The RACC is inviting filmmakers to submit short videos for Portland Art Happens, a pilot project that will expose Portland's "vibrant art scene" to the 50,000+ monthly visitors to the RACC's website. Submissions will be accepted from 18+ artists in the tri-county Portland area, and six filmmakers will receive a $200 honorarium. The submission deadline is September 17. More details can be found here.


The RACC is also seeking submissions for public art at the Gresham Center for the Arts Community Plaza. The call is open to all U.S. artists and artist teams, with a $175,000 budget. The deadline is also September 17, and you can read more about the project on RACC's public art opportunities page.


More public art! The Clackamas County Arts Alliance is seeking proposals for markers at 15 - 30 "heritage sites" throughout Clackamas County. The "TeleTales" markers will be "artfully designed" visual messages that direct visitors to a prerecorded history that they can dial into with their cell phones. The submission deadline is September 15. A PDF with more details is available via the Arts Alliance announcements page.


And finally... Lake Oswego's Onda Gallery is hosting a fundraiser exhibition in October to promote the protection of the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge. They're seeking work featuring NW wildlife scenes for an October 1 - 27 show at the gallery, with 10% of sales going to the refuge, and 50% of sales going to the artist. Submissions are due by September 17. Please send images of your work, along with your bio and exhibit history, to Oswego@ondagallery.com.

The phrase, "Artfully Designed," does not inspire confidence. On one side it it is either it well designed or art... or it's a feel good attempt that uses a weakened version of art and design to be non-threatening. But good art can be very non-threatening... Kapoor's Cloud Gate in chicago is THE best example.

Maybe Im wrong but the semantics of these calls often tells you a lot about what to expect.

I like words like uncompromising, excellence, challenging, engaged and innovative. I see public art that delivers on the promise of those kinds of words in Chicago more than any other place in The United States.

Support of public arts are always welcomed here in Portland. Let us hope for quality.