Art displayed in the Archives Building is part of the state's Art in Public Places program. Since its inception, contemporary art has been placed in state buildings all over Oregon. Freely accessible to the public, the works help to humanize and give meaning to the environments in which they are placed.

The works in the Archives Building were chosen by a committee composed of artists and art professionals, people who work in the building and representatives from the contracting agency. This group gave hours of time to the selection process which began with thoughtful dialogue about the building's function, who the users of the building would be and likely places for the art. The process ended with screening slides of work by hundreds of artists who expressed interest in the project.

All work selected for this building is "site specific," meaning it was commissioned for a particular place in the building. You will find art such as carved text taken from old state records; a tapestry depicting Oregon's resources and industries; or a glass wall piece reminding us, in the words of an Oregon poet, of our pioneer heritage. Some art is functional as well as beautiful, such as the display gate at the exhibit gallery entrance.

For narrative details on the artwork see:Art in the Archives Building​.

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