Three finalists remain as the city of Hillsboro finalizes its search for an artist to inject a new sense of creativity to Shute Park.
As part of the initiative to craft new artwork for the city's oldest park, James Peterson, Becky Borlan, and Matthew Mazzotta will progress to the design phase. The artists will visit the site and give community presentations 6-8 p.m. April 16 at the Hillsboro Community Senior Center.
During the community presentation, each artist will have 20 to 30 minutes to share their experience in public art and explain their interest in the Shute Park project. Following their presentations, there will be an opportunity for questions from community members.
Based in Los Angeles, California, Peterson is an artist who finds a passion in mechanisms and structures — using modularity, geometry and engineering to sculpt interactive pieces that speak to the viewer.
“Seeing my work as visual storytelling, I approach each sculpture with the hope of creating a dialogue around our communities, natural realms and resources, and sustainability,” Peterson said in a media release. “My sculptures create a space where people reflect, play, and interact with both the art and each other. Given this design ethos, I believe I am the perfect candidate for this project.”
Finding inspiration from the viridescent landscapes and “majestic fir trees” in Oregon, Peterson plans to leverage the natural environment in an artwork for Shute Park.
Baltimore’s Becky Borlan is an artist fascinated with iridescence — creating large-scale works that blend vibrancy and whimsy.
Dabbling with different materials, Borlan applies curiosity to her artwork to weave together interesting visuals guided by color and expression.
“Play is at the core of my work as a sculptor, painter and installation artist. My sculptures are composed of repeated geometric elements in saturated colors that invite viewers to connect with (and perhaps get lost in) their own play state of mind and recognize the everyday magic in the present moment,” Borlan said in a release. “I’d love to bring this approach to the artwork for Shute Park.”
Hailing from upstate New York, Matthew Mazzotta “works at the intersection of art, activism, and urbanism.” Merging civic engagement with creativity, Mazzatta’s art uses the built environment to foster intimate and meaningful exchanges.
“It would be an honor to develop a project for Shute Park,” Mazzotta said. “I am uniquely qualified to undertake this project, as I create large-scale, site-specific artworks that forge a strong sense of place and serve as a point of attraction for multiple communities to come together — a trait I believe is of the essence in designing for public spaces with diverse user groups always passing through.”
After the site visit and community presentation, the finalists will undertake the challenge of creating a site-specific, captivating and interactive artwork. The creation aims to not only represent the park's natural surroundings and the community's diversity, but it will also serve as a communal gathering space.
The initiative for the new artwork, championed by Hillsboro’s Public Art Program, is the culmination of a multi-year plan, which involved gauging over 2,000 community responses.
“This community feedback was used to develop the call-to-artists, which helped to attract the finalist artists to apply, and to create parameters for the design requirements for the project,” Hillsboro’s Public Art Program said in a release. “The community-based committee helped to craft the language and parameters of the artist call and three finalists were selected from a pool of over 50 applicants.”
The remaining artists were selected by a community-based committee, including business leaders from Calle Diez, local artists, community members, and representatives from the Hillsboro Arts & Culture Council and the Parks & Recreation Commission.
Designs for the new artwork will be shared in summer 2024 to collect feedback before a final decision is made. The project is scheduled to be completed by fall 2025.
To find out more about the public art program, visit Hillsboro-Oregon.gov/PublicArt .
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