City of Newport South Beach HWY 101 Gateway Sculptures

Oregon Coast Council for the Arts (“OCCA”) is seeking an artist, or artist team to commission two, large-scale, public art sculptures for the City of Newport. These two Gateway pieces will be on HWY 101 and are part of the South Beach Placemaking Project. This opportunity is open to artists with public art sculpture experience, with preference for those located in the Pacific Northwest.

Oregon Coast Council for the Arts (“OCCA”) is seeking an artist, or artist team to commission two, large-scale, public art sculptures for the City of Newport. These two Gateway pieces will be on HWY 101 and are part of the South Beach Placemaking Project. This opportunity is open to artists with public art sculpture experience, with preference for those located in the Pacific Northwest

Newport is located on the central Oregon Coast in Lincoln County at the 45th parallel.

Newport is a hub for marine sciences with the Oregon Coast Aquarium, The Hatfield Marine Science Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration all located in the South Beach area. Newport has an active commercial fishing fleet, a US Coast Guard base and a working bay front with fish processing plants. The history of the are includes Native American culture best documented and expressed through the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians (http://www.ctsi.nsn.us/).

Newport hosts over 1.25 million visitor trips annually. Depending on the season, HWY 101 in Newport handles roughly 13,000 to 18,000 vehicle trips per day on its busiest sections, totaling an estimated 4.7 million to 6.6 million trips per year.

Newport has a temperate climate with an average annual rainfall of 71 inches. Prevailing winds come from the northwest in the summer and from the southwest in the winter. Winter wind gusts regularly exceed 60 mph, with sustained winds of 25-45 mph. Winter storms with high winds and the salt air of the marine environment require durable materials when considering outdoor public art in Newport.

The majority of funds for the South Beach Placemaking Project come from the City of Newport South Beach Urban Renewal District. The remaining funds come from the Public Art Advisory Committee funds (which are Transient Lodging Tax (TLT) dollars), grants and public donations. Budget range per sculpture is $80,000-$100,000.

Sculptures submitted will be evaluated on five criteria categories:

Visual Impact (40%) - A high score will be given to an artist who has uniquely organized the art elements and content and has created a striking and memorable piece of work. 

Composition (30%) - A high score will be given to a piece of art that well reflects the requested theme. (South Beach is the home to multiple marine sciences organizations including The Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Marine science is a core part of South Beach’s identity.  The theme for these sculptures should represent that identity (marine sciences) through the abstracted or realistic representations of natural forms including coastal and marine plants and animals, and the coastal environment.) 

Durability (20%) - A high score will demonstrate clear understanding and application of the specific medium’s qualities that will withstand the coastal environment of salt air and high winds.

 Location (10%) A high score will be given to artists from the Pacific Northwest.

Proposed schedule:

The gateway sculptures should be memorable visible markers that reflect the South Beach character.  Each will stand alone as a monumental piece. In evaluating form and scale, key criteria include a strong silhouette that is recognizable from a distance, along with identifiable elements and layered details for closer inspection. Example: dynamic, abstracted representation of natural forms might be well suited.  Integration of lettering or signage may NOT be used.

Themes: South Beach is the home to multiple marine sciences organizations including The Oregon Coast Aquarium, the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Marine science is a core part of South Beach’s identity.  The theme for these sculptures should represent that identity (marine sciences) through the abstracted or realistic representations of natural forms including coastal and marine plants and animals, and the coastal environment. 

There are two plinth designs:

South gateway is 16” tall  and 120” x 240” elliptical shape (in plan view)

North gateway is 16” tall and and 96” x 144” stadium shape (straight sides with semicircle on the ends in plan view)

Please email publicarts@coastarts.org for a copy of the detailed shop drawings for the plinths

The South sculpture is to be approximately 23-25’  tall. Email publicarts@coastarts.org for engineering details.

The North sculpture is to be approximately 20’ tall.Email publicarts@coastarts.org for engineering details.

The top two applicants for each sculpture (4 total) will be provided with a $1000 stipend to develop a detailed proposal for their concept. Proposals must include:

Artist bio, list of previous projects, two references

Description of the piece and how it reflects the theme

Complete, detailed shop drawings

Final dimensions

Final weight

Final materials list

Proposed anchoring/installation details

Summary of cleaning and maintenance instructions, schedule and products

Detailed budget, including installation costs

Timeline for fabrication and installation

The top two applicants for each sculpture (4 total) will be featured at a public engagement event to present to local community leaders and the general public. Artists are encouraged to attend in person. For those who can not attend in person, a virtual option will be made available.

The final selections must be approved by ODOT and undergo a structural engineering review prior to contract execution. 

Artist must be a minimum of 18 years of age and may submit solo or as part of a team.

Artists must provide bio and list of previous projects of this scale.

Artists must provide a minimum of two photographs or sketches per proposed sculpture and title of the sculpture, proposed materials, approximate weight and dimensions of the piece.

Artist must identify which plinth style their sculpture is designed for (South or North).

There will be a $25.00 entry fee for each submission.