Title
Approval of Expenditure of Art in Public Places Funds in the Amount of $1,500 plus Applicable Gross Receipts Tax, to Commission Four (4) Glass Mosaic Designs from Artist J Muzacz.
Recommended Action
I move that Council approve the expenditure of the Art in Public Places fund in the Amount of $1,500 plus Applicable Gross Receipts Tax, to commission four (4) glass mosaic designs from artist J Muzacz.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council approve the motion as presented.
Board, Commission or Committee Recommendation
The Art in Public Places Board (APPB) considered this action at their January 23, 2025 meeting and recommends that Council approve the expenditure of $1,500 plus Applicable Gross Receipts tax to commission four (4) glass mosaic designs from artist J Muzacz.
Body
The APPB sought community feedback on the Golf Course Wall Art through a survey conducted in the summer of 2024. The survey results expressed concerns about spending additional funds on the Golf Course. Many respondents expressed objections to the location of the proposed glass mosaic artwork by J Muzacz, citing concerns about potential damage from golf balls and golf carts. Additionally, some of the nature images in the proposed design were not native to Los Alamos, contrary to the artist's original intent.
Considering these concerns, the APPB decided to cancel the Golf Course Wall Art project. However, the APPB remains interested in the artist and his concept and explored a more suitable location that would better align with the community’s preferences.
The APPB has identified two segments of the South-facing Justice Center Wall (as shown in Attachment C) as a potential new location for the artwork. After communicating with Police Chief Dino Sgambellone and County Manager Anne Laurent, both have expressed no objections to this new site.
If approved by Council, the artist will present to APPB three (3) initial designs based on the original proposal submitted during the Golf Course Wall call for art process (image shown in Attachment B). These designs will feature flora and fauna native to Los Alamos, as suggested by the community in the survey responses. Suggestions from the Golf Course Wall Art survey regarding native flora and fauna, as well as other community preferences, have been incorporated into the artist’s scope of work, as outlined in Attachment A.
Once the artist provides these designs, the APPB will solicit additional community feedback. Based upon the community feedback received and direction from the APPB, the artist will then refine the designs and submit one (1) final version to be presented to the community. At that point, the APPB will decide whether to move forward with the project and recommend to Council the commission of this art piece.
This multi-step process ensures that the artist is fairly compensated for his design work and allows the APPB and the community to have meaningful input on the final design. It also provides flexibility to modify or reject any design or cancel the commissioning of the art piece entirely if needed. This approach is particularly important given the significant difference in style and color between the proposed artwork and existing pieces in the Los Alamos Public Art Collection. While there is a possibility the project may not proceed after community feedback, the benefits of this approach-ensuring a more community-aligned and thoughtful final design-outweigh the relatively small cost of this design phase.
.Alternatives
Council could not approve the expense. Or in the alternative, Council may either direct the Art in Public Places Board to incorporate the artwork commission into the design phase and return with an updated recommendation for the entire project (design and commissioning).
Fiscal and Staff Impact/Planned
The current fiscal impact will be $1,500 plus GRT from the Art in Public Places Fund. There are sufficient funds in that account to cover this expense. The APPB staff liaison will oversee the community input process once the designs are received.
Attachments
A - Draft Scope of Work for J Muzacz
B- J Muzacz original Golf Course Wall proposal for glass mosaic
C- Justice Center South facing wall-proposed location for J Muzacz glass mosaic