Eugene seeks artists for Santa Clara Community Park public-art installation
The City of Eugene and the Eugene Parks Foundation are seeking proposals from artists and artist teams for a public artwork at Santa Clara Community Park.
Submissions are due by 11:59 p.m. Pacific time on Aug. 7, 2026. The call is open to individual artists and artist teams that are able to contract with the city.
Park project will draw on local themes
The proposed artwork would be located at Santa Clara Community Park, 860 River Loop 2, Eugene, OR 97404. The project is funded by the City of Eugene Parks and Open Space and the Eugene Parks Foundation.
The city’s call identifies several possible themes for proposals: life, culture and history in North Eugene and the River Road area; nature and ecology; and farming and industry. Those themes frame the commission around local identity and the area’s cultural and environmental context.
The notice does not identify a final artist, a final design or an installation cost. The current process is a call for artist proposals, rather than an announcement that an artwork has been selected or installed.
Selection and public-engagement timeline
A selection committee will include city representatives, local arts professionals and representatives of the Eugene Parks Foundation. Selected artists are expected to be notified in mid-August.
After selection, the city plans community engagement and design review during August and September. Installation is scheduled to be complete by Oct. 31, 2026, although the city says that timeline is subject to change.
The planned engagement and review phase means the call is the first public step in a process that is intended to continue after an artist is chosen. It also separates the submission deadline from the later design and installation stages.
Part of the city’s Art in the Parks program
The commission is connected to Eugene’s Art in the Parks program, which funds artists and organizations to turn city parks into arts and culture destinations. The program identifies community access and local culture as core purposes.
For park users and residents of North Eugene and the River Road area, the project creates a city-supported process for considering artwork tied to themes identified in the call. The public-engagement phase is planned to occur before the targeted installation date, not after the work is complete.
For applicants, the next known deadline is Aug. 7. The city has not provided a final artist selection, artwork design or project cost, and the subsequent timeline remains tentative.
Sources
- Santa Clara Community Park Public Art Call for Artists, City of Eugene
- Art in the Parks 2026, City of Eugene