Two Northwest artists, Claire Burbridge and Brad Rude, have been selected to create public art for the City of Salem’s new Public Works Operations Building currently under construction at the City Shops Complex, on 23rd Street, south of Mission Street.
The Public Works Operations Building will be a central headquarters for Public Works personnel and serve as a center for departmental response to public emergencies such as inclement weather or natural disasters. The artwork will be sited in public areas including the exterior courtyard and the interior lobby of the new facility. The building is expected to be completed and open to the public by the fall of 2023.
The artwork budget is $140,000 and funded through the City of Salem’s half-a-percent for public art program, which generates funds for public art through the construction of eligible public improvement projects. A selection committee that included members of the Salem Public Art Commission, Hacker Architects, and a representative of Public Works selected Claire Burbridge and Brad Rude from a pool of twenty-seven artists who responded to an open call for artists’ qualifications in December of 2021.
Brad Rude is a sculptor who works in the Walla Walla, Washington area. Rude has close ties to the Walla Walla Foundry, having worked there as a Patina Technologist, Metal Finisher and Inspector. In Salem, he will create a bronze sculpture outside the building’s main entryway to welcome employees and visitors. Claire Burbridge lives and works in Ashland and will design and produce large-scale custom wallpaper in the customer lobby as well as two original drawings to be installed near the entrance of the main conference room.
Both artists will be in Salem during the City’s Public Works Day (Friday, June 17, 2002, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.) to meet staff and residents, and to learn more about the Salem community. Those interested in meeting the artists are invited to attend the event and visit their booth.
More information about the Salem Public Art Commission and public art in Salem can be found here.
