FEATURE Darris Hurst
Home is Where the Art is
WWW.BENDSOURCE.COM / JULY 2, 2020 / BEND’S INDEPENDENT VOICE
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Redmond Committee for Art in Public Places works to bring culture and identity to the community By Cayla Clark
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n 2006, the City of Redmond’s Community Development Department created the Redmond Committee for Art in Public Places, geared toward introducing art into select public locations and ultimately enhancing community identity. The committee is made up of volunteers; nine Redmond residents who were appointed by the mayor and approved by the Redmond City Council. RCAPP committee members have several responsibilities, including developing the City art collection, recommending program funding procedures and enriching the community by “bringing cultural and artistic values and artifacts to the City,” as mentioned on the City of Redmond’s website. Dan Mooney, local photographer and current committee chair, explained his passion for promoting creativity throughout the community and providing local kids with the opportunity to express themselves artistically. “Our board is completely volunteer based,” he said. “None of us get paid, all of us are passionate artists. We collectively believe that bringing more art to Redmond will enrich our community. A lot of the projects we facilitate directly involve students from local high schools. Art programs are important across the board, but they can be especially beneficial to youth.” Jaclyn Abslag, staff liaison for RCAPP and programs coordinator for the Department of Community Development, detailed positive experiences associated with Art Around the Clock, one of the committee and City’s ongoing projects. “This specific program began in 2010, four years after the art committee
itself came to be. Right now we have a total of 18 sculptures throughout town that are all on loan, with a collective value of $189,000. Community members will vote for their favorite piece at the end of the two-year time period; our next vote will be in spring of 2021. At the end of the two-year period, one of the sculptures will be purchased by the committee based on the popular vote. We’ve had multiple artists that have donated their
pieces at the end of the loan, too. I’ll call them up and ask, ‘Any chance you’d want to donate the piece?’ And a lot of the artists say yes, that they’re just happy to be a part of the program.” Abslag explained that while community response has generally been positive, some sculptures are not as well-received as others. “That’s the best thing about art,” she said. “It creates conversation. It gets people talking.”
“If someone doesn’t like a piece of art, I recommend joining the committee,” added Mooney. “That’s originally why I joined; at the time, there was a sculpture downtown that I felt wasn’t the greatest. Rather than complain, I joined the board and did what I could to get it changed.” Not only do over 30 professionally created sculptures currently live throughout the streets of Redmond, but City of Redmond
A group of local students paints an electrical box in Redmond.
