Recap: 12/12/17

Hosted by LWD member Leslee Biggs Randolph at MWA Architects and curated by members Kate MacKinnon + Theresa Minor

Topic:  TriMet’s Public Art Program

TriMet has 300 + public works of art at every scale and each one has it’s own back story. Guest Michelle Traver (TriMet’s Public Art Program Manager) discussed past, current and future TriMet projects, TriMet’s approach to working with artists, and how to get involved in the process. Trimet’s Public Art spans sculpture, architecture and graphic design. 

We learned that not all public transit organizations are equal. TriMet’s policy allocates 1.5% of the civil budget for public arts. They also have and extremely collaborative process, engaging both seasoned public artists as well as emerging artists. They always pay artists for proposals and often times brief them on any relevant location-based information. Committee members collaborate with the artists and often times go through rounds of feedback. We learned from LWD member, Dardinelle Troen of Ditroen that this is not always the case when creating public art. She was awarded a project on Denver’s Gold Line and found that it was very hands off from concept to install. I think we all shared the feeling that TriMet supports and embodies many of the great qualities found in the communities of Portland.

Projects Discussed:

• Hollywood Transit Station – Michelle’s team was already starting to discuss next steps for updating this station literally days before the tragedy this past May. After the incident, the public created an impactful organic large-scale memorial, TriMet is listening to the public and creating a more permanent memorial here. Just hours before our meeting, Michelle was reviewing RFQ’s from interested artists.
• Blue Line Rehabilitation Project – TriMet is currently assessing the needs and will update as needed. A seemingly simple addition of a mural by neighborhood artist, Alex Chiu at the 82nd street Max stop has made a huge impact at the station. They are looking at updating about 1 stop every 6 months on this line. 
• Gresham City Hall Station – This is an example of a successful updated design that they may use for other stations.
• Rockwood Station – The large-scale fans at the station have become a community symbol. Although these were installed before the density fills in, this is an example of TriMet’s future focused approach – thinking about the potential density and building something that will adapt to that.
• Orange Line – This project represents a newer ideology when thinking about public art. To create a cohesive feel, TriMet hired artists Buster Simpson and Peg Butler to create a system-wide gesture. It is quickly settle the standards for future updates to the rest of the lines. We also learned that sometimes the general concept comes long before an artist(s) is chosen. In this case, the concept of lighting that represented real-time data was decided upon. They needed to build in the USGS data collection system long before the design/build team was decided upon. 
• Division Street Transit Center – This is the next large capitol project that will include a bus rapid transit system.
• Tilikum Crossing – “Bridge of the People” – Carries the Max Orange Line, buses, streetcars, cyclists and pedestrians. The lights change colors based on the Willamette River’s speed, height and water temperature