Lake Oswego maps out a future shaped by public art

January 21 , 2010
By Yuxing Zheng
The Oregonian

LAKE OSWEGO -- An "art walk" along the office buildings dotting Meadows Road. Sculptures or murals greeting drivers entering on Lake Oswego's main roads. Art throughout the redeveloped Foothills neighborhood.

The Arts Council of Lake Oswego last week completed a master plan that will serve as a road map for how public art shapes the future look and feel of the city, especially as redevelopment alters entire neighborhoods, such as Lake Grove and Foothills.

"Public art adds so much value and sense of place and connection between people and their communities," said Cheryl Brock, executive director of the Arts Council, a nonprofit group that works closely with the city to promote art in the community. City councilors learned more about the future projects included in the master plan at their meeting last week. Unlike master plans completed by a city department, the nonprofit's public art master plan did not need to go through a lengthy public process or win council approval.
		Photo courtesy of Arts Council of Lake Oswego Lake Oswego Rotary Club volunteer Bob Liddell cleans Zephyr, by Devin Laurence Field, in April 2009. The sculpture is displayed at Lakeview Village downtown

The Arts Council relied on the seven members on its public art master plan committee, who met over eight months last year to create the plan.

The Gateways to Lake Oswego project would see sculptures or other permanent artwork placed at city limits along Kruse Way, Boones Ferry and Country Club roads, State Street and Terwilliger Boulevard and every main entryway.

"It really signifies that Lake Oswego is an arts community and is committed to the arts when you're greeted by a piece of original and site-specific artwork," she said.

The Meadows Road project would create an "art walk" along 20- to 30-foot-wide corridors on each side of Meadows Road. Two members of the committee that created the master plan met about six months ago with two representatives from Shorenstein Properties, the main owner of the office buildings along the street.

"There are thousands of workers out on Meadows Road," said Paul Tahran, a local architect and one of the committee members who sat down with Shorenstein. "We started to think maybe there's something we can do to make that whole road a little more interesting." Shorenstein representatives expressed interest in the project, Tahran said. He plans to schedule another meeting with the company in the next month to begin to map out more details.
		Fredrick D. Joe/THE OREGONIAN Peace by Lorri Acott-Fowler. Owen and about 100 fifth and sixth graders from the school received a guided walking tour of public art in Lake Oswego last October

Both the Meadows Road art walk and Gateways to Lake Oswego projects are in their infancy with no set timeline.

The Arts Council plans to continue two ongoing successes: the neighborhood public art program, which assists with the placement of public art for local residents, and the highly regarded "Gallery Without Walls" collection of outdoor sculptures throughout downtown.

Art is also expected to play an integral role in creating civic plazas and communal spaces as the city strengthens economic development. The ongoing Lake Grove Village Town Center project, for instance, will incorporate a "string of pearls" connecting art-filled gathering spots along Boones Ferry Road.

"Public art is a real essential part of place-making in Lake Oswego," said Jane Blackstone, the city's economic development manager. "It really adds to the vitality and attractive appearance of the community, all of which is good for business. It draws customers, it makes residents proud of their community."

A mix of money from the city, private donations, foundations, and sponsorships and partnerships with local businesses will fund the various projects, said Brock, the council's executive director. The city of Lake Oswego provided about $105,000 of the Arts Council's $169,000 budget this year.

"We hear people mention that the art on the street was one thing that they really connected with when they first visited and they wanted to move here," Brock said. "Art programs bring a sense of uniqueness to a community. It's a visual environment that is enriched by public art."

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