HomeMy WebLinkAboutTransmittal - 5/28/2025SALT LAKE CITY TRANSMITTAL
To:
Salt Lake City Council Chair
Submission Date:
05/28/2025
Date Sent to Council:
05/29/2025
From:
Department *
Economic Development
Employee Name:
Day, Lindsey
E-mail
lindsey.day@slc.gov
Department Director Signature
Director Signed Date
05/28/2025
Chief Administrator Officer's Signature
Chief Administrator Officer's Signed Date
05/29/2025
Subject:
Notification of Deaccession of 200 West Cycle Track Planters
Additional Staff Contact:
Amy Childress, amy.childress@slc.gov, Renato.olmedo-gonzalez@slc.gov
Presenters/Staff Table
Document Type
Information Item
Budget Impact?
Yes
No
Recommendation:
Informational item attached.
Background/Discussion
See first attachment for Background/Discussion
Will there need to be a public hearing for this item?*
Yes
No
Public Process
DEPARTMENT of ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
MAYOR DIRECTOR
CITY COUNCIL TRANSMITTAL
Jill Remington Love Date Received: _________________
Chief Administrative Officer Date Sent to Council: _____________
TO: Salt Lake City Council DATE: MAY 27, 2025
Chris Wharton, Chair
FROM: Lorena Riffo-Jenson, Director, Department of Economic Development
SUBJECT: Notification of deaccession of 200 West Cycle Track Planters (3 of the remaining
21 planters) by John Riddle and Paul Heath from the Salt Lake City Public Art
Collection
STAFF CONTACTS:
Amy Childress, Public Art Program Coordinator, Salt Lake City Arts Council
(amy.childress@slc.gov)
Renato Olmedo-González, Public Art Program Manager, Salt Lake City Arts Council
(renato.olmedo-gonzalez@slc.gov)
DOCUMENT TYPE: Information Update
BUDGET IMPACT: N/A
COORDINATION: It should be noted that Council Staff has requested the Arts Council only
send one deaccession memo annually. We will make our best efforts to accommodate this request,
but ordinance requires “the Mayor will give notice to the City Council at least forty-five (45) days
prior to the deaccession of any work of art in the City's collection”. Should an artwork of
significant interest be at risk of loss, it would necessitate an additional memo in a timely manner.
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
Mayor Erin Mendenhall approved the recommendation from the Salt Lake Art Design Board
enclosed, made in consultation with the Public Art Program, in favor of deaccessioning the
following artworks from the City’s permanent public art collection per:
Ordinance: 2.30.050: ART DESIGN BOARD JURISDICTION (Ord. 7-21, 2021: Ord. 67-13, 2013)
E.Recommending to the Mayor and the deaccession of works of art in the City's collection. If
the Mayor accepts such recommendation, the Mayor will give notice to the City Council at least
forty-five (45) days prior to the deaccession of any work of art in the City's collection, unless it
must be removed to mitigate an imminent safety hazard.
According to Salt Lake City’s Public Art Program Artwork Deaccessioning Policy and Guidelines
adopted by the Salt Lake Art Design Board on December 2, 2021, an artwork can be removed
from our permanent collection when:
a.The work of art requires excessive or unreasonable maintenance on an ongoing basis,
exceeding the maintenance requirements anticipated at the time of accession;
b.The artwork has been damaged or has deteriorated and the cost of repair is
disproportionate to the aesthetic, monetary, and/or cultural value of the object as
determined by Salt Lake City Arts Council staff, the Art Design Board, or by an expert;
c.The condition of the artwork is in such a deteriorated state that restoration would prove
either unfeasible, impractical or would render the work essentially false.
ARTWORKS FOR DEACCESION
The 200 West Planters by artists John Riddle and Paul Heath are a collection of painted concrete
planters in vibrant colors, some with added mosaic tile strips. Originally installed in 2013 along
200 West between North Temple and 700 South, the project included 27 planters, each purchased
at $1,179. A 2020 Maintenance and Condition Assessment of our permanent collection identified
the artwork as Priority 2 – Moderate Action due to peeling paint, early corrosion, and structural
issues. Six planters exhibited severe cracks, abrasions, and chipped concrete or tile, posing
potential safety concerns. As a result, the Public Art Program recommended their deaccession,
and they were removed from our collection in collaboration with the Streets Division in early
2023.
As of Spring 2024, 21 planters remained in the Public Art Collection. In June 2024, three of these
were vandalized with offensive, antisemitic graffiti and were quickly painted over by the Graffiti
Abatement team, unaware that they were part of the Public Art Collection. The remaining 19
planters continue to be part of the Public Art Collection, and we work closely with City colleagues
to ensure their proper stewardship. Regular condition assessments help guide maintenance
priorities and determine necessary actions to preserve the integrity of the artwork. Given the
extent of damage to the three vandalized planters and the cost of conservation efforts, it has been
determined that restoration far exceeds their individual value. As multiple intact planters remain
within the collection, the Public Art Program recommends not pursuing conservation for the
vandalized planters and instead reducing the total number of planters within the artwork. While
the painted-over planters will remain in the streetscape, the Public Art Program will no longer
consider them part of the Public Art Collection.
Before:
After vandalism 2024: