“It was really fun, and I honestly will say when I made them, obviously very joyful,” Yes said. “They’ve kind of become my little babies, and then I take them out to the street and they’re left to their own devices of what people are going to do.”
-Larry Yes, designer of Ankeny Alley Benches
Neighborhoods around Portland are popping with portraits, furniture, murals and more. Portland has 20 plazas throughout the city — community spaces with public seating, activities and space for businesses — where neighbors can gather outside.
Portland Bureau of Transportation and the Office of Arts & Culture have collaborated on a pilot project that brings attention to five of these outdoor spaces through vibrant and engaging public art.
For the Art in Plazas Project, five artists were chosen from 42 submissions, and the projects will stay up as long as weather allows. The city paid each artist for their labor and materials with a commission of $10,000.
Original Article by Ellen Clarke