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10/04/2023 - Meeting Minutes ERIN MENDENHALL rn ;'',-� LORENA RIFFO-JENSON MAYOR i DIRECTOR DEPARTMENT of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Salt Lake Art Design Board Meeting Wednesday, October 4, 2023 5:00 - 7:00pm Zoom 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: Jasmine Walto, Director of Community Initiatives and Marketing, NeighborWorks Salt Lake Meghan Leether, Engineer IV, Salt Lake City Public Services I. Call to Order,Welcome, and Introductions Ms. Meggie Troili welcomed everyone to the meeting and stated the Art Design Board Mission. Mr. Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez asked everyone attending the meeting to introduce themselves. II. Approval of September 6th, 2023 Minutes (Action) Mr. Michael Mejia put forward the motion to approve the minutes as written. Ms. Colour Maisch seconded the motion and all Board members present voted in favor. III.5oo North/Fairpark Traffic Calming Measures Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez provided the meeting attendees with a project overview and background for the Soo North/Fairpark Traffic Calming Measures public art opportunity. Due to vehicles moving at higher speeds along Soo North, the City implemented a series of traffic calming measures in the Fairpark neighborhood, from Redwood Road to 1200 West. At the center of these measures is located a small traffic circle located on 50o North and 1300 West and three splitter islands located on Soo North and 1200 West. These have been chosen as the best suited sites within the area for the integration of public art. Ms. Megan Leether, the City's Transportation Engineer who implemented this project, stated that for another project she is working on within the area, she has been traveling along Soo North frequently and that the calming measures appear to be effective. She also said that the traffic circle and the splitter islands are built on top of the existing asphalt and that anything heavy would require an additional foundation. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez went over each location site: the traffic circle is the primary site for a public art project but if budget permits, artists can propose something for the splitter traffic islands. He then went over the project schedule, which is anticipated to be completed by next year. The Board will choose three finalists to develop site-specific proposals and present these to the Board during their December meeting. The Art Design Board then read the Artwork Goals of the project, which among other important items, requests the artist to highlight in their proposal the history, identity, diversity, and spirit of the Fairpark neighborhood. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez went over Artist Qualifications and emphasized the prior community engagement efforts that went into informing this project. The Public Art Program and the City's Civic Engagement Team received 247 individual responses for the project survey they created for this project. Ms. Jasmin Walton, a project stakeholder from NeighborWorks Salt Lake, talked about the diversity of the neighborhood and stated that a good reflection of the neighborhood is something that is vibrant and culturally responsive. She wants to make sure that the artist that is commissioned is open to feedback from the community and has cultural competency to work with diverse communities. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez went over the process of the discussion of the artist shortlist,which was created from the previously received scores from the Board and project stakeholders. In total, 16 artists submitted their qualifications for this public art opportunity. Mr. Olmedo- Gonzalez reviewed all 16 artists, starting with the 6 shortlist artists (those with highest scores). The shortlist is comprised of Day Christensen, Patrick Sullivan, Tooza Design (Rob and Shelley Beishline), Lenka Konopasek, William Littig and Nate Shrok, and Matt Monson. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez asked the Board if anyone wanted to talk about artists who didn't make the shortlist. Mr. Mejia wanted to further discuss Sara Serratos, an artist that even though received a low score due to a lack of previous, applicable experience, he found her work to be some of the most interesting work in the whole group. Ms. Maisch and Ms. Troili agreed with Mr. Mejia, but Ms. Troili pointed out that her lack of experience in this scope of work doesn't align with the project goals. Based on the survey results and stakeholder scores, Ms. Troili wanted to revisit Richard Prazen. Ms. Walton wanted to revisit Chuck Barrett. The Board expressed a certain level of concern by the fact that Mr. Berrett is primarily a muralist and this project requires more of a 3D structure. Ms. Leether stated safety concerns of having a piece of art like a mural implemented at the site,which could potentially draw pedestrians to the traffic circle or splitters. The Board decided to focus on just the shortlist. The board was impressed by Day Christen's past work and liked that it was representative of the neighborhood; his previous artwork Dairy Cats is located nearby in Rose Park. The Board found Patrick Sullivan's work very interesting, monolithic with a mural-like quality. Ms. Jen Lopez was worried that the style might invite graffiti. The board is worried the style won't resonate with the community. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez pointed out that Patrick Sullivan has never been commissioned by the Salt Lake City Public Art Program. Ms. Tiffini Porter conveyed her thoughts that Tooza Design would be successful in executing this project. The Board had a brief discussion on the importance of the stakeholder survey and community input from the neighborhood when it comes to this project. The board found Lenka Konopasek's work playful,whimsical, and representational. They found the work of William Littig's fusion of abstract and representational,very appropriate. The Board started discussing which artists would comprise their top three.After some discussion, they decided not to advance Tooza Design to the top three; there was no opposition from the stakeholders. Ms. Troili stated that her top two were Day Christensen, and Lenka Konopasek. The Board was interested to know when the last time each artist had been commissioned by the Public Art Program and how many pieces they had in the collection. The Board showed interest in Matt Monsoon, since he comes from a mural background but demonstrated his capability of implementing a project like this one based on the submitted materials within his application. The Board was concerned with William Littig's submission since he did not include any examples of Nate Shrok's work. Mr. Mejia stated that Day Christensen and Lena Konopasek were his top two but is also interested in Sara Serratos and what she might propose. Ms. Porter seconded Mr. Mejia's interest in Sara Serratos'work. Most of the board was concerned with Sara Serratos'lack of experience within this scope of work. Ms.Walton agreed with the Board. She asked, as a stakeholder, that the Board consider choosing a finalist that lives in the community or has shown diversity in mediums within their work. Ms. Troili stated her final three would be Day Christensen, Lenka Konopasek, and Matt Monson. Based on community feedback, she would like to provide an opportunity for a muralist. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez stated that there was contingency funds in the project's budget for the board to pick four finalists, if they wanted to provide Sara Serratos an opportunity to develop a proposal. The Board was unanimous in its decision to advance two artists—Day Christensen and Matt Monson—and took a vote between William Littig and Lenka Konopasek. Mr.Alex Moya asked the rest of the Board who would consider having a fourth finalist. Ms.Angela Dean proposed to request proposals from Day Christensen, Lenka Konopasek, and Matt Monson. Ms. Porter Seconded the motion. There was no opposition from the stakeholders.All Board members present voted unanimously in favor. IV. Public Comment No public comment was received. V. Other Business /Adjourn Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez confirmed that the Board will continue to meet on the first Wednesday of every month during 2024. He then informed the Board that they will be reviewing RFQs every other month next year, as well as an RFQ over winter break this year. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez went over the schedule for the monthly meetings for 2024. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez updated the board on the Liberty Park Sport Courts Mural,which has been delayed to Spring 2024. Several of the Art Design Board Members are up for renewal in 2024 and 2025. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez will reach out to those members individually in the coming months. Ms. Maisch made a motion to close the meeting; Mr. Moya seconded.All Board members present voted in favor. Next meeting: TBD