OHSU Vista Pavilion Public Art Call: $36,000 Artist Area for Oregon and Southwest Washington Creatives
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) is seeking local artists and artist teams for a new public-art opportunity in Portland. The selected artists will develop imagery inspired by Oregon's varied regional landscapes for custom-printed protective wall panels on the tenth floor of the OHSU Vista Pavilion, a space serving oncology patients and developed in connection with the Knight Cancer Institute. Applications are due on 4 November 2026. The published compensation is $36,000 per artist area.
A site-specific commission that connects art and digital fabrication
This is not a conventional gallery exhibition or an unrestricted online art prize. The design brief asks for artwork that can become part of the built environment of a healthcare facility. A work may originate in different artistic media, but it must be capable of being digitised and reproduced on wall-protection panels. That requirement makes the opportunity relevant not only to graphic and digital illustrators but also to painters, photographers and mixed-media practitioners whose original work can be translated into suitable large-format printed imagery.
Artists are expected to work with the architectural experience-design consultant NBBJ and the project's Art Advisory Group. Their role is to help the final images fit the installation, quality and environmental requirements of the building. The project therefore calls for both artistic vision and a willingness to collaborate during the adaptation and production process.
Who is eligible?
The public call is geographically restricted. It specifically seeks artists or teams from Oregon and southwest Washington, described as south of Olympia and west of Yakima. Artists based elsewhere should not assume that an internationally accessible application page makes them eligible. Teams considering a joint submission should check how the geographic condition applies to their members in the formal brief.
The artistic theme is also defined: images should highlight the diversity of Oregon landscapes. A submission might explore natural forms, atmosphere, ecosystems or place-based interpretation, but applicants should avoid assuming that any unrelated portfolio will be equally suitable. The strongest response will explain both the regional connection and how the visual language could work across an architectural surface.
Commission value and important qualifications
The notice lists compensation of $36,000 per artist area. This is a project budget or fee attached to a commissioned artist area, not a guaranteed cash award for every applicant. The formal brief and eventual agreement should be consulted for the number of areas, payment schedule, reproduction permissions, responsibilities for production and installation, and any other contractual conditions.
Because artwork must be digitised for printing, artists should think ahead about image resolution, colour management, scaling, visual continuity and the rights to any third-party material incorporated in a work. The public listing does not publish a complete technical specification; applicants should not make up one from ordinary gallery-print requirements.
Selection timetable
The call opened on 12 October 2026. Applications close on 4 November 2026. OHSU and NBBJ plan to review submissions from 5 to 16 November and notify shortlisted artists on 17 November. Virtual interviews are scheduled for 19–20 November. A further review is expected between 23 November and 3 December, with project artists notified on 4 December 2026 before contracting begins.
These dates are useful for planning: applicants should be able to respond promptly to a shortlisting message and prepare for an online conversation within a few days. They should also leave room for discussions around technical feasibility, installation requirements and the proposed interpretation of Oregon landscapes.
What to prepare before applying
Start with a focused portfolio that demonstrates visual strength and the ability to translate artwork into a designed environment. Photographs of finished work can be useful, but applicants should include an explanation of how the images would read when reproduced on functional panels and viewed from changing distances. A short statement of artistic approach can connect the proposed work to the care setting without making unsupported claims about clinical or therapeutic outcomes.
Check the complete submission package linked from the official opportunity notice for the required number and format of files, references, documents and delivery instructions. The RACC announcement points to an NBBJ-hosted project brief. Questions about submissions can be directed to artistsubmission@nbbj.com, the contact address published in the opportunity listing.
Original call, brief and source
Details reviewed on 17 October 2026 from the Regional Arts and Culture Council listing of the OHSU call. The linked original project document, rather than this summary, governs the artist selection and terms. The public listing does not establish that all forms of digital media or AI-generated work are acceptable; consult the brief before preparing such a proposal.