Taking a stroll through Redmond to discover sculptures tucked into parks,
neighborhoods, and public spaces offers a unique way to experience art without any admission fees. This free outdoor gallery lets people explore at their own pace, whether out for a morning walk or planning a dedicated art tour around town.
“What I like about public art,” sculpture artist Kirk Seese recently told the Source, “is that you don’t have to enter a gallery. It’s for everyone.”
Art Around the Clock program
Redmond’s Art Around the Clock program sits at the heart of Redmond’s public art offerings, featuring a changing collection of sculptures that artists loan to the city for two-year periods. Fresh installations have recently arrived for the city’s eighth round,
with many pieces found in the Kenyons Acreage/North Rim neighborhood. The well-maintained area, appreciated for its trails and parks, makes it simple to explore the artistic additions on foot.
Artists share their creative vision
Among the notable new additions this round is a geometric steel sculpture that draws the eye with its precise mathematical form. “Icosahedron,” Seese’s work, can be found at 5th Street and Deschutes Avenue. Seese began as a muralist but has discovered a passion for creating sculptures with an Art Deco twist. “The work before had been representational,” he says, “I wanted to do something different.”
The artist Diego Harris also works with metals, though his inspiration comes from nature. He says, “I particularly like spirals and have spent a lot of time trying to find ways to use them in my sculptures. I like the shapes of certain plants and tree branches, too. It could be most anything, though; I’m always trying to take in as much as I can from the natural world.” His piece “Fresh Sprig” is an example of his style, as it “represents a young spring shoot coming up through the soil.” Harris’s piece is on view in Hathaway Park.
Nature-inspired sculptures
Harris isn’t the only artist in the area drawing inspiration from nature and transforming industrial materials into organic forms. At the Redmond Fire Department, Paul Reimer’s “Transformations” uses recycled a railroad track hand-forged into an impressionist-style tree that represents the shift from industrial to greener living. Jenny Ellsworth’s “Blue” at Sam Johnson Park combines semi-truck transmission gears with a soft sphere to explore strength and harmony on our blue planet. Meanwhile, Ben Dye’s “Dog Walker” at Weigland Dog Park uses stainless steel plates to create a lightweight, abstract piece that plays with negative space to show the bond between humans and dogs.
How to get involved
There are several ways to get involved with Art Around the Clock. Artists can submit proposals when the next Call for Artists opens; round nine is expected to launch in two years. Submitted sculptures need to be portable and durable enough to withstand Central Oregon weather year-round.
When each new round begins, the Redmond Commission for Art in Public Places reaches out to artists with a call for new sculptures to borrow. The Commission reviews submitted proposals and places selected pieces around town for their two-year stay. As the exhibition period winds down, the Commission runs a People’s Choice contest in which Redmond residents vote for their favorite piece. The winning artist receives a cash prize, and their sculpture joins the city’s permanent collection. To date, 16 pieces have found permanent homes in Redmond’s collection, while the remaining sculptures return to their creators and make way for the next round.
Community members can enjoy exploring the sculptures placed throughout town, and during People’s Choice contests, locals can vote for their favorite piece. These contests help the Commission understand what resonates with residents, which shapes future selections.
The next People’s Choice contest is anticipated for 2027.
This article appears in Source Weekly July 10, 2025.
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