Projecting art
by Alison Ryan
01/24/2007
FOR Seattle artist Ann Gardner, THE competition meant a permanent home for her "Sliver of Light," a slim mosaic of white-swirled shards backed by gold leaf, and a $25,000 commission. For future residents of a Pearl District condominium, the competition will mean a piece of made-for-the-space lobby art.
Gardner was plucked from hundreds of Northwest artists in a competition to create a piece for the Metropolitan, the under-construction Hoyt Street Properties project that will soon be the Pearl District's tallest building.
And the competition may be just the first stroke in new strategies for creative collaboration by Portland's private development companies.
Space set a spark
The lobby of the Metropolitan, with its rich finishes of mahogany and travertine, connects to a series of high-end amenities, including a wine bar and library. But the three-story space, said BOORA Architects principal and Metropolitan project lead John Meadows, was prime for exterior connections, too.
"As we developed the design," he said, "there was a huge wall visible from 10th and Lovejoy that we were always showing art, or a mural, or something on."
Eye-catching space, said Tiffany Sweitzer, president and CEO of developer Hoyt Street Properties, opened the possibilities. Hoyt Street has injected art into its buildings – from an outsized glass piece on the side of the Streetcar Lofts to petite walkway lanterns at Bridgeport Condominiums – from the beginning. But the high-profile lobby, which will be visible to both Portland Streetcar riders and passers-and-drivers-by, created another kind of option.
"I thought, that's a perfect opportunity to really display someone's work," she said.
It was also an opportunity to get the Pearl District art community – as well as future residents – involved in outfitting the space. A seven-member selection panel formed, with Butters Gallery director Kristina Butters, Victoria Frey, executive director of the Portland Institute for Contemporary Art, and future Metropolitan residents Martin Bleek, Craig Boretz and Hugh D'Autremont joining Sweitzer and Meadows.
"It was really great to have input from the people living here," Sweitzer said. "It's not just the developer dictating what they think is right for the building."
Artists – 110 in total – submitted credentials and their bodies of work in response to a request for proposals. The number was narrowed to 10, and then three finalists – Gardner, painter Naomi Shigeta of Lake Oswego and glass artist Kelly McLain of Seattle – were picked. And while all three, Meadows said, "were amazing" and "after each interview, there was the sense that this is really great, this could be it," in the end, the mosaics were the unanimous choice.
"There was just this resonance," he said. "The lobby is certainly bold, large and light-filled, but it's pretty quiet at the same time. ... It was a piece that just looked like it belonged there."
Building dedication to art
Just a few blocks away, another creative effort is rising with the Casey Condominiums. Panels of multicolored glass, designed in collaboration by Dustin White of GBD Architects and Bullseye Glass Co., will streak up the 16-story building's exterior.
"With the Casey being next door to Bullseye Gallery, it was sort of a natural fit," said Jill Sherman, development manager at project developer Gerding Edlen Development Co.
The backlit panels, each a little different, will create a series of related but unique patterns – and another piece of built art for the neighborhood. The project, which also includes main lobby and elevator lobby art glass by artist Martha Pfanschmidt, is being showcased in "The Casey Story," a collection of photographs and glass samples that will be on display at the gallery through Feb. 24.
"Gerding Edlen," Sherman said, "is very interested in incorporating art, and in innovative ways."
The Metropolitan competition, Sweitzer said, is Hoyt Street's first in what will be an ongoing effort.
"I want to continue to do this as we go through our property," she said, "whether it's in parks or inside the building."
Meadows said that the competition process – seen often in public projects – is one he hopes will flip to the private side, too.
"Our hope is that we can get Hoyt Street or other developers to do similar things in the future. ... It's a nice way to engage the arts community and keep things open and fresh," he said.
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