Public Art Review Committee Invites Public to Peirce Island Public Art Installation Community Engagement Sessions

The City of Portsmouth Public Art Review Committee (PARC) will hold three community engagement sessions to discuss the future signature work of art for Peirce Island that will be funded through the City’s Percent-for-Art program.

The public is invited to learn about the PARC, the history of Peirce Island and the planning process for the Peirce Island Art Project and proposed location. PARC is seeking input from the community on suggested art themes, and ideas at the following sessions:

• Thursday, January 25, 2024, from 6:30 to 7:45 pm, in-person in the Levenson Room at the Portsmouth Public Library;
• Monday, February 12, 2024, from 12 noon to 1:15 pm, via Zoom (Zoom meeting details available after registration); and
• Thursday, February 15, 2024, from 6:30 to 7:45 pm in the Levenson Room at the Portsmouth Public Library.

Register for one of the following three sessions by emailing Sean Clancy, Assistant City Manager for Economic and Community Development, at sclancy@cityofportsmouth.com.

The artwork at Peirce Island could be a sculpture or a landscape design, could be a single piece or several works. It could reflect a single theme or a range of ideas or themes. Citizens’ ideas will inform the Request for Proposals that will call for interested artists to submit proposals this spring.

The Peirce Island Art Project will be funded through Portsmouth’s Percent-for-Art program, established in 2006 to increase the number of significant works of art in the City available for the enjoyment and enlightenment of citizens and visitors. The Portsmouth public art ordinance was modeled on the state of New Hampshire’s Percent-for-Art program. For each publicly funded construction project, the City allocates 1% of the project budget up to $150,000.

For more information and project updates, visit: https://portsnh.co/publicart.