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Open Call for 2016 Arts Programming Submissions

Calling All Artists / Musicians / Filmmakers / Poets / Dancers/ Performers

Do you have an idea for a public event or art interaction in Congress Square Park for the 2016 Season? We want to hear your ideas!  

This is an incredible and unique opportunity to bring your artistic vision and talents into the public realm. Contribute to the activation of Congress Square Park and the vitality of Portland’s temporary public art scene.

Music in the Square, Art in the Square, Films in the Square, Play in the Square, Dance in the Square…MEET in the Square!

2016 In the Square events will run from May through the end of October.

To submit an idea for an event or art interaction, please complete the form below to provide general information about your programming idea.

Submissions are due by Sunday, January 31st at midnight.

A committee will review the submissions and select the programming line-up for the 2016 season.  The FoCSP Programming Committee will work with the artist or contact person to finalize an event date. Content must be suitable for public viewing to be considered.  Artist stipends will be provided by The Friends of Congress Square Park.

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FoCSP publishes Park Use Evaluation Report

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:

  • Who uses Congress Square Park
  • When do visitors use the park
  • Which interventions were most successful
  • How do visitors use the park
  • What activities or features are most popular

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.

 

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Light Installation by artist Pandora LaCasse

Stop by the park this winter to enjoy the beautiful light installation by local artist Pandora LaCasse. Congress Square Park’s trees are aglow with 26,000 caribbean blue, cool white and purple LED lights. The sculptural light installation will be on display through February 2016.

Congress Square Park is just one of the many public spaces and buildings decorated by Pandora LaCasse. Stroll through the city and check out the other sculptural light installations in Longfellow Square, Tommy’s Park, Boothby Square, Deering Oaks, along Commercial and Congress Streets, and on the Press Hotel, the Portland Museum of Art, Time and Temp Building, and Maine College of Art.

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FoCSP receives $100,000 Heart of the Community Grant

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!

 

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Park with possibilities

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.

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