'the essence of the river' - public art opporunity

The City of Wilsonville, Oregon is requesting qualifications from talented artist(s) and/or artist team(s) to create a new and engaging public artwork(s) for Boones Ferry Park, a ~15-acre park adjacent to the Willamette River. Also located at this park is the historic Tauchman House, formerly the home to the operator of the historic Boones Ferry. A large new inclusive playground, installed in 2024 has reactivated and enlivened this space. The playground design includes themes of the City’s History and the significance of the Willamette River.

Site Information

The Boones Ferry Park Site was an important stop on what was a busy thoroughfare around the turn of the 20th century. With the development of highways and freeways, like Interstate 5 in the 1950’s, it changed from a stop along the road to the end of the road—a quiet and somewhat forgotten place left to be rediscovered by local residents, dogwalkers, and those seeking access to the river for fishing, paddling, or a break from the normal routine of life.

The park today has several distinct areas with their own special characteristics. South of Tauchman Street, which borders a portion of the park’s northern side is an expansive lawn sloping gently down to a wall of trees that occupy the steep bank next to the Willamette River. A natural wooded area divides the old and new sections of the park and pulls the wildness of the river bank up and through the park and into the adjacent neighborhood to the north.

A new playground was completed in 2024 with river-inspired elements aligning with the Boones Ferry Master Plan, such as a blue winding ‘river’ throughout the turf, depictions of local wildlife, and signage depicting historic events. The playground emphasizes universal design, which gives community members of all abilities from across Wilsonville and the region a place to play, explore, and grow. The new playground replaced the former one which was 26 years old.

In addition to the new playground are new restrooms and new landscaping. New parking and a new walking path will be installed in the parallel progression of park improvements.

Site Details (Images, measurements, etc.)

There are three (3) Zones or location options for Public Art at this site. Artist(s) may choose to create either separate works for multiple locations; OR choose to only focus entirely on one of the zones. The project budget of $100,000 awarded to the selected artist/ team does not change based on if an Artist is installing works at one or multiple zones.

Each zone can accommodate approximately a 10-ft x 10-ft (or 10-ft in diameter) base, and a height limit of 18-ft. Please note that the exact locations of outlines are approximate, and the selected artist/ team will have some flexibility on exact placement.

Oregon has shorter Autumn and Winter days.Artists/teams are encouraged to incorporate a lighting plan for their finished work(s) as a system for viewer enjoyment and vandalism deterrent. The City may consider moving electrical access to any of the identified zones for the awardee(s). If the artist/team chooses not to include their own lighting system, the City may add uplighting at their determination.