As the year comes to a close, Amy Lewin takes the helm at the Oregon Arts Commission and the Oregon Cultural Trust as it celebrates 50 years of the Percent for Art in Public Places Program.

“This is a program that the Legislature adopted in 1975, which essentially means 1% of all State public projects construction budgets goes to invest in art in that space or that community,” Lewin said.

When commissioning public art, Lewin says the intention is to honor each community in a thoughtful way.

“When public art is installed, the team putting together these pieces and curating what that will be works closely with the construction team and the artist to make something of value for that community. So you can walk into a place such as Pendleton, Bend, Ashland, Eugene, or Portland and find something that connects to the people there.”

This year, the Arts Commission set out to commemorate the 50-year milestone by creating a special celebration called 50 For 50.

“50 for 50 is an interactive opportunity for all Oregonians to experience an open-air museum of public art across our state.”

The Arts Commission launched a website with an interactive guide to finding 50 of the nearly 3000 artworks that the state has invested in. The site includes a map where you can locate individual works in public spaces throughout Oregon.

The collection features artworks from many artists throughout Oregon and beyond, including Ramiro Diaz-Granados, Janet Echelman and Lee Kelly, to name just a few.

“More than 900 artists are part of this collection, and for the 50 for 50, we wanted to highlight places where everyone can access and be in an experience in Oregon’s landscape.”

No matter where you live in Oregon you can likely find public art near you.

“One of the beautiful things about the Percent for Art Program is this is a place for Oregonians to not only invest in art but experience art. And it’s place making, it’s a creation of defining who we are as Oregonians and defining what that is in unique and distinct ways.”

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2025/12/29/oregon-art-commission-fifty-50-amy-lewin/