Roundabout art in Bend is ubiquitous, making it easy to take for granted. But there was a time in the not-so-distant past when the arts were not supported in Bend. The impetus of Art in Public Places, a nonprofit that runs the roundabout art program, began with a group of women with a desire to make art more accessible.

“It started originally as Art Now, which was a group of women who got together in the mid-60s because there were no galleries in Bend at that time and no place for people to access art,” said Sue Hollern, member of the board of directors at Art in Public Places.

Hollern said the group began with pot shows, “which had a very different connotation than it does now.” Ceramics were sold at the pot shows, which featured mostly Portland artists at the time, she said. The artists were well-received by the community and successful in selling their work, according to Hollern.

The idea of introducing art into roundabouts came from Hollern’s husband and chairman at Brooks Resources, Mike Hollern. The group had already made public art contributions at that time, such as “Art,” the man on the bench on the corner of Wall Street and Franklin Avenue in downtown Bend.

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Bend’s most recent roundabout art installation

Presently, 21 sculptures are installed across Bend. Two of the first to be installed were “Grizzly” by Montana-based artist Sherry Sander at Franklin Avenue and Ninth Street and the sculptures of a deer family known as “Big Ears” by Joe Halko at Simpson Avenue and 14th Street in 2001.

“You and I” by Joshua Wiener, installed in May at Brookswood Boulevard and Powers Road, is the most recently installed piece of roundabout art.

The piece is composed of five figures that appear to be in motion, formed out of heavy-gauge steel. Wiener said the material is ideal for the High Desert because as rust coats the outside, it forms a seal that protects the steel and as result requires little maintenance.

At the time The Bulletin interviewed Wiener he was attending the MARBLE/marble Symposium, a stone sculpting symposium deep in the mountains between Crested Butte and Aspen, and the phone call reached him on a tool shed phone.

Wiener said he has produced art for about six other roundabouts, which provided him with experience to draw on as he created “You and I.” The sculpture is inspired by the community of Bend, with “this undercurrent of the joy of being outside,” Wiener said, who is based in Boulder.

“You and I” takes into consideration the nature of how an audience views roundabout art.

“Your audience moves in a controlled fashion. Because of that, you could animate a sculpture,” he said. “If you stagger a series of objects, it gives a sense of activity, they’re overlapping or coming closer. They’re falling away, the juxtaposition of one to the next shifts.”

The next piece of art to be installed is “Golden Squirrel’s Wondrous World,” by Michael Stutz, in September at Empire Avenue and Purcell Boulevard. The 24-foot sculpture features a rolling wheel framed by woven steel with a golden squirrel sitting on top. The wheel represents the routine of daily life, and the steel is a nod to the timber mills of Bend’s past.

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The tallest roundabout art in Bend

Seattle-based artist John Fleming designed “High Desert Spiral,” the tallest roundabout piece in Bend, rising to 39 feet. Fleming mostly works in steel because he appreciates its organic quality. “High Desert Spiral” is composed of 60 steel blades, each 10 feet long, and painted yellow. The sculpture was designed to emulate the core of a basalt volcano.

“It’s a piece I’ve very proud of,” Fleming said.

Fleming, who has a 20-year-long career in architecture, was impressed by the degree to which Art in Public Places was supportive throughout the process. The art committee connected him with fabricator Jeff Wester, owner and operator at Ponderosa Forge & Ironworks Inc. in Sisters. Wester and Fleming have since developed a strong working relationship and have created approximately seven other projects around the West together, Fleming said.

However, Fleming, accepts no piece of art will be universally loved.

During the 2013 installation of “High Desert Spiral,” a man who lived near the roundabout pulled over his car. As Fleming proudly looked up at his newly installed artwork, he said the man said to him, “Could you have done anything more ugly?”

Who pays for Bend’s roundabout art?

One of the biggest misconceptions about roundabout art in Bend is how the project is funded.

“Art in Public Places is generously funded by the Bend Foundation as well as private donations from citizens,” said Romy Mortensen, president of Art in Public Places.

The art is gifted to the city of Bend and Bend Park & Recreation District by the nonprofit organization, said Marcelene Trujillo, administrative assistant at Art in Public Places.

The nonprofit additionally contributes 5% of the total cost of the art to the city to help with maintenance for the first five to 10 years.

A second pervading myth is that all roundabouts in Bend will have sculptures. Art in Public Places does not possess the resources to install art in all of the roundabouts in Bend, so it has been intentional about the roundabouts in which it has installed art.

“We really wanted to have high impact. So we tried to pick ones that were going to have so much traffic flow,” Trujillo said.

“It’s also important to us to make sure that all areas of town have roundabouts. We want to make sure the north, south, east and west were represented,” Mortensen said.

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Take a roundabout driving tour

The easiest way to catch a glimpse of all the roundabout art in Bend is with Visit Bend’s Roundabout Art Route. Visit Bend has created a map with hard copies available at the Bend Visitor Center on the corner of Oregon Avenue and Lava Road, or available to download from Visit Bend’s website.

“It gives folks the opportunity to go throughout town and experience these roundabouts and learn a little bit about each of them,” Mortensen said.

Another great resource for learning more about the Roundabout Art Route is the website for Art in Public Places, which features information about the organization and the roundabout artists.

Mortensen’s favorite moments are witnessing passersby interact with public pieces, such as “Art.”

“Oftentimes, there’s a dog that’s sitting right next to him and they’re taking family photos and everyone’s laughing and smiling. He’s just such an interactive piece of art. It’s really a joy to see how people have embraced him,” Mortensen said.

The Roundabout Art Route is a defining characteristic of the city of Bend.

“Accessibility to art and the outdoors are trademarks of our city, and we are grateful for these tributes to Bend’s heritage, artistic talent and historic moments gracing areas of our everyday lives,” said Kevney Dugan, CEO of Visit Bend.