Introducing the Office of Arts & Culture’s Public Art Administrator, Eric Fredericksen

On the heels of a nationwide search that started in early 2025, Arts & Culture is excited to introduce its new Public Art Administrator, Eric Fredericksen. The first person to hold this role for the City of Portland, Fredericksen will oversee the management of the City of Portland’s 1,700-piece public art collection and guide the Percent for Art program to ensure that Portland’s public art reflects the city’s diversity, enriches civic spaces, and strengthens cultural vitality. 

“More than 150 applications came through for this role, and interviews with top candidates were extremely competitive,” said Arts & Culture Director Chariti Montez. “Ultimately, Eric’s experiences working with Indigenous and First Nations artists, his existing relationships with Portland-based arts and culture organizations, and his excitement around Portland’s art scene are what stood out. This role is a big deal for the City of Portland, and we know Eric will elevate our public art program.”

Working across bureaus, with community partners, contractors, and directly with artists, Fredericksen will have the unique opportunity to champion new policies, launch initiatives, and explore new ways to ensure that art remains at the center of public life for all Portlanders—the mission of the Arts & Culture office—through placemaking, arts activations, and supporting emerging artists. In particular, Fredericksen will also manage Arts & Culture’s contract with the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC), which provides public art collection management services for the City of Portland.

“The opportunity to join a newly formed office in a newly created role appealed to me—it’s a chance to build something new together,” said Fredericksen. “I’m looking forward to joining in the work to develop the Portland Action Plan and to work with our partners and the arts community to translate the aspirations of the cultural plan into practical applications.” 

Prior to joining the Arts & Culture team, Fredericksen was the Head of Public Art at the City of Vancouver, BC, where he managed public art policies, programs, and projects, with a focus on artist-led approaches to public art: extending open invitations for artists to propose ideas outside the limits of a predetermined site, theme, or medium. He also worked with public and private partners to dramatically increase the visibility and voice of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh First Nations on their unceded territories through art commissions in traditional and contemporary forms.

Fredericksen was previously the Waterfront Art Program Manager for the City of Seattle, where he commissioned significant public artworks by Ann Hamilton, Qwalsius - Shaun Peterson, Norie Sato, Buster Simpson, and Stephen Vitiello. As the founding director of Western Bridge, Seattle, he organized exhibitions and commissions from 2004 to 2012, and he began his career as a writer and editor at Architecture magazine and The Stranger. As an independent curator, he has curated exhibitions at the Contemporary Art Gallery, Or Gallery, and Artspeak, all in Vancouver; the Noorderzon Festival, Groningen, the Netherlands; and Open Satellite, Bellevue, Washington.