To: Members of the Public Art Commission
From: Maia Yates, Staff Liaison
Title
Downtown Traffic Signal Box Artwork Placement
Body
________________________________________________________________________________
Executive Summary
The Public Art Commission is asked to assign each of the five previously selected artworks to one of the five downtown traffic signal box locations. Conceptual visualizations (Attachment A) have been prepared to help the Commission compare how each artwork may appear on the different cabinet types and within each site context. The visualizations are intended to support placement decisions only. Final artwork crops, seams, access doors, vents, labels and hardware clearances will be coordinated with the selected artists and the vinyl-wrap vendor.
At its September meeting, the Commission selected the following five artworks for the project:
• Hope in the Midst of Chaos by Courtney Einhorn
• Lunar Sanctuaries #8100 by Laurie Freitag
• The Owl and the Pussycat by Jennifer Geiger
• Winter Foxes by Tessa Fuqua
• Reflections by MJ Okawa
The Commission must now assign one selected artwork to each of the following locations:
• Plum Creek Parkway and Wilcox Street, southeast corner
• Third Street and Wilcox Street, northwest corner
• Fifth Street and Wilcox Street, southeast corner
• Sixth Street and Wilcox Street, northeast corner
• Fifth Street and Perry Street, southeast corner
The cabinets at Plum Creek Parkway and Wilcox Street, Third Street and Wilcox Street, Fifth Street and Wilcox Street, and Sixth Street and Wilcox Street are standard-height cabinets. The cabinet at Fifth Street and Perry Street is taller than the other four cabinets.
The cabinets at Third Street and Wilcox Street and Fifth Street and Wilcox Street also include attached service equipment or panels that will affect the final wrap boundaries. At Fifth Street and Perry Street, the rear face of the cabinet abuts a fence and will have limited visibility. The strongest or most recognizable portions of the selected artwork for that location should therefore be prioritized on the cabinet’s other faces.
It’s also worth noting that an existing wrapped traffic signal box featuring Scooter is located at the northwest corner of Plum Creek Parkway and Perry Street. This cabinet is not one of the five locations included in the current project but is provided as a reference for how artwork may continue across multiple cabinet faces, doors and panels. Because the existing artwork features an animal, the Commission may also wish to consider the overall distribution of imagery throughout downtown when assigning the selected animal-themed artworks.
In determining the placement of each artwork, the Commission may consider the proportions of the artwork and cabinet, the visibility of the cabinet’s principal faces, surrounding colors and streetscape features, pedestrian and vehicle sightlines, nearby public art and how the five selected artworks will function together as a downtown collection.
The attached visual guide includes conceptual representations of each selected artwork on each cabinet type. These images are approximate and should not be interpreted as final production layouts, which will be coordinated with the artist and installation vendor. Staff recommends that the Public Art Commission assign one selected artwork to each of the five project locations and authorize staff to coordinate the final layouts with the artists and vinyl-wrap vendor.
Proposed Motion
“I move to assign the selected Downtown Traffic Signal Box artworks as follows:
• [Artwork and artist] to Plum Creek Parkway and Wilcox Street;
• [Artwork and artist] to Third Street and Wilcox Street;
• [Artwork and artist] to Fifth Street and Wilcox Street;
• [Artwork and artist] to Sixth Street and Wilcox Street; and
• [Artwork and artist] to Fifth Street and Perry Street;
and authorize staff to coordinate final artwork cropping, layout and production with the selected artists and vinyl-wrap vendor.”
Attachments
Attachment A - Downtown Traffic Signal Box Artwork Placement Visual Guide
Attachment B - Selected Traffic Signal Box Artworks