To: Honorable Mayor and Members of Town Council
Through: David L. Corliss, Town Manager
From: Maia Aman, Administrative Supervisor of Parks and Recreation
Title
Discussion/Direction: Sculpture for Town Hall Plaza [Confluence Companies Donated Funds]
Body
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Executive Summary
The purpose of this agenda item is to seek Town Council approval of the selection of a sculpture proposal for future installation in the Town Hall Plaza. Town Council’s approval will authorize staff to proceed with a contract and project execution in 2022.
The Encore project redeveloped three lots in Downtown Castle Rock directly south of Town Hall and features a public plaza area. To beautify and enhance this space, project developer Confluence Companies donated $50,000 to the Town to purchase a public art sculpture for installation. The Town and therefore the Public Art Commission will be responsible for future maintenance.
To launch the project, staff issued a call for entries to solicit proposals in fall 2021. More than sixty artists provided submissions. A selection committee consisting of members the Public Art Commission, the Parks and Recreation Commission, Town staff, Town Council Liaison Caryn Johnson and Tony DeSimone of Confluence Companies, narrowed the proposals to three finalists.
The committee heard presentations from the finalists in January 2022 and is now recommending the selection of artist Amie Jacobsen with the proposal Still Wild (Attachment A).
Jacobsen is a life-long artist with two degrees in the industry. She also has over six years of metal working experience and has completed numerous art commissions. Her pieces can be found across Colorado and the nation in many public and private spaces (see resume in Attachment B).
Discussion
As outlined in the proposal in Attachment A, Amie Jacobsen will fabricate, deliver and install an original sculpture titled Still Wild for the Town Hall Plaza.
Castle Rock residents value the stunning natural setting that surrounds their vibrant and historic community. The proposed sculpture is set to feature three wildflowers, all of which are native to Colorado, and the artist believes the piece will offer visitors a sense of the beauty and respite of nature in the newest civic gathering space located in the heart of downtown Castle Rock.
The selection committee sought an original work, distinctive in design, bright in color and subject matter and appropriate for public viewing of all ages. The selection committee believes the proposed piece will offer a colorful contrast to the surrounding brown and tan brick and stone that dominates the plaza’s color palette. Sitting 15-feet tall and 8-feet wide, the sculpture will provide interest from afar and up close, and its three-dimensionality will offer distinctive views from all angles. The sculpture will also feature a unique lighting display during evening hours.
Corten steel will form the flowers’ stems and leaves, and painted steel and sheet metal will form the petals. The wave designed metal will allow light from LED strips to pass through the petals at night, casting a colorful glow. The sculpture will sit atop a rhyolite stone base, referencing Castle Rock’s original quarries.
As specified by the RFP, the piece will require minimal maintenance - in addition to cleaning the sculpture with water when dirt is present, the piece may occasionally require touch-up paint. The paint proposed to be used for the petals should last up to 10-20 years. The LED lights may also require replacement overtime.
Budget Impact
Amie Jacobsen’s proposal falls within the $50,000 budget established for this project, which will be funded through donation and not taxpayer dollars. Due to the timing of the donation occurring after the 2022 budget process, staff will request authorization to expend funds for this project in the first quarter budget amendment.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that Council authorize the execution of a contract with artist Amie Jacobsen for sculpture Still Wild to be produced for and installed in the Town Hall Plaza in 2022.
Proposed Motion
“I move to approve the selection of the proposal of artist Amie Jacobsen for the sculpture in the Town Hall Plaza and authorize staff to finalize and execute a contract for related services.”
Alternative motions:
“I move to approve the selection of the proposal of artist Amie Jacobsen for the sculpture in the Town Hall Plaza with the following conditions… (list conditions).”
“I move to continue the discussion of this item to a future Town Council meeting due to the following conditions… (list conditions).”
Attachments
Attachment A - Proposal for Public Art
Attachment B - Artist Resume