2021-08-17 Public Art Subcommittee
PUBLIC ART SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING
Parks & Recreation Conference Room, 33 East Broadway Avenue Ste 206 Meridian, Idaho
Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 5:00 PM
MINUTES
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ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE
_x____ Lizzie Taylor _x____ Raeya Wardle
_x____ Jessica Peters, Chair _x____ Thomas Vannucci
_x____ Bobby Gaytan
APPROVAL OF MINUTES [ACTION ITEM]
1. Approve Minutes from July 27, 2021 Subcommittee Meeting
L. Taylor made motion to approve minutes, seconded by T. Vannucci
All ayes
DISCUSSION ITEMS
2. Discuss Adjustments to Request for the Ten Mile Trailhead Installation
Subcommittee reviewed Stephanie Inman’s design for the Ten Mile Trailhead
installation and discussed possible adjustments to request from Stephanie.
Adjustments included:
Addition of color in order to provide contrast, depth, and texture to the
structure
More mass through design, whether that is multiple flower stalks or more
flowers on one stalk
Bench lowered from 30” high to standard chair height at 17-18” high
Lighting included, whether canned lights at the bottom or internally lit LED
lights along the leaves or stems in the top
Address and eliminate engineering/stability concerns
A. Belnap will work with S. Inman through the Finance department to negotiate
these adjustments. In the next meeting, A. Belnap will bring site photos for the
Subcommittee to discuss the location for the installation.
3. Review Public Art Selection Process Outline
A. Belnap reviewed Public Art Selection Process document that details the step by
step process for selection processes. J. Peters noted that typically the full Arts
Commission does not approve location, that is a responsibility of the
Subcommittee. The Subcommittee agreed to the document with those notes.
REPORTS
3. Meridian Mural Series Next Steps
A. Belnap informed the Subcommittee that CenterCal is still hesitant on signing the
easement and the deadline for them to sign is the end of the month. J. Peters asked
if there is a backup plan if it doesn’t work out- A. Belnap will check to see if the
funds can be carried over into FY22 so that a new location can be found.
5. Inclusivity Highlight: Art & Influence in Jamaica
NEXT MEETING - September 21, 2021
ADJOURNMENT
L. Taylor made motion to adjourn, seconded by T. Vannucci
All ayes
To develop, advance, and nurture all facets of the arts
to enhance the quality of life for Meridian residents and its visitors
PUBLIC ART SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING
Parks & Recreation Conference Room, 33 East Broadway Avenue Ste 206 Meridian, Idaho
Tuesday, August 17, 2021 at 5:00 PM
All materials presented at public meetings become property of the City of Meridian. Anyone desiring accommodation for
disabilities should contact the City Clerk's Office at 208-888-4433 at least 48 hours prior to the public meeting.
Agenda
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c847775577fe%22%7d
ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE
_____ Lizzie Taylor _____ Raeya Wardle
_____ Jessica Peters, Chair _____ Thomas Vannucci
_____ Bobby Gaytan
APPROVAL OF MINUTES [ACTION ITEM]
1. Approve Minutes from July 27, 2021 Subcommittee Meeting
DISCUSSION ITEMS
2. Discuss Adjustments to Request for the Ten Mile Trailhead Installation
3. Review Public Art Selection Process Outline
REPORTS
4. Meridian Mural Series Next Steps
5. Inclusivity Highlight: Art & Influence in Jamaica
NEXT MEETING - September 21, 2021
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ADJOURNMENT
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PUBLIC ART SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING
Parks & Recreation Conference Room, 33 East Broadway Avenue Ste 206 Meridian, Idaho
Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 4:30 PM
MINUTES
VIRTUAL MEETING INSTRUCTIONS
To join the meeting online: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-
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ROLL-CALL ATTENDANCE
_x____ Lizzie Taylor _x____ Raeya Wardle arrived at 4:42pm
_x____ Jessica Peters, Chair _x____ Thomas Vannucci
_x____ Bobby Gaytan
A. Belnap introduced Keith Watts and Sandra Ramirez from the Purchasing Department
and welcomed Steve Siddoway and Emily Kane to the meeting.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES [ACTION ITEM]
1. Minutes from Regular Meeting on June 15, 2021
L. Taylor made motion to approve minutes, seconded by T. Vannucci
All ayes
DISCUSSION ITEMS
2. Provide Feedback and Discuss Preferences for Public Art Selection Process
A. Belnap explained that this discussion is to gather feedback from the
Subcommittee on the most recent public art selection process in order to improve
the process for the future. K. Watts described the typical process of issuing,
scoring, and selection a vendor through the RFP process, noting that usually the
team prefers to have an in person kick off meeting before releasing the RFP and an
in person discussion following the scoring, but was not done this time. E. Kane
elaborated that the RFP process is a common process in the City to select services
and products of large and small scale. In the process, it is also common to include
all stakeholders which is why representatives from the Parks Department were
included in the selection panel. E. Kane stated that there was no defect in the
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Item 1.
