Sculpture Designs on view for 18th Street & Empire Avenue Roundabout
Design renderings for three proposed sculptures for the 18th Street and Empire Avenue roundabout will be on display July 3–18 at the Larkspur Community Center (1600 SE Reed Market Rd.) and the Scalehouse Annex Gallery (550 NW Franklin Ave. Suite 138), located in the lobby of the Franklin Crossing Building (corner of Franklin Avenue & Bond Street) in downtown Bend. The downtown display will be featured as part of the First Friday Art Walk.
Community members of all ages are invited to view the designs and provide feedback on the three finalist proposals selected through a collaborative process involving representatives from Art in Public Places (AiPP) and the City of Bend Engineering Department. The selected work of art will be part of the City of Bend’s public art collection.
The roundabout is located at Empire Avenue and 18th Street in northeast Bend, an area that has experienced significant commercial and residential growth in recent years. The surrounding area includes business parks, light industrial, indoor sports facilities and several residential neighborhoods. Empire Avenue serves as a major east-west corridor connecting to Highway 97 on the west side, and to Butler Market Road and 27
The three finalists are Pete Beeman of Portland, Oregon; Robert Tully of Louisville, Colorado; and Saori Ide and Jonathan Russell of Berkeley, California. Following the public review process, one concept will be selected for further refinement and fabrication with installation anticipated in Summer 2027.
The three finalist proposals each offer a unique artistic response to this rapidly growing area of Bend and demonstrate the high caliber of artists participating in our public art program,” said Romy Mortensen, President of Art in Public Places.
Art in Public Places has created an online public input opportunity on its website, allowing community members to review the designs and share comments. Images of the three concepts and information on how to provide feedback can be found at: artinpublicplaces.org/public-input-18th-empire/.
Funding for public art in Bend is from the Bend Foundation, a non-profit founded and funded by Brooks Scanlon and Brooks Resources Corporation and its shareholders, and numerous community donations. Art in Public Places is a non-profit organization that gifts art to various locations throughout the city of Bend.
For more information, visit artinpublicplaces.org.
Pete Beeman – Winged Victory of the Deschutes
Saori Ide & Jonathan Russell – High Desert Currents
Robert Tully – Skyward Canoes