9/6/2023 - Meeting Minutes (2) y
ERIN MENDENHALL LORENA RIFFO-JENSON
MAYOR DIRECTOR
DEPARTMENT of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Salt Lake Art Design Board Meeting
Wednesday, September 6, 2023
5:00 - 6:20pm
Webex Online
PRESENT: Colour Maisch Angela Dean Alex Moya
Meggie Troili Jen Lopez Michael Mejia
Tiffini Porter
Staff Members
Taylor Knuth,Arts Council Deputy Director
Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez, Public Art Program Manager
Amy Childress, Public Art Program Coordinator
EXCUSED: N/A
GUESTS: Makaylah Maponga, Salt Lake City Public Lands
Lance Lavizzo, Hard-N-Paint Basketball (community stakeholder)
Lindsay Huss,Liberty Park Basketball Court finalist
Joseph Toney,Liberty Park Basketball Court finalist
Andrew Rice,Liberty Park Basketball Court finalist
I. Call to Order/Welcome, Introductions
Ms. Meggie Troili welcomed everyone to the meeting and stated the Art Design Board
Mission. Mr. Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez welcomed Ms.Amy Childress, the new Public
Art Program coordinator. He then asked everyone attending the meeting to introduce
themselves.
II. Approval of August end, 2023 Minutes
Ms. Tifini Porter stated that in the draft of the August end, 2023 minutes she was
listed as in attendance but was actually absent. Ms.Amy Childress will fix the
minutes. Ms. Colour Maisch made a motion to approve the minutes with that
proposed change. Mr.Alex Moya seconded.All board members voted in favor.
III. Liberty Park Basketball Court Finalist Presentations &Recommendation
to Mayor for Commission
Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez went over the background of the project. Ms. Makaylah
Maponga reported that Liberty Park Sports Court was nearly halfway done and was
scheduled to be completed next week. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez went through the artist
commission details, schedule, and artist selection process. Each finalist will have io
minutes for their presentation and io minutes for questions &answers with the
Board and stakeholders.After the presentations, the Art Design Board will select one
artist to recommend to the Mayor. The Board will also select one alternate artist in
case the selected artist is not able, for whatever reason, to go under contract with the
City to carry out the project. The name and proposal of the alternate artists will not be
sent to the Mayor. Before each presentation, Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez introduced all
meeting attendees to each artist.
a. Lindsay Huss Presentation &Discussion
Ms. Lindsay Huss started her presentation with a brief introduction of herself. She
then talked about a conversation she had with project stakeholder, Mr. Lance
Lavizzo, about the culture around the sports court and the community members
who use it. She wanted to bring something inclusive that would work for a wide
demographic of people and encompass the culture of street ball. She mentioned
that in her conversation with Mr. Lavizzo, he indicated strong elements of fashion,
music, street art, graffiti, and breakdancing as present within street ball culture.
Ms. Huss showed three different designs incorporating these various elements.
Her final proposal was a version that accommodated both aesthetic goals and the
project's scope, scale, and budget.
During the discussion portion, Ms. Jen Lopez stated that she liked Lindsey's
penultimate design, which included more detail and an additional color, and
asked if Lindsey had done a cost projection for that design. Ms. Huss said she had
done a cost projection and stated that the design would cost around $4,000 more
in materials and $2,000 more in labor. Mr.Alex Moya asked if we had the option
to color the inside of the court. Mr. Olmedo- Gonzalez explained that once the
contractors have finished building the court, they will paint a base color, which
could be selected by the artist. Ms. Meggie Troili asked if the mural will need
maintenance in the next 5 years. Mr. Olmedo- Gonzalez explained that the artists
will be required to work with a certain type of paint because it is specifically made
for outdoor sports courts; no major maintenance concerns were anticipated.
Because of the court's anticipated high usage, but in accordance with CIP funding
rules, the Public Art Program is guaranteeing the artwork to remain in site for a
period of at least five years but there weren't any plans—either by Public Lands or
the Public Art Program—to remove it upon five years.
b. Joseph Toney Presentation &Discussion
Mr. Joseph Toney started his presentation with a brief introduction of himself. He
said that what draws him most to Salt Lake City is the intersection of urban and
wild. He showed previous work he has done in different states throughout the US.
Mr. Toney stated that his goals for the court were to create something visually
engaging, create a sense of identity, foster pride, and promote inclusiveness. One
thing he loves about Liberty Park is that it is used by everyone. For his mural, he
wanted to create something that wasn't representative of one specific group. He
talked about his process of generating imagery. The concept for his mural was to
start with the views he sees from Liberty Park, which is the Wasatch Mountain
Range, and then zoom in on them until they are abstracted. Mr. Toney showed the
Board several mural ideas he had created and then showed two mural concepts
that fit within the project's budget and timeline. Mr. Toney explained that he had
had several conversations with a paint supplier company, Sports Master, to
research the best way to paint the court. He explained the process he would use to
paint his mural. Mr. Toney provided two budgets, one for the perimeter of the
court, and one for a proposed mural that would address the interior of the court.
Mr. Toney then asked the Board to consider raising the budget for the project and,
instead of commissioning a perimeter court mural as already established, create a
mural addressing the court's playable surface. Mr. Toney then showed the Board
mock-ups of a full interior court murals he had designed.
Ms. Troili asked if the colors Mr. Toney showed in his proposal are colors already
supplied by Sports Master; Mr. Toney confirmed that they are. Mr. Toney
conveyed a concern that that inside of the court would be painted a color that
would not match or complement the colors in his proposed perimeter mural. Ms.
