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Bellingham Arts Commission

BEL-ART-2025-06-03 June 03, 2025 Arts Commission City of Bellingham
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The Bellingham Arts Commission held its June meeting with several significant agenda items, including ongoing concerns about a major mural project's maintenance challenges and approval of new public art initiatives. The commission grappled with practical questions about how to maintain large-scale murals vulnerable to vandalism while advancing an ambitious pipeline of percent-for-art projects across the city. The meeting's most substantive discussion centered on the Lakeway Underpass Mural by Paper Royal team, where commissioners raised serious concerns about the proposed design's vulnerability to graffiti and the city's capacity to maintain artwork featuring prominent human faces at street level. Staff acknowledged that the artists won't be applying graffiti-resistant coatings, using algae-resistant paint instead, which heightened maintenance concerns. Commissioners approved a new Sunnyland neighborhood intersection mural for North and Ellis streets, building on last year's successful rooster-themed installation. They also endorsed a Cornwall Park percent-for-art approach focusing on vertical, illuminated elements that could reference the neighborhood's historic lamppost iconography. The commission formally deaccessioned a deteriorated wooden sculpture at Big Rock Garden Park after successfully contacting the Oregon-based artist. Staff provided extensive updates on ongoing bronze sculpture conservation work and progress on the Clayton Binkley ceramic installation project.

**Approved:** April and May meeting minutes with appropriate abstentions for absent members. **Tabled:** Lakeway Underpass Mural final approval pending further discussion with Public Works about maintenance protocols and graffiti mitigation strategies. Commissioners expressed strong concerns about the design's street-level faces being vulnerable to vandalism. **Approved:** Sunnyland intersection mural conceptual design for North and Ellis streets. Unanimous approval for the artist to move forward w…

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The commission engaged in a thorough discussion about establishing maintenance standards for large-scale public murals, particularly those in high-traffic, street-level locations. Commissioners questioned whether the city should be approving artwork that places significant maintenance burdens on Public Works staff, especially when graffiti-resistant coatings aren't being applied. Staff revealed ongoing work with Public Works to formalize processes for intersection murals and traffic-calming artwork, acknowledging they've been operating without clear guidelines. This represents a broader issue of the city's rapid expansion of p…
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**Patricia (Commissioner):** Advocated for practical maintenance considerations and shared concerns about vandalism vulnerability. Provided technical expertise on RFQ criteria and emphasized the need for evidence of craftsmanship in artist applications. **Public Works (via Carol Rofkar):** Committed to discussing mural maintenance challenges with street crews and exploring protocols for artwork removal when necessa…
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**Patricia, on mural vandalism concerns:** "They're definitely gonna do that. Like, mustaches and... yep, lipstick, eyelashes." **Commissioner, on maintenance practicality:** "If this was on a 20-story building where the faces were high, that'd be great, yeah, yeah. So it's not the design. It's the practicality." **Staff, on mural maintenance burden:** "I was thinking about it a lot. And I was thinking like, well, where... when we're doing these big murals? This one's such a big... such a bi…
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**Immediate (June-July 2025):** - Staff meeting with Public Works to discuss Lakeway mural maintenance implications - Sunnyland intersection mural installation during July 19th Sunnyland Stomp - Arts Commission interviews for vacant position next week - Final design presentation for Sunnyland mural at July meeting **Ongoing Projects:** - Bronze sculpture conservation continuing through J…

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The Arts Commission now has formal concerns on record about the Lakeway Underpass Mural's maintenance viability, shifting the project from near-approval to requiring additional stakeholder consultation. The city is moving toward standardized processes for intersection murals and traffic-calming art after operating without clear guidelines. The commission established a precedent for considering maintenance burden a…
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## Meeting Overview The Bellingham Arts Commission convened on June 3, 2025, in the Mayor's Boardroom with hybrid attendance options via Zoom. Chair Patricia McDonnell presided over the meeting, with commissioners Amy Chaloupka, Blake Hudson, Jody Bento, and Phillip Freytag present. Eric Shew was absent. Staff members Darby Galligan and Taylor Webb from Planning and Community Development, along with Carol Rofkar from Public Works, provided support. This meeting proved to be one of substantial debate and decision-making, as commissioners grappled with complex questions about public art maintenance, vandalism prevention, and the practicalities of implementing art in high-traffic urban environments. The commission reviewed five significant agenda items, including a contentious mural design that sparked heated discussion about graffiti vulnerability and city maintenance responsibilities. ## The Lakeway Underpass Mural Debate The meeting's most intense discussion centered on the final design for the Lakeway Underpass mural by Paper Whale, a project funded through the downtown activation and beautification grant program. Darby Galligan presented the revised design, explaining that the artist team had returned to their original style after trying to accommodate feedback from Public Works and the Tourism Commission about wayfinding elements. "This is the design that they have returned with that kind of goes back to more of the original style of the artist team," Galligan explained. "I think in that process of committee by design, it just was kind of boxing things in in a way that wasn't really, I think, feeling right for really anyone involved." The design featured large faces prominently displayed on both the north and south retaining walls of the I-5/Lakeway Drive underpass. This immediately raised red flags for commissioners, who were deeply concerned about vandalism potential. "My only concern about the faces and how much surface area the faces take up are the potential for tagging and people decorating the faces," said one commissioner. "They're definitely gonna do that. Like, mustaches and lipstick, eyelashes." Commissioner Patricia McDonnell articulated the core dilemma facing the commission: "This is so hard, because this is a big span, and we want the artist's like vision and their trade, kind of their style involved in this, and I don't know if by taking away the figure…
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### Meeting Overview The Bellingham Arts Commission met on June 3, 2025, with all commissioners present except Eric Hsu. The commission reviewed several major mural projects, discussed public art maintenance challenges, and worked on streamlining their percent-for-art project approval process through a combined request for qualifications (RFQ). ### Key Terms and Concepts **Percent for Art Program:** A city program that dedicates a percentage of public construction project budgets to commissioning public artwork. **Request for Qualifications (RFQ):** The first step in selecting artists, where candidates submit their credentials and experience rather than specific project proposals. **Graffiti Mitigation:** Protective coatings and maintenance strategies used to prevent vandalism and make cleanup easier on public murals. **Deaccession:** The formal process of removing artwork from a public collection, requiring approval from the Arts Commission and mayor. **Intersection Mural:** Temporary street art painted directly on road surfaces at neighborhood intersections, typically lasting 1-2 years before fading. **Bronze Conservation:** Professional restoration work on metal sculptures to remove graffiti, restore patina, and repair structural damage. **Traffic Calming:** Urban planning strategies designed to slow vehicle traffic, including the use of murals and other visual elements. ### Key People at This Meeting | Name | Role / Affiliation | |---|---| | Jody [Last name not provided] | Arts Commissioner | | Blake [Last name not provided] | New Arts Commissioner | | Patricia [Last name not provided] | Arts Commissioner | | Carol Rofkar | Public Works representative | | Darby [Last name not provided] | City staff member | | Taylor [Last name not provide…
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Parks & Recreation Government Operations Arts Commission Paper Royal Parks Department Public Works Sunnyland Neighborhood Tourism Commission Blake Carol Rofkar Clayton Binkley Darby Cowles Eric Hsu Gretchen Jody Patricia Taylor Budget Finance Community Engagement Government Operations Maintenance Parks Recreation Public Art Vandalism Graffiti