12/7/2022 - Meeting Minutes ERIN MENDENHALL to ir.' LORENA RIFFO-JENSON
MAYOR DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Salt Lake City Art Design Board Meeting
December 7, 2022
5:00—7:00 pm
Webex Online&Finch Lane Gallery
MINUTES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE PENDING APPROVAL
PRESENT: Tiffini Porter Meggie Troili Alejandro Moya
Michael Mejia Angela Dean Colour Maisch
Staff Members
Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez,Public Art Program Manager
Felicia Baca,Arts Council Director
Taylor Knuth,Arts Council Deputy Director
Brenda Alavez,Public Art Program Coordinator
EXCUSED: Jen Lopez
AGENDA
I. Call to Order and Welcome
Board Chair Ms. Meggie Troilli called the meeting to order.
II. Approval of November 2°d, 2022 Minutes
Ms. Angela Dean motioned to approve the minutes as written and Ms. Colour Maisch seconded the motion.
All Art Design Board Members voted in favor.
III. FY22-23 CIP-Funded Projects Site Selection
Mr. Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez reviewed the FY22-23 Public Art CIP Selection Process. The goal for today's
meeting will be to select up to three sites for public art funding,ideally one small scale,medium-scale,and one
large scale project. The Board will review a shortlist comprised of seven projects that received the highest
scores,based on a ranking by the Board accomplished prior to the meeting. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez identified
two projects as being the highest ranked in the shortlist: Engineering's Public Way Concrete and
Transportation's 500 North Traffic Calming Measures.
Ms. Felicia Baca informed the Board that the top two projects align with the goals of the Salt Lake City Arts
Council. The Public Way Concrete project would be a small-scale project that could be a good opportunity for
commissioning emerging artists and/or those without previous public art experience, in addition of getting
more public art in more districts. The Traffic Calming Measures aligns with the programmatic goal of placing
more artworks in District 1.Additionally,the project area(500 North and 1400 West)is close in proximity to
North Temple corridor, a high-priority area for the City.
Ms. Tiffin Porter expressed concerns over receiving pushback from the community about what kind of public
art could go into the Traffic Calming Measures.Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez noted that—should this project be
selected—community outreach and feedback would be an essential part of the process that would ultimately
inform the kind of art to be placed there. There is a roundabout and a concrete median that could be good sites
for a sculpture or other three-dimensional artwork and would have a positive impact on the community.
With the Public Way Concrete, Ms. Maisch liked the idea of incorporating literary artists into the stamped
concrete project and possibly different languages. The Board agreed that this project would have a bigger city
impact as it could be implemented across many districts and could even be personalized for individual
neighborhoods.
For the third project the Board discussed Public Lands' Memorial Tree Groves and Liberty Park Basketball
Court projects as the projects with the next highest rankings.
Specific site locations have not yet been confirmed for Memorial Tree Groves, but Public Lands has
determined that the project would be divided into two areas: one west side and one east side location. Mr.
Olmedo-Gonzalez noted that there has not been any public art projects within District 6 in the last five-plus
years and that a location for one of the Memorial Tree Grove sites could be within District 6. Ms.Porter noted
that the open-ended nature of the project could allow for very creative or unique artwork. The Board noted that
they would like to reconsider this project during its FY23-24 CIP Site Selection process.
Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez noted that Liberty Park Basketball Court would be very easy to implement as it would
follow almost the same process as the recently commissioned Poplar Grove Sports Court Surface Mural
project. This would be a very visible project as it is a well-used court. There is also potential for a partnership
with outside partners, such as the Utah Jazz,to provide further amenities like benches or landscaping.
Given the premature stage in the development of the Memorial Tree Groves project,the Liberty Court
Basketball Court's ease of implementation was favored by most of the Board.
After further deliberation,Ms. Maisch made a motion to select Traffic Calming Measures, Public Way
Concrete, and Liberty Park Basketball Court as the selected three projects.Mr. Mejia Seconded.All Board
members voted in favor.
IT. Deaccession Reports and Recommendations
The following two artworks were discussed for recommendation to Mayor Mendenhall for deaccession from
the Public Art Collection, as determined by the Public Art Program's Artwork Deaccessioning Policy and
Guidelines(adopted by the Sal Lake Art Design Board on December 2,2021).
a.) Untitled(Modesto Park) (2002)by Paul Heath,Linda Nowlin, Louise Fischman,Wayne Geary
Untitled at Bend in the River is part of a 2002 collaborative project between four artists(Paul Heath,
Linda Nowlin,Louise Fischman,and Wayne Geary)located in Modesto Park. The artwork is divided
into two different locations along the Jordan River. The artwork in question is the bench located at
Modesto Park.
The bench has needed constant cleaning due to the prevalence of vandalism and vagrancy in the area.
While the mosaic pavers and other portions of this artwork will remain at Modesto Park,the bench has
become particularly unsightly and too difficult to maintain due to its obscured location. Earlier this
year,the Public Art Program met with Parks&Public Lands and determined that removal is the best
option, after repeated and costly repairs have proved ineffective. The artwork is currently being
removed by Public Lands staff. During its discussion,the Art Design Board noted that deaccession of
this artwork was necessary because of issues associated with unsheltered populations seeking refuge in
City-built infrastructure.
Ms. Maisch motioned to recommend the deaccession of Untitled at Bend in the River. Mr. Mejia
seconded the motion. All Board members voted in favor.
b)Sugar House Benches (2008)by Eric Thelander
The Sugar House Benches by Eric Thelander were designed for the sidewalks of the Sugar House
Business District in 2008.
Due to poor craftsmanship and lack of structural integrity,the Sugar House Benches are recommended
for deaccession and removal. In 2020,a conservation assessment of our public art collection found that
the condition of the three remaining benches was very poor,noting them as unsightly,and deaccession
was recommended as a course of action. Deterioration of the concrete and peeling of the rhino coating
is evident on all frames. Additionally,there is graffiti on the benches. Other issues include cracks,rust,
chips, discoloration, and staining.
Mr. Moya motioned to recommend the deaccession of Sugar House Benches. Ms. Maisch seconded
the motion. All Board members voted in favor.
V. Public Comment
None.
VI. Other Business/Adjourn
Ms. Maisch asked Ms. Baca for an update on Seven Canyons Fountain at Liberty Park.Ms. Baca informed the
Board of the numerous safety issues surrounding the piece and that there were still ongoing discussions on
what the best solution would be for refurbishing or replacing the fountain.
Ms. Porter motioned to adjourn the meeting. Ms. Maisch seconded the motion.All Board members voted in
favor.