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04/03/2024 - Meeting Minutes ,`purl r4rr rr ERIN MENDENHALL LORENA RIFFO-JENSON MAYOR DIRECTOR rrrer ruu pN DEPARTMENT of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Salt Lake Art Design Board Meeting Wednesday,April 3rd, 2024 5:00 - 1:30pm PRESENT: Meggie Troili Tiffini Porter Colour Maisch Michael Mejia Staff Members Felicia Baca, Executive Director,Arts Council Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez, Public Art Program Manager,Arts Council Amy Childress, Public Art Program Coordinator,Arts Council Mariah Johnson, Marketing &Digital Content Coordinator EXCUSED: Angela Dean,Alex Moya, and Jen Lopez GUESTS: Kira Johnson, Salt Lake City Public Lands, Public Lands Planner Illan Averbuch, Donner Trail Park Finalist Sixto Codero (Forma Studio), Donner Trail Park Finalist Adam Kuby, Donner Trail Park Finalist Mission: To amplify art in Salt Lake City to enrich, enhance, and build a dynamic city where art and artists thrive. I. Call to Order, Introductions, and Welcome Ms. Tiffini Porter welcomed everyone to the meeting and stated the Art Design Board's mission. Everyone in attendance at the meeting introduced themselves. II. Approval of Previous Meetings' Minutes Ms. Colour Maisch put forward a motion to approve the March 6th and February 27th minutes as written. Mr. Michael Mejia seconded; all Board members present voted in favor. III.Donner Trail Park finalist presentations Mr. Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez Olmedo-Gonzalez did an overview of the Donner Trial Park public art project. The three finalists that the Board selected to create and present their site- specific proposals are Forma Studio,Adam Kuby, and Ilan Averbuch. The commission amount of$107,500 is funded through the Parks, Trails, and Open Spaces General Obligation (GO) Bond. Donner Park, along with other parks around Salt Lake City, are being reimagined by Public Lands, thanks to GO Bond funding. Donner Trail Park is located on the East Bench of Salt Lake City right at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. Public Lands conducted public engagement for how the community envisions the park and the incorporation of public art. Community members noted that they would like the art to be integrated into the landscape, to be calm and peaceful, and not distract from the nature of the site. The reimagined park will include a Memorial Tree Grove.A key component of this public art project is the integration of the commissioned into the landscape architecture design team. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez showed the project's artwork goals and had everyone in attendance read the artist's qualifications. The Board will select one finalist for recommendation to the Mayor for commission. Mr. Sixto Cordero from Forma Studio, Mr. Ilan Averbuch, and Mr.Adam Kuby gave their presentations on their site-specific proposals. Each finalist had 20 minutes to present their proposals. Mr. Cordero showed past projects Forma Studio has created and spoke about their collaboration with Metal Arts Foundry, a prominent metal and bronze foundry based in Lehi, Utah that works closely with artists around the country. Forma Studio proposed a public art project titled"Sikoo." "Sikoo"is inspired by the image of the sego lily. "Sikoo"is the Shoshone word for sego lily. The 10'5" sculpture is composed of a combination of stainless steel rods and tubes that are welded together to create a contemporary abstract shape inspired by the petals of the flower. Three options for how the sculpture could be integrated into the Memorial Tree Grove were presented.Additionally, the artist went over his budget, fabrication and installation methods, and project schedule. The Board expressed some concerns about mowing around the sculpture and the possibility of people climbing the structure, all of which were addressed by Public Lands staff and the artist. During his presentation, Mr.Averbuch showed work he has previously completed including one located in Herriman, Utah and another one in Promontory Point in Box Elder County, Utah. His works incorporates found and recycled materials. He presented his proposal, "Watershed," a 20' sculpture, rising to a sharp point, made of stone and steel. The lower portion widens, forming a 15"wide circular skirt. The stone form is raised 4 feet off the ground, carried by steel legs,bent to look like dancing figures. The sculpture looks the same from every point of view, however the landscape changes around it. Mr.Averbuch went over his budget, fabrication, and installation methods, and project schedule. The Board was curious how this piece would interact with the proposed Memorial Tree Grove and Mr. Averbuch responded to their questions accordingly. Mr. Kuby presented his project,with the working title"Journey Lines." Mr. Kuby was drawn to create an informal trail that spanned the entire