Parking ramp mural a likely topic at Visual Arts Commission meeting on Tuesday

SIOUX FALLS – The Sioux Falls Visual Arts Commission meets once a month.

The next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 21, which is fortunate timing if you’re interested in the city’s decision last week not to commission a mural on a downtown parking ramp.

That’s just five days since the city canceled the mural, which was vetted and approved by the commission.

In a statement to Sioux Falls Live on Friday, the city said a consensus was not reached on a concept for a temporary mural on a bare wall of the East 10th Street ramp.

“Art is subjective, and at this point in the process, a shared vision for one artwork could not be reached, so it’s been determined not to pursue a mural,” Jeff Eckhoff, director of planning and development, said in the statement.

The commission meets at 9 a.m. in the Cooper Conference Room #110 at City Center, 231 N. Dakota Ave.

The agenda includes a period for public comment and a regular update from the Sioux Falls Arts Council.

Kellen Boice, executive director of the Arts Council, said her update likely will cover the topic of the parking ramp mural but declined to discuss specifics before speaking to the VAC.

The council administered the process to find private funding and the selection process for the mural. Boice, who also serves as vice chair of the VAC, recused herself from the unanimous final vote on Dec. 20 to award the commission to Amber Hansen, Reyna Hernandez and Darcy Millette.

The budget for the project was $28,500 with a June 30 deadline.

MarketBeat, a Sioux Falls company, agreed to sponsor the mural.

"It's disappointing to hear that the project will not be completed,” MarketBeat Founder and CEO Matt Paulson said in a statement to Sioux Falls Live. “We would have loved to see a local artist paint a mural on such a unique canvas. We look forward to finding other ways to support the Sioux Falls arts community in the future."

The VAC’s decision on the mural came down to two finalists, the Hansen/Hernandez/Millette submission and one by Eric Vozzola. The first vote was 4-2 in favor of the trio with a second vote to stand in unanimity behind a decision, according to the minutes of the Dec. 20 meeting.

However, at the next meeting on Jan. 17, Eckhoff told the commission that Mayor Paul TenHaken chose Vozzola’s piece titled “The Dance of Creativity.”

The inspiration is traditional Lakota hoop dancing and other Sioux tribal cultures and history of the landscape.

“Through the use of vibrant colors and thoughtful abstraction, the artwork brings movement and an energy that will hopefully inspire and brighten the surrounding area for the life of the mural,” the minutes noted.

Echoff’s statement ending the process was made after inquiries into the mayor’s preference into the Vozzola piece after the minutes of the Jan. 17 meeting were released on Thursday.

No images from the artists have been made public.

Reyna Hernandez declined comment when contacted by Sioux Falls Live.