Friends of Congress Square Park
The premier urban park in the heart of Portland’s vibrant Arts District. The park features local art installations, community events, free wifi and more!
Download the full calendar here.
We love September in Maine! To add to its splendor, FoCSP has another full month of fantastic Wednesday and Friday evening events, weekday activities, and two Saturday daytime events coming your way. We have something for everyone, including puppets, music, dancing, local films, calligraphy, yoga, tai chi chih, international games, and…kittens!
Meet you in the Square!
We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and devoted production engineer, Denis Nye. He has been a constant fixture in Congress Square Park for the past three years. We first met Denis like many other park supporters: we had seen one another often in the park, developed a sense of familiarity, and eventually introduced ourselves to one another. He lived nearby and wanted to get involved. In 2014, he first volunteered to help, putting out the cafe tables & chairs.
The following year, he wanted to do more. He became a founding member of our Programming Committee, which selects events, and served as co-curator for our Third Thursday Art in the Square series. Last year, Denis became our first employee, our sound technician, quietly working behind the scenes to make sure every performance sounded fabulous.
At the helm for over 100 events, Denis was there for us and the community. We counted on him absolutely. We were always confident each show would run smoothly. He had his finger on the pulse of Portland’s art scene, and helped us to continuously improve the caliber of our programming, to increase attendance, and to reach diverse audiences.
Every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday afternoon, Denis would roll a wagon filled with sound equipment into the park from our storage space two blocks away. It often took two trips, so Denis would find a familiar face to watch the first load while he went back for more. We will fondly remember him sitting back and quietly taking in the scene as visitors delighted in the music, theatre, films, and dance he helped bring to life.
His artistic vision pushed us to diversify our repertoire of programming. He encouraged us to try new things, and was responsible for our embrace of opera, chamber music, silent films with local scores, and more. It was his idea to screen a series of short, local films on a freezing February First Friday, with the park ensconced in several feet of snow. Denis was convinced people would come. They didn’t.
He opened our 2015 season with a Hinge/Works performance of his original scores, dancing, and spoken word video. This year, we planned to reprise a Hinge/Works performance to close out our season at October’s First Friday.
It was Denis who coined the phrase “in the Square,” giving VIA the inspiration to create our Meet, Art, Dance, Films and Music In the Square branding.
Denis made us laugh. He compiled three hours of cat-themed songs for our Kitten Therapy event. To kick off the event, he played the Lion King theme as kittens were lifted through the crowd and into the therapy box, inciting exuberant cheers of delight from the cat-fanatics.
Denis accepted people without judgement. It was easy to sit and enjoy his company. Recently, a senior neighbor, living in an adjoining building, approached him during a programming meeting and asked, “Is there music tonight my friend?”
Denis replied, “At 6 o’clock, Haseen.”
The neighbor replied, “Thank you, my friend, you’ve made my day.” This was a sentiment shared by many.
Denis was a neighbor who visited the park to read, relax, compose, and eat lunch. He took ownership of the space and lent his talents to it, shaping programming and helping make it the place that now matters so much to all of us. In this way, he became the perfect embodiment of our organization’s mission to build community through creative placemaking.
In his unassuming way, Denis filled the park with sound, energy, and joy.
His contributions have been invaluable and critical to the park’s transformation. He will be deeply missed. But his spirit will live on in Congress Square Park.
A celebration of Denis’s life will be held on Saturday, August 6th at Picnic Point on Peaks Island. His family and friends welcome all who were touched by Denis to join them on the 5:45 AM ferry to celebrate his life.
Download the July Calendar of Events & Activities here.
FoCSP brings you another great month of diverse events and activities! From steel drums to classical, from African drumming to salsa, from swing to contra to belly dancing, to Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, we’ve got something for everyone and plenty of reasons to come back to the park over and over again!
This month also continues Wednesday morning Tai Chi Chih/Qigong @ 10am and Robin’s Zodiac Yoga on Thursdays @7am. Plus, 4H Summer of Science Aquaculture for kids on Thursdays from 11-noon.
Be there or be square!
The Portland Public Art Committee is pleased to announce that four artists have been selected as finalists for the Congress Square Public Art Commission. The artists will be invited to Portland for interviews with the selection committee, a site visit, and a public presentation on August 8th.
The selected artist’s work will include developing a concept for public art to be sited in Congress Square in collaboration with WRT, the design team selected last month, who will create a concept for Congress Square as a whole.