process for selecting the Ten Mile Trailhead project, however there was a lack of
education or communication with the Subcommittee on the process and its scope.
K. Watts confirmed that in place of an in person meeting after the scoring, an email
was sent out asking if the selection panel would like to discuss.
L. Taylor expressed her frustration in working with the Bonfire program and its
technicalities. She also expressed that she felt the scoring criteria and verbiage was
too objective for evaluating the subjective nature of artwork. A. Belnap informed
the Subcommittee that the scoring criteria verbiage was taken from the RFP, which
was approved by the Subcommittee and Commission. E. Kane confirmed that the
Arts Commission approved the RFP in March 2021. T. Vannucci stated that he felt
the highest scoring artist was not the most suitable for this project. He expressed
that when using a combination of objective and subjective criteria, the objective
criteria will win. K. Watts assured the Subcommittee that the criteria for selection
and its verbiage can be supplied by the Subcommittee and the Subcommittee’s
expertise during the RFP process. J. Peters summarized that the scoring criteria
will be worked on in moving forward with future projects.
J. Peters stated her concerns regarding the lack of in person discussion following
the evaluations and the notice of the final scores. She indicated that she expected
the selection panel would have the opportunity to discuss the final scores as was
the case in selection processes in the past and was surprised to see the approval on
the Arts Commission agenda. Because of this, she would like to see if the final
decision could be revisited. E. Kane informed the Subcommittee that we have
passed the point of no return on the Ten Mile Trailhead project, but suggestions
can be included in future processes. J. Peters stated that unlike past selection
meetings, she felt that this selection process was a Parks project that the Arts
Commission was invited to instead of an Arts Commission project in partnership
with the Parks Department. T. Vannucci asked if adjustments be made to the
current selection if it is a done deal. K. Watts confirmed that the Subcommittee can
work with the vendor to make adjustments to the proposal.
S. Siddoway expressed his gratitude in working with the Arts Commission and his
hope that we can make this an awesome marriage instead of an us vs. them
situation. He also stated that he has been involved in past selection processes and
the two points that he felt that made this process different was the use of the
Bonfire system and the lack of conversation after the evaluations. He suggested
that the meeting after evaluations be made a rule for all future selection processes.
The Subcommittee agreed.
K. Watts reaffirmed that Bonfire was not the cause of any failings in the process,
but rather the Subcommittee can be involved in adjusting the scoring criteria and
formatting of Bonfire to work best for them. J. Peters mentioned that she had
trouble with the dropdown menu of comments in the scoring because she felt
some of the dropdown comments didn’t fit her reasoning and recommended
adding an “Other” option to make personal notes instead of being required to
chose one of the pre-selected options. L. Taylor stated that she felt the technology
of Bonfire led to a bias towards more technologically inclined persons who were
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Item 1.
able to navigate the system. J. Peters suggested that the in person meeting before
the release of the RFP that K. Watts had mentioned before would help for cases like
L. Taylor’s. K. Watts also mentioned that they would be able to submit scores for L.
Taylor and accommodate her.
