The Philomath Public Art Committee will meet Thursday evening to select sculptures for the city’s new Downtown Temporary Art Program and discuss plans for an art reveal event tied to a summer community gathering.
The meeting is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Philomath City Hall and will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel.
The centerpiece of the meeting will be the committee’s sculpture selection process. The city issued a call for artists over the past few months to solicit submissions.
The committee will look at nine submissions that are under consideration and score each piece individually, after which staff will collect and combine scores. The committee will then review the results and discuss before considering a motion to recommend a ranked list of selections — starting with the top three choices — to the City Council for final approval.
The program will feature up to six sculptures at various downtown locations. According to Assistant City Manager Chelsea Starner, the goal is to have several of the selected artworks installed on existing plinths prior to July 1, although a few may be placed later.
Also on the agenda, the committee will take up the question of an art reveal event to mark the installations. One proposal before the committee is to tie the reveal to the Philomath Area Chamber of Commerce’s Sip and Stroll Event, scheduled for July 18, which draws visitors through the downtown area to various businesses.
The committee is expected to discuss options and develop a plan to present to the chamber.