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PDA: Public Display of Art
By Jeff Jahn
It is a bit of a second gold rush for Portland these days, one centralized around the aesthetics in rapidly developing neighborhoods where galleries and/or artists are located.
In the last seven years I've witnessed a dramatic change in Portland's civic face in the form of a shift to openly thinking of itself as an arts-oriented city, a shift that is not confined to galleries and traditional public art, but also one that manifests itself in the public display of bold aesthetic statements in public spaces with and without prior approval by public entities.
In more traditional public art the frenzy started with the now defunct Pearl Arts Foundation, which brought the Pearl its Kenny Sharf Tiki Totems and William Wegman's Portland Dog Bowl. Yes, we've also got some doozies when it comes to public art (like the clumsy monstrosity outside of Powell's) but since then things have markedly progressed in terms of public aesthetics.
Suddenly, design quality has become very important for new buildings. Examples that come to mind are the Belmont Lofts (designed by Holst architecture) and the extremely controversial but innovative Aerial Tram (designed by AGPS architects and due to be completed in fall 2006). In addition to heated debate about the cost overruns typical of such a unique project, the tram also threatens to visually differentiate Portland and highlight its progressive civic problem solving to anyone with eyes.
South Waterfront Portland Aerial Tram
Animation Still © Newlands and Company
Another major civic player and outward manifestation of civic pride, the ever changing art scene, has become the darling of local and increasingly international press. Part of the reason for this is that Portland is a walking city, which leads to encounters with artists. In fact, Portland was just voted the Top Walking City in the US for the year 2006 by Prevention Magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).
The cultural synergy this type of civic space creates cannot be discounted. Art here isn't content to take passive refuge in the protective enclaves of galleries and museums. It is integrated into the public fabric of the city; the sidewalks act as its loom.
Artists have been keen to exploit street-level art practices like twenty-four hour window spaces or— such as in the case of performances by David Eckard
Some of these happenings are related to the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art's (PICA) annual TBA Festival and the annual Affair at the Jupiter Hotel, but street art happens outside those events as well.
Even businesses like The Art of Catering have made a point of displaying contemporary art by the likes of Brooklyn-based (but Portland-born) Heidi Cody and rising Portland artstar Sean Healy. The business places the art in their street-level office with big bay windows, right where everyone walking by can see it. Countless other restaurants and local haunts such as Bluehour, Saucebox, Vault Martini, and Reading Frenzy have made a public display of art an integral part of their overall experience.
One of the most telling projects is Scott Wayne Indiana's Horse Project. Indiana had noticed that many of the quickly gentrifying neighborhoods like the Pearl and North Mississippi had left the iron hitching rings on their sidewalks. In a pithy Duchampian move Indiana procured numerous toy horses and hitched them up to these vestigial artifacts. The project potentially plays off the idea that Portland is no longer a horse-driven town, but the project also redirects the civic gaze down from the condos back to the efforts of artist, many of whom once lived in these now gentrified districts; it's durn interestin' how a $12 toy horse can overshadow a plush black German sedan.
horse #3 © Scott Wayne Indiana
Another trend readily experienced from the street is the proliferation of window exhibition spaces whose presence insures that arting in Portland can be a twenty-four hour experience.
Back when gallerist Jane Beebe started the PDX Window Project next door to her once tiny gallery space, she probably didn't realize she was about to create an invaluable experimental art space. But in looking back now, the upcoming Oregon Biennial is littered with artists she has highlighted, such as: Pat Boas, David Eckard, Brad Adkins, Mariana Tres, Storm Tharp, and Jesse Hayward.
Now there are many more window spaces such as the ones at Visage Eyewear and Portland Modern, with the latest addition to this trend being the video window at Elizabeth Leach Gallery.
The first series of programming in the video window was curated by gallery artist M.K. Guth, and her last selection, Olaf Breuning's Group, was one of the most confrontational things I've ever come across while walking by a gallery. It featured a group of strange Viking warriors who, through ritualized group behavior, turned into javamen reminiscent of Lord of the Flies. Flares, survivalist body paint, and a campervan all figured prominently. In April, the brilliant local filmmaker Matt McCormick takes over curatorial duties, so wager is we're going to be seeing more strong work featured in the video window.
By way of conclusion, sure, there are myriad other public exhibition spaces such as The Portland Building's gallery or The Basil Halward Gallery at Powell's (not to mention the proliferation of art in the city's ever expanding list of coffee shops) but I find it very rewarding that I can see so much art at 2:00 AM without going indoors or even expecting it.
Get a room? Not necessary in Portland...
