In-Between

credit: Graphic Print Solutions

Look up! It’s new public art along NE Holladay Street. Titled “In-Between,” the banners are part of Portland’s Percent For Art program made possible by the new Oregon Convention Center parking structure. With text by Brooklyn-born artist, Hank Willis Thomas, and photographs by local artist, Intisar Abioto, the artwork transforms five utility poles in the street median to hold ten large banners, displayed in pairs. The exhibit kicks off an on-going art banner series that will be refreshed every six months with new works by different artists.


As the lead urban designer for the parking garage, it was such a rewarding experience to serve on the art selection committee with partners from the neighborhood, local artists, Portland Art Museum, Prosper Portland and Metro. Many thanks to Peggy Kendellen at the Regional Arts and Culture Council (RACC) for her vision and guidance throughout this process in the spirit of innovation. Through the synthesis of team brainstorming our committee discovered a path forward by questioning, “Who are we, how did we get here and where are we going?” all while dealing with a very visible, complex, and congested urban site. We have deep appreciation for both artists – Intisar Abioto and Hank Willis Thomas – for their melding of talents, curatorship of their combined works and synergy to bring this work to fruition. It’s not often we find a single installation speaking in such a clear voice to convey collaboration, respect, historic truth telling and beauty.

An International Study Tour of The Rain Garden

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A dozen years after completion, the Rain Garden at the Oregon Convention Center continues to draw national and international interest for its pioneering approach to stormwater management. As the lead designer, I recently led a tour of the site for a group of landscape architects from Beijing, China where designing visible, green infrastructure is in its infancy.

The independent practitioners and academics from the School of Architecture and Design of Beijing Jiaotong University were studying successful examples of integrated stormwater landscapes in Portland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

They were particularly impressed with the long term success and lessons learned from The Rain Garden, a series of vegetated basins that collects and treats stormwater from over 5.5 acres of roof area from the OCC expansion. It was essentially a large scale experiment at the time of its design and installation.RainGardenTour6MayerReedRainGardenTour2MayerReedAs we gathered among the chiseled basalt boulders in the spillways, the group took copious notes and photos and challenged me with questions: “How did you determine the size and depth of the basins? Where does the water drain to? What type of stone was used and where did it come from? Would you do it the same way if you were designing it now?”

I found myself drawn into their excitement for a project that I have come to take for granted among many prolific, sustainable stormwater projects in the Pacific Northwest. Nowadays, as rain gardens have become a character-defining feature of Portland, it’s heartening to recall that this bold, demonstration project did, in fact, help inspire a movement that is now acknowledged and emulated worldwide.RainGardenTour5MayerReedThe tour was organized by Hong Wu, Assistant Professor, Department of Landscape Architecture at Pennsylvania State University and Xiaojie Tian, Principal of LA Road Study Exchange Program and sponsored by the Landscape Architecture Frontiers Magazine of China.

Posted August 30, 2016
Written by: Teresa Chenney, FASLA
Categories: COMMUNITY  PROJECTS 

Installing Big Mister Twister at the Portland Children’s Museum

Four weeks of hard (but fascinating) work…4MayerReedDougherty
50+ volunteers…
2MayerReedDougherty350+ cubic yards of native vine maple branches harvested, stripped, sorted and woven…
7MayerReedDougherty…to create 9 sculptural rooms of magic.
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3MayerReedDoughertyArtist: Patrick Dougherty
The Outdoor Adventure at the Portland Children’s Museum

Posted: Aug 05, 2014
Written by: Teresa Chenney, FASLA
Posted August 05, 2014
Written by: Teresa Chenney, FASLA
Categories: EVENTS  PROJECTS 

A Museum with an Outdoor Adventure

PCMOutdoorAdventureRibbon_MROn Earth Day, April 22, the Portland Children’s Museum swung their gates wide to the new Outdoor Adventure. The museum invites children of all ages to explore this education-based, accessible, imagination-fueled, nature play space designed by Mayer/Reed.

From the moment the ribbon was cut, I witnessed energetic, gleeful children skipping, jumping and climbing throughout the space. The most adventurous scaled part-way up “Zoom” an enormous, open-branching cedar; while the rest scrambled around boulders and throughout the sloping meadows. Happy feet romped down trails and leaped from stone to stone in the little creek. Small hands sailed wooden boats down to a bridge, fashioned habitats of loose natural materials, and excavated for treasure in the sand pit.

PCMOutdoorAdventure_MRAs families filled the stone-lined amphitheater, warm tones of the marimba band rose from the lower pavilion, creating an irresistible urge to dance. As a landscape designer it’s always a joy to experience our completed projects in use, and this opportunity to see kids connect to nature is especially fulfilling.

Next up, throughout May, I get the chance to work with artist Patrick Dougherty on the new Stickworks installation at the lower Outdoor Adventure meadow. Stay tuned or come watch us bring to life a sculptural vision of the ultimate play environment!

Posted: May 19, 2014
Written by: Teresa Chenney, FASLA
Posted May 19, 2014
Written by: Teresa Chenney, FASLA
Categories: EVENTS  PROJECTS