Jorge Pardo's newest public art piece, to be dedicated in North Portland (photo Jeff Jahn)

Public art is perhaps the thorniest of all fine art forms but sometimes it really works. Today the internationally renown artist Jorge Pardo will be in Portland to dedicate his first such municipal commission at 11:00 at the triangle of Wheeler and Weidler streets in the Rose Quarter.

The functional sculpture on the new streetcar line consists of, "Fabricated of steel, wood and fiberglass, the new shelter measures 35' long by 18' wide by 16' tall. The multi-faceted structure includes over 300 individual panels in vibrant shades of orange, yellow, red and grey." It functions as a rain shelter but within it creates a kind of sunshine that we sometimes have very little of around here in the Pacific Northwest.

Pardo will also be speaking at 6:00 at the nearby Left Bank Annex (101 N. Weidler). Both events are free and open to the public.