The Public Forum is free and open to the public, but RSVP by August 5th is required to attend: http://whoozin.com/V4W-DRP-YK69.
The four artist finalists are (in alphabetical order):
The artists are evaluated based on five selection criteria: Relevant experience, Qualifications and record of artistic achievement, Demonstrated ability to coordinate and collaborate with the public and designers, Project understanding, and Artistic merit and aesthetic appropriateness for the project parameters. The Congress Square Artist Selection Committee is comprised of representatives from the Portland Public Art Committee, Friends of Congress Square Park, Maine College of Art, Portland Museum of Art, and the local architecture community.
The finalists will speak at a public forum on Monday, August 8th to be held in the Portland Museum of Art auditorium from 5:30 – 7:30pm. The event will be free and open to the public, though RSVP will be required for capacity reasons, and will include a presentation from each finalist and a question and answer session.
“The Congress Square Artist Selection Committee is looking forward to bringing four outstanding, internationally known artists to Portland. Collaboration is important for this project and these four individuals have worked collaboratively with urban designers and community members in the past. We are looking forward to their presentations on August 8th and hearing feedback from the community,” said Portland Public Art Committee member Alison Hildreth. An online survey will also be available to gather community input about the finalists. Stakeholders and the general public will be invited to provide feedback and participate throughout the design and public art process.
Interest in the Congress Square Redesign project has been high because of the unique opportunity to combine urban design and public art to transform Congress Square into a welcoming, accessible public open space in the heart of the city with a focus on arts and performance.
The Congress Square Redesign project is a public/private partnership between the City of Portland, the Portland Public Art Committee, and the Friends of Congress Square Park.
For more information, please visit http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1113/Congress-Square-Redesign
FoCSP is thrilled to announce that WRT (Wallace Roberts & Todd) of Philadelphia has been selected as the design team for the Congress Square Redesign project. The WRT team also includes urban horticulturalist Patrick Cullina, graphic designer BlueCadet, and civil and traffic engineers Sebago Technics. Design work is expected to begin in August or September of this year.
After the interviews and public forum presentations & surveys, the five members of the selection committee were impressed by WRT’s innovative and inclusive public engagement process, creative designs and use of green infrastructure, multi-disciplinary team composition, and respect for the placemaking work our community has done to date.
WRT’s work will include developing a schematic design for the entire Congress Square, in coordination with an artist who will create a concept for public art. Learn more about WRT and their past projects @ wrtdesign.com.
The artist selection for the public art commission is still under review; finalists for the public art will be announced in June and those artists will be invited to give a public presentation on August 8th.
More info about the Congress Square Redesign Project can be found on the City’s website @ portlandmaine.gov.
“The process is more important than the end product.” Karen stated, just as she used tell her art students. This is true not only when creating art, but with any life endeavor. Karen describes herself as both a teacher and student, and discovers life’s lessons through the process. She was once a student at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, and also went on to be an art teacher for many years. She is a lover of life and determined to continuously learn and create. Six years ago, Karen suffered a stroke which left her, hopefully temporarily, with a brain injury and aphasia. It has been a long process trying to get back to where she once was, and describes it as being a student again, learning new ways to approach life. Now, she can be seen walking with her walker around the city of Portland, where she serves as a volunteer for the Friends of Congress Square Park, as well as the Portland Disability Advisory Council. She feels she has many gifts, and that volunteering allows her to share them with everyone.
Karen moved to Portland about two years ago, having previously lived in Scarborough and Falmouth. For ten years she volunteered at the Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport where she took care of all of the gardens. Now at the park, she loves to feel the soil, and is a tremendous help in keeping the plants in the park looking pretty and full of life. The park is right outside Karen’s door, and she is a committed and charismatic volunteer. She feels that the Friends of Congress Square, and the people of Portland, are so patient and welcoming, and she loves that she now has the opportunity to give back.
After her years at the Trolley Museum, Karen decided to stop and focus more on her art work. She loves all form of creativity and expression, whether it’s painting, printmaking, or beating on her bongo drums. She continues to teach and learn art, and enjoys making cards. At the park she has helped paint the furniture, giving the space some pops of color. Karen herself is colorful and loves being around the people in the square, socializing and sharing experiences. The park gives her a place to continue to pursue her passions and meet new people. She is excited for the summer and wants to be doing more relaxing and creating, while staying busy by volunteering in the park.
