Background/Summary:
Understanding the importance of incorporating art into the design of the Northern Community Park early in the process, staff felt the best way to achieve this was for the design-build team to contract with an art consultant. The consultant set out to work with the design-build team, staff, pertinent Commissions, and the public to incorporate the suggestions based on public comment/input received throughout the process, which is outlined below.
City staff, design-build team members and the art consultant attended the following initial Northern Community Park Arts Commission meetings:
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September 13, 2016
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October 11, 2016
The purpose of the initial meetings was to have staff, design-build members and the art consultant introduce the park concepts to the Art Commission members, explain the art opportunities that were available at the park, seek input with regard to the types of art that were of interest, and to explain the Call to Artists (Call) process.
Once the initial process was complete, a Call was sent out nationally. The Call resulted in 140 submissions from 31 states, of which 15 were from Arizona. The Review Panel (Panel) reviewed each submission. After two separate reviews, the Panel selected five finalists to present their concepts.
The art finalists’ presentations took place on February 9, 2017. This meeting was also open to the public. Of the five finalists, the Panel chose David Boyer from Reno Nevada and Beth Nybeck from Kansas City Missouri.
These presentations were videotaped and placed on the city’s website in order to receive citizen input regarding the art concepts. Through social media, citizens were advised they had the opportunity to provide input regarding the art submittals via the website. A total of 27 submittals were submitted via the website.
The Arts Commission again reviewed the public art at Northern Community Park as an agenda item on March 14 and on April 11, 2017.
Additionally, the public art was discussed with Parks and Recreation Board as a Northern Community park #3 update and discussion agenda item on March 20 and on April 20, 2017.
The five finalists’ concepts were shared along with the Panel’s recommendation and citizen input. Based on these results, the Arts Commission is recommending the works of art chosen by the Panel, David Boyer from Reno, Nevada and Beth Nybeck from Kansas City, Missouri.