The Portland Building – Glass Artworks Integral to the Experiential Graphics Program
In January, 2020, I competed and installed ten site-specific, wall-mounted glass panels in The Portland Building. Contractor Howard S. Wright and architecture firm DLR Group are responsible for the renovation of The Portland Building for the City of Portland, Oregon. More than 170 subcontractors contributed to this accomplishment including myself. Architect Michael Graves designed this post-modern municipal building in 1982 to house administrative offices.
The Design/Build Team consisting of DRL Group, Mayer/Reed and Howard S. Wright commissioned me on behalf of the City of Portland. DLR Group’s Interior Design and Mayer/Reed’s Experiential Graphics create a sense of place within the building. The themes water, valley, basalt, forest and sky progress from floors 3 to 15. I contributed to floors 4-13. Each of these floors has unique imagery featuring a photographic mural, abstract graphic, and a wall-mounted glass artwork. They also have a Gathering Space that functions as a living room/kitchen. For each of these ten Gathering Spaces, I created a unique, site-specific glass artwork.
I drove through valleys, hiked forests, sat by rivers, and rambled on rock. Based on my impressions and photos, I developed pictorial and abstract interpretations of each theme. In some, I capitalize on the depth possible with fused glass. For others, I pushed the qualities of drawing and painting all the while using the glass medium.
Links:
DLR Group
The Portland Building Reopening
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