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Home My WebLink About02/18/2026 - Meeting Minutes SALT LAKE CITY ARTS N'41�0100F' co U C I L Salt Lake City Arts Council Board Meeting Minutes February 18th, 2026 5:30—7:00 P.M. 54 Finch Lane— SLC, Utah 84102 ATTENDANCE: Board Members in Attendance: • Jeff Driggs • Matthew Coles • Nick Pedersen Board Members in Attendance Online: • Cuauhtemoc"C-moc" Sandoval • Ryan Canter • Kathy Davis • Ignacio Rosenberg • Caitlin Tursic • Lana Taylor • Travis English • Sabrina Martinez • Anthony Wright • Pablo Cruz-Ayala Board Members Excused: • Gabriella Huggins • Hannah Nielsen • Eugenie Hero Jaffe • Denise Begue Board Members Not In Attendance, Unexcused: N/A Council/City Staff/Public in Attendance: • Felicia Baca,Arts Council Executive Director • Laurel Cannon Alder,Arts Council Deputy Director(online) • Lindsey Day,Art Council Office Facilitator • Spencer Madanay, Special Projects Analyst—Boards&Commissions, RCO's(online) • Sylvia Richards, Public Policy Analyst(online) • Lucas Horns, Program Director for The Blocks • Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez, Public Art Program Manager MISSION: To promote,present and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement. SALT LAKE CITY ARTS C 0 U C I L AGENDA I. Call to Order and Welcome Guests • Mr. Coles called the meeting to order and reminded the board to spread the word about the upcoming Olafur installation. ii. Mission Moment(Future events&SLC worthy recognition) o The board discussed the latest arts&culture events they have attended around the city and look forward to attending in the future. Some events mentioned included Clue at Eccles Theater,the final productions of Ebb and Flow, UMOCA's Altered States in the Acid West show and programming,Naked Gun production in South Salt Lake,the unveiling of the Love sculpture at the UMFA, Punto de Inflexion at Kingsbury Hall, and the Olafur documentary on Netflix. II.Approve Board Meeting Minutes • Mr. Pederson motioned to approve the February board minutes. Mr. Canter seconded the motion.The motion was carried unanimously,with Mr. Driggs abstaining. III. Management Program/Administrative Updates: The Blocks-Lucas Horns • Ms. Baca provided some background on The Blocks initiative and noted how it has been around for about eight years and is governed by Salt Lake City and Salt Lake County from a budget perspective.The initiative is focused on placemaking in the downtown core of SLC and is funded by sales tax increments. • Mr. Horns noted that he is newer to The Blocks and has a background in dance at Ballet West and used to work for South Salt Lake. He then provided a presentation that provided some background on the organization,key recent projects, and upcoming initiatives. • The Block's mission is to promote downtown Salt Lake City and establish it as the premier cultural district in the Intermountain West. • Areas of focus include their own programming,promotion of existing programming by organizations in the Blocks, coordination between groups/stakeholders, and establishing relationships with the business owners in the district. • Looking ahead, some key programs include the CoCreate program, Fridays on Main, Rooftop performances, Plein air, and an artist video series. Learn more at theblocksslc.com General Program Management Updates • Ms. Baca provided updates about recent and upcoming Council activity. • She noted that we've reached our fundraising goal for Living Traditions and are currently working on contracts.We also received the NEA funding we were waiting to hear back on.We were also selected to be a partner for the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival,which comes with additional financial support and onsite staff. MISSION: To promote,present and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement. SALT LAKE CITY ARTS co U C I L • She noted that Olafur's team was on site last week to test the sphere ancl encouraged the board to reach out to promote the event to their network. • She also noted that the new Finch Lane Gallery exhibitions will open on March end. Public Art Updates, Renato Olmedo-Gonzalez • Ms. Baca introduced Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez and noted that the budget he manages falls on the city side of the budget and doesn't appear in our normal finance review. He also oversees the Art Design board. • Mr. Olmedo-Gonzalez provided a presentation that gave an overview of the public arts program,recent projects, and upcoming initiatives. • He noted that he works with artists to integrate them into major infrastructure projects the city is working on and that there are currently 16o+permanent public artworks in the city.The public arts program was established in the 198os, with 1.5%of the budget for eligible city capital projects allocated to art.This allocation is on par with other cities, and the team works often to leverage public/private partnerships as well. • The team is responsible for maintenance, restoration, and deaccession.A normal year will see $16oK allocated from CIP,which translates to 1 or 2 public art projects per year. • He explained the process for bringing a new public art project to life,which includes working with the city to integrate into their public engagement,issuing an RFP,working through artist selections, and working with the selected artist on fabrication and installation.The typical timeline is about 1.5-2 years. • Completed 2025 projects include a new sculpture on the west side"What we build together," sidewalk poetry(20 local writers), Life on State (8 local artists), Foothills trailhead bikeracks, completed the updated Pre-Qualified artist pool, Seven canyons refuge reimagining, and the Ballpark Murals. • Upcoming projects include: an installation on the 400 south viaduct trail, Japantown mural, Popular Grove Park sport court murals,North Temple murals, Kosmo the dinosaur in the Granary District, Common Roots installation in Pioneer Park,Journey Lines in Donner Trail Park, a new mural for Out of the Blue,the Gulls of Salt Lake City installed at Eccles Theater, Parks Bond park sculpture project and of course Olafur's installation! • Looking ahead to 2027,projects related to Glendale Park, Fairmount Park, Jordan River murals, Fleet block open space, 91ine trail, and Warm Springs & North Gateway parks are in early planning stages. IV. Budget/Financial Review of Financials —Caitlin Tursic • Ms.Tursic provided an overview of the January financials.Activity of note included$22,500 in Corporate funds, some of which were related to Living Traditions, and the rest for ad spending related to Wake the Great Salt Lake. Costs for renting Memorial house for the reception for Olafur's installation were also noted. • Ms. Baca noted that the council is starting to get direction from the City on the budget and anticipates doing a budget amendment in April which will then be influenced by the final adopted budget in May/June. MISSION: To promote,present and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement. SALT LAKE CITY V. Board Goodbye to Jeffrey Driggs • The board thanked Mr. Driggs for his years of support and dedication. Mr. Driggs thanked the staff for all of their great work. VI. Public Comment r • Mr. Madanay,from the City,introduced himself. He noted some of the initiatives he is leading to help improve the city's Boards and Commissions which include etter onboarding and certificates for nomination and years of service. VII. Other Business • None. Mr. Driggs motioned to adjourn the meeiillPlbbPede e ded.IlWeeting was adjourned. MISSION: To promote,present and support artists and arts organizations in order to facilitate the development of the arts and expand awareness, access, and engagement.