Each year, the City of Moscow and the Moscow Arts Commission host a contest for regional artists as they search for three-dimensional pieces to be displayed in a one-year installation amongst the sculpture garden, which sits outside the Intermodal Transit Center on the University of Idaho campus.
“Moscow is a place where art is viewed as essential,” Megan Cherry, the arts manager of Moscow, said. “This is such an amazing trait of the community.”
The application to submit artwork is open until April 15, and can be found on the city’s Submittable page. Up to four pieces will be chosen for display in the garden from May 2026 to May 2027. A detailed list of requirements can be found on the application page.
Winners will also receive $1,000 as a means of compensation for the pieces they loan. This is to support contributors and is a very standard component of art-on-loan programs nationwide, Cherry said.
Following the founding of the ITC in 2012, the Moscow Arts Commission created the sculpture garden in 2015 to accompany the service that aims to provide accessible transportation services for the Moscow area
According to Moscow Arts Commission mission statement provided on their website, they work to “enrich the community by celebrating and cultivating the expression of all forms of art and culture,” which the sculpture garden embodies.
Their mission could not be upheld without involved community members such as Cherry, whose role keeps her at the center of the city’s art scene.
In 2010, Cherry began a career in public education, though she began to shift her focus to municipal public art in 2016. That interest in preserving and promoting the local artistic culture led her to fill the role of the arts manager, which she took on in 2018.
“I connect with community members regularly and I learn so much from those relationships. The people here in Moscow really are passionate about art, and that is what keeps the city’s arts programming alive and responsive to what the citizens want to see,” Cherry said.
Though not involved in choosing the winning sculptures herself, Cherry was clear in describing her favorite part of the selection process: appreciating art-based conversations.
“I love to observe the conversations that arise during the selection panel process. Art provokes the very best dialogues, and while I don’t vote on submissions, I do get to observe wonderful conversations as the selection panel facilitator,” Cherry said.
Paige Wilton can be reached at [email protected].