Makaylah Maponga stated that the Board and the Arts Council will be allowed to
choose the base color of the perimeter and interior of the sports court. Ms. Lopez
asked what the viability of being able to secure additional funding may be, if it is
possible, and asked Mr. Toney,based on his experience, what the feasibility of
getting more funding is, considering our timeline. Mr. Toney stated that he would
be open to talking to other companies or corporate organizations to get more
funding for the project. Mr. Taylor Knuth clarified that being able to paint the
interior of the basketball court is not an issue of funding but an issue of complying
with City code and ordinance. Salt Lake City's Sign Ordinance states that a mural
may not advertise a business, and since the Utah Jazz logo will be placed in the
center of the court, the Arts Council developed this public art project on the
perimeter as to not intercede with existing City rules. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez stated
that before the partnership with the Utah Jazz materialized, the Arts Council had
considered commissioning a mural for the interior of the sports courts, but Public
Lands requested the mural to be along the perimeter. Ms. Maponga explained that
in a previous survey done by Public Lands for a similar project, constituents
indicated concern for visibility of the lines within the playable surfaces and did not
want the interior of the court to be painted. Ms. Tiffini Porter asked if Mr. Toney
would still be interested in the project if the mural stayed on the perimeter of the
court. Mr. Joseph Toney said he was, but only if the interior color of the court
matched the mural.
c. Andrew Rice Presentation &Discussion
Mr.Andrew Rice joined the meeting virtually and gave his presentation. Mr. Rice,
acknowledged that he was instructed to develop a simpler proposal, but was
unable to present something simple. Mr. Rice stated that he wanted to make an
artwork that would represent his studio work but would also appeal to a broader
audience. His most recent work is in a comic book collage style that's very bold in
color and intricate in detail. He wanted to utilize familiar scenes like mountains
and included a loose representation of the Wasatch Front in his proposal. He was
aiming to represent the energy and"explosiveness of being on the basketball
court." He was focused on creating a design that was reflective of the community
using this outdoor basketball court and how it encourages street ball. He did a lot
of research on sports court paint and was able to talk with Sports Master on how
to utilize and apply the paint to create the mural.
Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez asked Mr. Rice if he had estimated the amount the time it
would take him to paint the mural. Mr. Rice estimated 50-6o hours to paint the
murals. Mr. Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez asked if he did research on paint
application methods and how he could he achieve the level of detail he has
included in his proposal. Mr. Rice said he did confirm that it was possible to use
the sport court paint with regular paintbrushes. Ms. Lopez asked how many colors
the mural will require. Mr. Rice stated it would be g different colors total. Mr.
Olmedo-Gonzalez made the comment that the timeline is short because of the
weather and that paint would need to cure at 5o degrees or higher. If the weather
is too cold, the mural installation will have to be postponed. Ms. Colour Maisch
asked Mr. Rice if his painting time would take about 2 plus weeks. Mr.Andrew
Rice is hoping to paint 10-12-hour days and complete the mural in 8-10 days. Mr.
Moya asked if Mr. Rice would be open to leaving out the text in his design. Mr.
Andrew Rice is open to suggestions for altering his design.
d. Project Discussion and Recommendation to Mayor for Commission
Ms. Porter stated that Ms. Huss would be the most likely to succeed and execute
her proposal.Although she enjoyed Mr. Toney's design, she expressed concern
about his willingness to complete the project as already delineated because of his
strong opinions on what the project, in his opinion, should be. Ms. Troili and Ms.
Maisch feel Mr. Rice's proposal is too complicated and that he would have a hard
time executing it under the budget and timeline. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez pointed
out that Mr. Rice's design included the most detail, and because of this, there is
very little room for error. Ms. Lopez pointed out that she preferred Lindsay's
penultimate design because it was eye catching, the colors were great, and it was
representative of the constituents who frequently use the court at Liberty Park.
Ms. Troili brought up concerns about how Mr. Rice would execute his mural due
to how detailed it is. She is also concerned about Ms. Huss' design and how the
elements she incorporated into her designs from her conversation with Lance
Lavizzo were seemingly missing from her final design, which was significantly
more abstracted. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez suggested he could ask Lindsey to make
changes, however the board will have to vote that they approve the design without
seeing the final version. Mr. Lavizzo conveyed he felt very heard by Lindsey during
their conversations. The Board and Mr. Lavizzo discussed suggestions for altering
Ms. Huss' design. Ms. Maisch made a motion to recommend Ms. Huss for
commission, while requesting a few changes. Mr. Moya seconded the motion.All
Board members present voted unanimously in favor. Ms.Angela Dean made a
motion to select Mr. Rice as the alternate artist. Ms. Maisch seconded the motion.
All Board members present voted unanimously in favor.
IV. Public Comment
a. None
V. Other Business /Adjourn
a. Public Art Program Updates
i. The Arts Council and the Mayor met with the Bloomberg team for a final
interview for Bloomberg Philanthropies' Public Art Challenge, in which Salt
Lake City is currently a finalist. Mr. Knuth commended Mr. Olmedo-
Gonzalez on his performance during the interview. The Arts Council will be
notified of its status by late October.
ii. CIP/Percent-for-Art funding will be different this year. Three projects that
specifically mention art within them and were funded by City Council.
iii. Mr. Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez asked the Board to spread the word about
the 50o North/Fairpark Public Art project and the Iconic West Side public
art installation(s) engagement efforts.
b. Ms. Dean made a motion to close the meeting; Ms. Maisch seconded.All board
members present voted in favor.
c. Next meeting: Wednesday, September 7th, 2003, 5:00 - 7:00 pm.