park. Utilizing boulders sawn in half, landscape berms with steel retaining walls, and memorial tree plantings grouped around stones and berms, Mr. Kuby hopes to evoke the journey through mountains, canyons, and other spaces that many people took to get to Salt Lake City since its founding and provide visitors with an immersive, experiential feel. The central concept of the project is the migration to Salt Lake City by individuals across time. "Journey Lines"will be engraved onto the stones and steel retaining walls along with possibly a QR Code that leads to a website with stories and a map; each line will depict one person's journey to Salt Lake City. Mr. Kuby showed a video of a flythrough/walkthrough of the park to show how each piece would be spaced throughout the park. The board had questions about the QR code and the collection of personal stories that would potentially be on a website managed by the Public Art Program. Before the Art Design Board discussed the proposals, they decided to select an artist for recommendation as well as an internal alternate artist that would not be sent to the mayor unless the first artist fell through. The Art Design Board discussed the three proposals. Ms. Maisch stated that the strongest of the three proposals was Mr. Kuby's, since the proposed artwork incorporates the entire site, is well-integrated into the park, and doesn't impact the views. Ms. Maisch's second choice is Forma Studio. The Board agreed, finding Kuby's proposal subtle but conceptually interesting. Ms. Kira Johsnon, agreed, stating that Mr. Kuby's proposal creates an experience while allowing the spaces to be passive and contemplative. Ms. Johnson addressed concerns about Mr. Kuby's proposal requiring more maintenance over time, stating that maintenance won't be hard to handle. Ms. Johnson also had no concerns about incorporating the design into the landscape archicture design. The Board discussed Mr. Kuby's idea of incorporating personal stories onto a website. Ms. Maisch made a motion to recommend Adam Kuby to the Mayor for the Donner Park Trail commission and Mr. Mejia seconded; all Board members present voted in favor. Ms. Maisch made a motion that Forma Studio be the alternate artist and not be presented to the Mayor unless necessary, Mr. Mejia seconded; all Board members present voted in favor. IV. Iconic West Side Public Art Installation(s) Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez gave an update on the site selection and how the commission is going to look for the Iconic West Side Public Art Installation. Several factors were taken into consideration when choosing a site for this project, including accessibility,visibility, integration within the site, ongoing projects, budgets, and timelines. Through public engagement, 85 sites were siggested by community members as possible locations for this project. The most prominent locations identified by community members included parks and trails, particularly those along the Jordan River trail. The Public Art Program met and discussed this project with several different City Departments and Divisions about their future and ongoing. Through these conversations, the future Glendale Regional Park emerged as the best possible site for this project and outlined this recommendation to the Mayor. The total project budget will be about $500,000, as it includes the allocated $150,000 from the City Council for this project and $350,000 from the 1.5% for art from the Parks' GO Bond. The Public Art Program plans to release a national Request for Qualifications (RFQ) that will open for 6 weeks beginning in July. Finalist interviews will take place in November, and selected artists will be flown to Salt Lake City to meet the community. The Art Design Board will review the Request for Qualifications Call in June. V. Public Comment No public comment was received VI. Other Business /Adjourn Ms. Felicia Baca gave the Executive Director and Salt Lake City Arts Council updates. Ms. Mariah Johnson introduced herself to the Board; she is the new Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the Salt Lake City Arts Council. Ms. Baca spoke about the current budget season. The Arts Council is looking to increase funding for the City Arts grants and is exploring easier pathways for allowing murals within that funding stream. The budget will be adopted in June. Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez gave Public Art Program Updates. Wake the Great Salt Lake project grants are open till April 18th. Businesses, organizations, and individual artists can apply. This is Phase 1 of the project. Tiffani Porter will be the Art Design Board's representative for the Wake The Great Salt Lake Phase 1 selection committee Ms. Colour Maisch made a motion to close the meeting; Ms. Angela Dean seconded. All Board members present voted in favor. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 1st, 2024.