By Angela Mallis, FoCSP summer intern
National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Chairman Jane Chu announced 64 awards totaling $4.3 million supporting projects across the nation through the NEA’s Our Town program. The City of Portland, partnering with the Portland Public Art Committee and the Friends of Congress Square Park, is one of the recommended organizations for an award of $25,000 to the Congress Square Redesign project. The Our Town grant program supports creative placemaking projects that help to transform communities into lively, beautiful, and resilient places with the arts at their core. The NEA received 240 applications for Our Town this year and will make awards ranging from $25,000 to $100,000.
“For six years, Our Town has made a difference for people and the places where they live, work, and play,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Projects such as the one led by the City of Portland help residents engage the arts to spark vitality in their communities.”
“Receiving an Our Town grant would not have happened without our strong community partnerships. Recognition from the NEA is truly encouraging and shows us that we are on the right track with this project,” said City Councilor Jill Duson, who serves on the Public Art Committee.
Congress Square is the heart of the Arts District and a center of activity for neighborhood residents and the arts community attending the First Friday Art Walk and events coordinated by the Friends of Congress Square Park. The Square also provides an important first impression for visitors to the Portland Museum of Art and the Westin Hotel and serves as a neighborhood open space for surrounding residents.
The City currently has funds to develop schematic level concepts for the Congress Square intersection and public artwork. The concepts will be used to help raise money to implement the project. The project team anticipates the project, if approved for implementation, will require significant fundraising efforts. The City has pursued several grant opportunities to fund the endeavor; the project also recently received a grant from the Quimby Family Foundation thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Congress Square Park.
The City of Portland is in the process of selecting design and art consultants to develop design concepts for the Square. Last week, four design team finalists spoke to a full room at a public forum at the Portland Museum of Art auditorium. The selection committee will choose a winning team this month. The artist selection committee plans to announce the public art finalists early this summer. All design work will begin in August of this year. Public forum presentations are available to view on the project webpage.
For many years, the City and Portland residents have debated how best to revitalize Congress Square. The Congress Square redesign has become a public-private partnership that includes efforts by City planners, working with the Friends of Congress Square Park and the Portland Public Art Committee, to advance redesign of this important part of Portland. In 2012, the Public Art Committee selected the Square as the next site for a major public art acquisition and has saved funds since that time for this project. The Committee receives 0.5% of the City’s Capital Improvement Project budget each year for conservation of existing artwork and acquisition of new art. In 2014, an art selection panel was created to focus on the Congress Square public art process and is comprised of stakeholders from the Portland Museum of Art, Maine College of Art, the Westin, Friends of Congress Square Park, SPACE Gallery, Portland Society for Architecture, and the Public Art Committee. The Public Art Committee is excited for this unique opportunity to commission original artwork in collaboration with the landscape design. Since 2013, the Friends of Congress Square Park has made dramatic improvements to the public open space by deploying movable furniture and art installations, events programming, and taking on the responsibility of park maintenance and stewardship. In 2014, the Friends of Congress Square Park, working with Project for Public Spaces, was awarded the Southwest Heart of the Community grant to fund its activities and collect data on the use of the park. The group now has a three-year Memorandum of Understanding with the City to act as placemaking managers providing amenities and events.
For a complete list of projects recommended for Our Town grant support, please visit the NEA web site at www.arts.gov. The NEA’s online resource, Exploring Our Town, features case studies of more than 70 Our Town projects along with lessons learned and other resources.
We are pleased to announce that four design teams have been selected as finalists for the Congress Square Redesign project. Twelve submissions were received for the design contract, four will proceed to round 2 of the selection process which will include interviews with the selection committee, a site visit, and a public presentation.
The four finalist design teams are (in alphabetical order; click on the name to view the finalist applications): CRJA – IBI, Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, Terry DeWan & Associates with Olin Studio, WRT.
The scope of work will include developing a schematic design for the entire Congress Square in coordination with an artist who will create a concept for public art. The artist selection for the public art commission is still under review and will be announced in the Spring.
The finalists will speak at a public forum on Wednesday, May 4th from 5:30-7:30pm at the Portland Museum of Art auditorium. Each finalist will present about their past relevant experience and thoughts on the opportunities for Congress Square, followed by a question and answer session. The public forum will create an opportunity for the community to learn about the prospective consultants, and provide input on the finalists by completing a public survey ranking the finalists following the presentation. The City wants to hire design professionals that the community will be excited about and who will be good partners with the City, selected artist, and community.
