Moscow Public Art

Public art is at the heart of Moscow’s creative culture, and with a collection including works by local and regional artists, its public spaces reflect the Inland Northwest’s tradition of artistic excellence.  

Artworks range from sculptures and murals to framed pieces in the City’s portable collection. Temporary artworks include vinyl-wrapped utility boxes, storm drain murals, and bus shelters as well as sculptures at the Intermodal Transit Center on the University of Idaho campus.

The City of Moscow’s acquisition of public art began in the 1980s, and is supported by a 1% for the Arts fund established by ordinance in 2004. A Public Art Master Plan guides the Moscow Arts Commission, Arts staff, and community members as they incorporate new works into the City’s landscape.

Moscow is rich with diversity of thought, inhabited by minds open to possibility and creative interpretation. As such, the public art program celebrates the artist as a professional and valued business partner while welcoming a broad range of media and art-making processes into its collection.

COMING SOON to the Permanent Collection

2022_Becker Memorial_Doyle, Casey_Ribbon Clouds (web ready)

Andrew Becker Memorial at the ITC Sculpture Garden

Slated for permanent installation in October 2022 is an artwork by J. Casey Doyle featuring a stack of three stainless steel cloud forms and a bronze ladder. This artwork is a memorial to Andrew Thatcher Becker, a longtime Moscow resident whose advocacy for people with disabilities greatly impacted the community. 

The artwork installation was made possible by a donation from Becker’s family, with additional funding from the City of Moscow to support the use of materials impervious to environmental degradation. 

Artists from across Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, and Utah were invited to submit proposals for this project in 2021. Doyle’s artwork was selected for its alignment with Becker’s core beliefs in the dignity of all people, the equity of accessible communities, and the value of pathways both literal and figurative: smooth sidewalks to travel or communications that connect people to one another.

Accessibility, communication, compassion, understanding, and courage were watchwords for Becker, whose spirit of inclusion infused all of his work in Moscow. After studying political science at the University of Idaho, Becker pursued activism in many forms, including teaching as well as advocacy for human rights and the rights of people with disabilities. Becker shared energy with his community at Milestone Decisions and in service to the Moscow Human Rights Task Force, City of Moscow Human Rights Commission, and the Mobility Task Force. 

Noted in the presentation of the design to the donor, the Moscow Arts Commission, and City Council were the following highlights about the artwork’s form and content:

  • The location itself speaks to access, not just to multiple modes of transit, but also to higher education’s invitation to explore multiple avenues of thinking.
  • Clouds, like human rights, belong to everyone and no one all at the same time. Their borders are open and flexible, adapting to conditions.
  • The clouds stack like cairns, announcing a sense of place as well as mutual, compassionate reliance on community.
  • The ladder speaks to the courage to transcend, to progress through stages of growth and life.
  • Open spaces inside the ribbon clouds include and invite viewer, and have the potential to interact with the environment.

Doyle is an Associate Professor of Art and Design at the University of Idaho. He received his MFA with an emphasis in Sculpture from The Ohio State University in 2007 where he was a University Fellow. He holds a BFA with emphases in Sculpture and Metals & Jewelry and a BA with emphasis in Spanish from New Mexico State University. He is the recipient of two Idaho Commission on the Arts Fellowships. He exhibits his work both nationally and internationally. His art combines interests in craft, sculpture, metals & jewelry, video, gender and the concept of play. For more information about Doyle’s work, see: https://jcaseydoyle.com/

PERMANENT COLLECTION

Temporary Collection

VINYL-WRAPPED TRAFFIC SIGNAL BOXES

Artworks featured on vinyl-wrapped boxes have been a part of the City of Moscow’s temporary public art collection since 2012. This project provides public space for artists to share their two-dimensional work with the public, and beautifies street fixtures throughout the community. 

Each year, a selection panel chooses several artworks to be displayed at locations throughout Moscow for a period of up to 5 years. These works are enjoyed by Moscow’s visitors and residents alike, and have become a cherished element of the visual landscape. 

INTERMODAL TRANSIT CENTER SCULPTURE GARDEN

The Intermodal Transit Center Sculpture Garden was created by the City of Moscow Arts Department in 2012, and it provides art viewing opportunities for the public as well as exhibition space for emerging regional artists. Each year, a selection panel chooses sculptures to be displayed at the Sculpture Garden for approximately twelve months. These works are viewed by travelers utilizing the many modes of transportation supported by the Intermodal Transit Center.

BUS SHELTERS

Bus shelters throughout Moscow have featured artists’ designs since 2008. At the intersection of aesthetic and utilitarian function, these public artworks create a sense of place for those traveling through the city.

Portable Art Collection

The Portable Collection is comprised of over 80 works, which are prominently displayed in City of Moscow buildings. It represents a broad spectrum of artistic media and styles and reflects the City of Moscow’s commitment to the arts.