FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 16, 2012
Contact: Art Raymond
801-547-2659

City Selects Public Art for New Facility
Four commissions that capture spirit of first responders slated for Public Safety Building
 
SALT LAKE CITY – Mayor Ralph Becker and the Salt Lake City Arts Council are pleased to announce the public art commissions for the new  Salt Lake City Public Safety Building.
 
The five-member Salt Lake City Art Design Board, in collaboration with City fire and police officials, emergency operations personnel, City engineers and community members, vetted submissions for the new facility. Funding for the four projects is provided under the “1% For Public Art” program.
 
“These works of art will nicely complement our municipal campus,” said Mayor Becker. “In a City well-known for its arts and cultural offerings, I look forward to these new pieces and the  impact they’ll have on our public space.”
 
Alexander Tylevich, originally from Belarus, was chosen to develop a piece of artwork to be integrated into the architecture of the main lobby and atrium of the building.  Park City resident Greg Ragland has designed a bronze sculpture to be located in the plaza garden north of the new building.  Buster Simpson, a respected artist with over 25 years of experience, has been commissioned to create an interactive sculpture to be displayed on the  corner of 500 South and 300 East.  The artistic team Living Lenses, comprised of Berkeley, California artists Po Shu Wang and Louise Bertelsen, has developed an interactive water feature for the main public plaza.  
 
“With its ability to bring people into and through places, present a creative edge and foster civic pride, public art is becoming more  recognized as a necessary element in creating a successful public space,” said Salt Lake City Public Art Program Manager Roni Thomas. “The talented artists selected for the PSB public art commissions achieve those dynamics through site-specific, inspired artwork that honors our public safety professionals. The Arts Council is grateful for the City’s leadership in, and support of, the inclusion of public art at this amazing new building.”
 
Conceptual renderings of the final selections can be viewed at http://www.mocamanage.com/slcweb/art/.
 
About the Salt Lake City Public Safety Building
Construction began in June 2011 for the new facility, slated as headquarters for City police and fire departments, emergency operations center and combined dispatch unit, and is funded by a voter-approved bond. The building is scheduled for completion by summer 2013. Amenities include a public plaza and ultra-energy efficient design with the goal of achieving“net zero” energy use by utilizing solar panel offsets. Get updates on the project here: www.slcgov.com/psb.