Another piece has been added to the city’s public art collection.

The City Council on Monday approved new “seating sculptures” for the Bayside Trail.

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Late Monday, councilors approved this design by SkyeDesign Studios for seating sculptures along the Bayside Trail. SkyeDesign Studios

Terry DeWan, a member of the city’s Public Art Committee, which recommended the design, said the seating will add light and creativity to Bayside, putting the design on par with the city’s so-called Jewel Box bus shelter on Congress Street.

“This is meant to be an interactive piece of art,” DeWan said.

City Councilor David Marshall, who also serves on the art committee, said the design was the result of a long, thorough search.

The committee issued a request for proposals in 2010, but that didn’t produce an attractive design. The group reissued a request for qualifications last year, which led to the winning design from SkyeDesign Studios, of Washington, D.C.

“Art is in the eye of the beholder,” Marshall said “Some people will see this as art. Some people will see it as just benches.”

Public art has been hit or miss in the city. Portland officials recently removed the “Tracing the Fore” sculpture from Boothby Square after receiving complaints by merchants and residents. There are 28 pieces in the city’s art collection.

The wavy, wooden seating, which is expected to cost about $42,500, is expected to be installed sometime this fall. Two benches will be installed facing each other in the Elm Street plaza near Trader Joe’s, and another will be placed near Planet Dog on Franklin Street.

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