delivery deadline.

"Everybody's Art" also takes a look at public art around the state, paid for with public funds and privately sponsored, and explores the role of art in building community in urban and rural settings.

"Everybody's Art" visits the eastern Oregon town of Vale where ranchers drive pickup trucks past huge, historic murals on downtown buildings to explore the question of whether public art has helped stimulate a projected economic boom for this tiny community.

We take a tour of Portland's public-art collection with Eloise Damrosch, executive director of Portland's Regional Arts and Cultural Council (RACC), and artist Victor Maldonado, as they discuss the impact of public art in a city, as well as the challenges of maintaining a public art collection.

We explore the 30-year history of Oregon's Percent for Art legislation and examine the impact it's had on the state's art collection and artists in the state, as well as hear from people who think that no government money should be spent to subsidize art.

At the Oregon Art Beat Web site, viewers are encouraged to get involved in the public art process. Log on to see Frank and Brad's installation and provide feedback. Also learn how to join a committee, attend a neighborhood meeting and critique a public art proposal.

Video clips of the stories featured on "Everybody's Art," as well as archived Art Beat stories, can be viewed online immediately following the broadcast at www.opb.org/artbeat/.

It's an engaging look at something that affects all of us, every day. After all, in Oregon, public art is "Everybody's Art."