An artistic gateway to the city, Hillsboro’s Bridge of Land & Sky was selected as one of CODAawards 2024 Top 100 projects from around the globe this August. Spanning the length of the Brookwood overpass over Highway 26, Bridge of Land & Sky consists of two undulating steel ribbons, inspired by the topography of the Tualatin Hills. The functional public art piece, designed by artist Cliff Garten, provides an elegant alternative for what would otherwise have been a standard chain-link fence for safety. The CODAawards, short for Collaboration of Design & Art, honor international projects that seamlessly incorporate commissioned art into architectural, interior or public spaces. A select jury evaluates entries to determine the top 100 projects each year that exemplify innovative design and artistic integration, and the Hillsboro installation was awarded the top prize in the "Team of the Year" category.
Cheryl Catterall, former creative director of Canadian multimedia entertainment company Moment Factory, praised the installation for its visionary composition. “The technical complexity of transforming a security barrier into something that expresses the landscape, coupled with the curated light show that brings it to life, is truly remarkable,” Catterall said. Bridge of Land & Sky stands out as one of the few highway overpasses in the state that has been transformed into a public art piece, visible to 60,000 motorists who pass beneath it daily. “Here, infrastructure is a reflection of its environment, functioning to fulfill our needs as well as our desires for beauty in our everyday activity,” the city of Hillsboro said in a release. Installed in 2023, the Bridge of Land & Sky came to fruition through a collaboration between the city of Hillsboro, the Oregon Department of Transportation and Washington County.