The event is free and open to the public, but RSVP will be required for capacity reasons. Click here to RSVP today!
The project partners -the Planning & Urban Development Department, the Portland Public Art Committee and the Friends of Congress Square Park – are excited about the unique opportunity to combine urban design and public art to transform Congress Square into a welcoming, accessible public open space in the heart of the city with a focus on arts and performance.
We hope you join us on Wednesday, May 4th at the PMA!
Note: The City currently has funds to develop schematic level concepts for the Congress Square intersection and public artwork. The concepts developed by the winning design team and artist will be used to help raise money to implement the project. You can visit the project webpage to find a full history of the redesign project: http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1113/Congress-Square-Redesign
We are thrilled to announce that the City of Portland’s Planning & Urban Development Department, in partnership with the Portland Public Art Committee and the Friends of Congress Square Park, has issued an open call for landscape designers and visual artists for the Congress Square Redesign project. The City has released two Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) to hire a design team and an artist to concurrently develop schematic designs for the Square (Park and the intersection) and an integrated public art commission. This project presents a unique opportunity for collaborative urban design and public art, with the design team and artist to be chosen simultaneously.
We are excited to take this next step towards a high quality re-design that creates a more accessible public space with community use and public art at its core and that prioritizes the pedestrian experience.
Responses to the open call will be collected until 3pm on January 28, 2016. Applicants will be reviewed by the selection committee and finalists will be invited to a site visit, interview, and public forum to present their work. The public forum, to be held in March, 2016, creates an opportunity for the community to learn about the prospective designers and artists and to provide input about the finalists.
The City currently has funds allocated to develop schematic level concepts for the Congress Square and to cover for the artist fee. The design concepts will be used to help raise money to implement the project.
Information about both RFQs (Congress Square Public Art Commission RFQ–Bid #4016 and Congress Square Redesign—Bid #3916) are posted on the City of Portland website (http://www.portlandmaine.gov/1034/BidsRFP-Search). To obtain a copy of the RFQ you must contact the City Purchasing Office at 207-874-8654 or jrl@portlandmaine.gov.
Through the generous support of Southwest Airlines Heart of the Community grant and in partnership with Project for Public Spaces, FoCSP hired Dextrous Creative to conduct an evaluation of park use during the summer of 2015. The project sought to assess the impact of placemaking interventions (new amenities and arts programming) largely installed in late June with the launch of the Heart of the Community Grant.
Objectives of the project included gaining a better understanding of the following:
As stated in our evaluation report, “The diversity of Congress Square Park’s visitors and events are key to its vibrancy and success. Low-cost interventions and amenities installed over the past two summers in the park have turned a forgotten corner within Portland’s Arts District into a thriving and busy gathering and event location. The park’s renewed vitality has fostered new friendships across generations, cultures and sparked dialogue about the nature and importance of public space in the heart of downtown Portland. Further improvements to address deferred maintenance will only enhance user experience in the park and accessibility for individuals with mobility impairments as word spreads of the park’s rebirth.”
Check out the full report here.
Congress Square Park will receive expanded amenities and programming in 2015 as part of Southwest Airlines’ Heart of the Community program in partnership with Project for Public Spaces. Friends of Congress Square Park will lead the initiative to further revitalize the space through a combination of programming support and activations to encourage an area that attracts resident and supports local business and cultural institutions.
“Cities are more than destinations—they are places of human connections and livelihood,” said Gary Kelly, Chairman, President, and CEO of Southwest Airlines. “Our Purpose at Southwest is to connect People to what’s important in their lives. What better way to do that than by helping to create more access to our public spaces where communities can come together?”
Congress Square Park is one of six public spaces across the country selected through a competitive application process. Proposed projects are evaluated in terms of preliminary work and preparedness, capacity for local impact, potential for large-scale public-private partnerships, and strength of the commitment demonstrated by local partners.
The Friends of Congress Square Park are thrilled to be be part of the Heart of the Community program!
Reimagining Congress Square is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to create a beautiful, flexible and timeless park and square. The design possibilities are endless. We must strive for excellence.
Several designers from around the globe have given thought to the possibilities. Below is a sampling of some of their ideas sent in through an open call from the Friends of Congress Square Park in the fall of 2013.
We look forward to a future redesign that allows this important square and park to realize its full potential as a world-class public space – a central attraction at the heart of Portland’s Arts District and an anchor for community and economic development for generations to come.
