The City of Portland Public Art Committee has announced an open call for artists to submit qualifications for a new public artwork commission at the forthcoming Portland Harbor Common Park.
Construction on the park – to be located by the Ocean Gateway terminal and Maine State Pier near India Street – is expected to begin in March 2026, with an anticipated opening in September 2026.
The city is also preparing to undertake a naming process to rename the park.
According to the announcement, the Public Art Committee is seeking a work that honors, reflects, and celebrates Portland’s distinctive sense of place. With the city surrounded by water for millennia, the commission is intended to reflect Portland’s maritime heritage and the connection between water, land, and people, considering the past, present, and future.
The committee’s mission includes preserving, restoring, and enhancing Portland’s public art collection, while promoting the educational, cultural, economic, and general welfare of the city and its residents. Public art is incorporated whenever possible to complement and enhance city infrastructure projects.
The commission budget is set at up to $150,000 and includes the artist’s design and fee, fabrication, transportation, installation or installation oversight, and any artwork-specific lighting.
Artists are required to submit materials in PDF format via email to publicart@portlandmaine.gov by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, February 11, 2026. Additional information and submission guidelines are available through the Public Art Committee’s website or by contacting the committee directly at the same email address.