L. Taylor also cautioned the team to be careful when suggesting adjustments to
artwork. She stated from personal experience that sometimes suggestions doesn’t
go well and the suggestions should be made dispassionately and sensitively. S.
Siddoway confirmed with K. Watts that minor adjustments can be made (ex: the
color of the Ten Mile Trailhead project) but large changes cannot (ex: changing the
flower to an elephant). K. Watts stated that the adjustments can be negotiated in
the agreement process and if the artist in unwilling or unable to make the
requested adjustments, the Subcommittee can then move to the second highest
scoring artist. The Subcommittee agreed to meet together next month to discuss
the changes to request for the Ten Mile Trailhead project and S. Siddoway asked
that he be involved in that discussion as well. Following the next Public Art
Subcommittee meeting, S. Siddoway, A. Belnap, K. Watts, and S. Ramirez will
negotiate the agreement and adjustments with Stephanie Inman, the artist. E. Kane
also mentioned that since these adjustments will be minor, it will not need to go to
the Arts Commission for re-approval but should be included in the Subcommittee
report.
Lastly, A. Belnap informed the Subcommittee that the City staff will get together in
the next couple of weeks, create a formal step by step procedure for selecting
public art and present it to the Arts Commission in the coming months. The
Subcommittee agreed.
S. Siddoway, E. Kane, K. Watts, and S. Ramirez took their leave and the
Subcommittee took a 5 minute break.
3. Discuss and Develop Public Art Planning Tools
A. Belnap suggested that the Subcommittee start with goal #3 on the agenda memo
in order to first establish a vision for the public art program. J. Peters stated that
the Subcommittee has much of the information needed for this, it is just split
between several reports and documents that need to be compiled and organized
together. The Subcommittee discussed the benefits of establishing the vision and
getting to the action items. B. Gaytan suggested that an education piece be included
in the plan in order to reach the public. J. Peters will send out Fargo, North
Dakota’s Public Art Plan as an example. The Subcommittee agreed to set up a
Saturday workshop to do this compilation in October. A. Belnap will send out
dates.
REPORTS
4. Update: Ten Mile Trailhead Installation
A. Belnap recapped what was previously agreed upon in Agenda Item #2: the
Subcommittee will discuss adjustments to request from Stephanie Inman for the
final design and structure, then S. Siddoway and A. Belnap will work with the
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Item 1.
Purchasing and Legal departments to negotiate and create an agreement with S.
Inman. T. Vannucci requested that we obtain S. Inman’s maquette for our
discussion next month.
5. Update: Meridian Mural Series Status
A. Belnap informed the Subcommittee that the easement for the Meridian Cycles
mural will be issued this week. Centercal, the corporate property owner of the
Boise Co op, is still resisting pieces of the easement agreement and in the
negotiation process with the Legal department. The Meridian Library District has
given a soft commitment to becoming the third mural property and E. Kane is
drafting an up front agreement in order to avoid getting into snags later on, like
what happened with Centercal and SagePoint Financial.
6. Inclusivity Highlight: Art and Accessibility
J. Peters explained to the Subcommittee that these memos are for the
Subcommittee to review and to discuss if requested. J. Peters also said that she
plans on including a memo for each meeting and if anyone would like to produce
their own memo, they are welcome to do so.
NEXT MEETING - August 17, 2021
ADJOURNMENT
L. Taylor made motion to adjourn meeting, seconded by T. Vannucci
All ayes
Meeting adjourned at 6:49pm
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Item 2.
MEMO TO PUBLIC ART
SUBCOMMITTEE
Topic: Inclusivity Highlight
August 17th is Marcus Garvey Day in Jamaica. Marcus Garvey was a political activist from Jamaica
in the early 1900s.
The purpose of these articles is to:
Learn about Jamaica’s art history and the movements that influenced it
See how public art influences and is influenced by a community
Government Declares August 17 Marcus Garvey Day
The Colors of Jamaican Art and Spirit of its Artists
Jamaican Artists Paint Murals to Revive Derelict Downtown
How This One Street Hosts Jamaica’s Most Eclectic Street Art
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