Gilbert Road Extension Stapley Drive Station Art Neighborhood Meeting, 6 7 p.m.; Mesa Artss Center, 1 E. Main Street, Mesa In Attendance Public Attendees Who Signed In Lance Ayers Laura Baer Matti Baine Evan Balmer Tawni Bare Tiffany Bender Allen Blau Douglas Brimhall Teresa Copeland Doug Davis James Day Koshy Eapen Brian Esterson Valley Metro Debra Boehlke MB Finnerty City of Mesa Trevor Collon Cindy Ornstein Other Staff Ryan Clark, Stacy Witbeck Sundt Felicity Fisler Wendy Hawkins Richard Johnson Kyle Jones James Lizius Holly Long Gayle Monger Chad Bare Nikota Lee Noblittt Molly Reynolds Eileen Rogers Adriana Ruiz Gary Schuller Lisa Saldin Howard Steere Rob Schultz Jeff Hamilton, Stacy Witbeck Sundt Susan Schuller Rebecca Schulte Connie Shane Sharon Setzer Darlene Sitzler Cymany Skouson Daken Skouson Sharon Smith Anne Spaulding Carolyn Strouse Rhonda Trone Carol Warren Richard Youells Jake Wolff Jodi Sorrell Hans Van Meeuwen, Project Artist Minutes Valley Metro and the city of Mesa hosted a public meetingg regarding the proposed station art on Main Street and Stapley Drive. Station artist, Hans van Meeuwen, shared his design concept, previously presented in public meetings as a part of the Gilbert Road Extension, receive additional public input and respond to community questions.
Page 2 of 5 Hans van Meeuwen described his design concept: Surrounded by a largely residential area, the station will typically be used by families commuting to and from home. I directed my work specifically to the neighborhood children and their creativity. The whimsical character with the outlandishly long neck, the floating furniture and comfy chair are all elements I used to seed the imagination. Items from the home are used in various scales juxtaposed with the unusual and unexpected, like daydreams or the magic in childhood stories. Stapley Drive Station Art (view facing east) Stapley Drive Station Art (view facing west) Stapley Drive Station Art (view of station center) Thirty nine residents signed in at the meeting. Listed below is a summary of the comments received. Please review the comments and if there is anything more you would like to add, please e mail them to Michael Book, Community Outreach Coordinator, at mbook@valleymetro.org by July 20, 2016. Verbal and Written Questions and Comments Following the presentation, the attendees had various questions/comments for the project team. WHAT RESIDENTS PREFERRED ABOUT THE PROPOSED ART I love the concept; it s not like anything else on the alignment. I like the artwork. It is unique. Historic is different. This makes it different. Think it is weird, but it cool. The idea is surreal.
Page 3 of 5 I have lived in the Sherwood neighborhood since 1974 and I love what Hans has done. I am put off by people worrying about what children will think. There is something wrong with children who would find the figure with the long neck scary. This art has historic nature. The lighting is reminiscent of neon lighting on Main Street. In the past, Main Street had Bob s Big Boy, Humpty Dumpty, Jack in the Box, and Hobo Joes restaurants. This abstract concept can be scary, but it is whimsical. I grew up here and when I look at the artwork it reminds me of cartoons I grew up with as well as the mid century modern look that is popular, such as the art in the books we had growing up. This is historic. This is our legacy. Houses in our neighborhood are affordable and desirable. I appreciate the art; it looks like what kids or cartoonists draw. It connects our neighborhood to other art communities. The light rail station art concepts are ways to inspire design. The boy will be an icon for my kids and their kids. I guess people think it is strange or scary. Don t change it too much. The lighting of the art pieces at night is a nice touch. WHAT RESIDENTS DISLIKE ABOUT THE PROPOSED ART As a 35 year resident of Mesa, I see an opportunity to beautify an area in Mesa that is desperately in need of beautification. This art concept wastes this opportunity since it is ugly, irrelevant, depressing, and distressing. I am very disappointed. I think the proposed art is ugly. People would appreciate a stop that is clean, functional, and provides comfort from the weather when waiting. The artwork is too cartoonish. It does not reflect the area s historical identity at all. The proposed art is extremely modern and not appealing; please do something more traditional instead. I do not like the long neck boy. It is creepy and off putting. It would make me uncomfortable waiting for a train under that looming figure. I appreciate the whimsy, but kids think it looks creepy. I don t think kids understand the surrealism of the art. The man is too dominant. The boy is frightening because of his long neck. It would be better to shorten neck a bit. I agree the neck is too long. Is this surrealism? The man puts me on edge. It is distressing to me. The statue of the boy is really ugly. Please change this part of the art into something else. The boy sitting there is creepy. The station should be functional and clean. The boy is not welcoming people in his position. In fact, he is also watching people leave. The lamp and chair is complex and children do not connect with this concept. I don t like lamp and chair because it looks like a yard sale. RESIDENT SUGGESTIONS FOR MODIFICATION How will this art hold up in the future? What kind of businesses will be attracted to the area by this artwork design? The art proposed for this station looks incomplete and doesn t flow; the station looks empty. These stand alone items seem incomplete and need other items to feel complete. Consider adding kitten on table with lamp.
Page 4 of 5 I want something beautiful in our neighborhood. I don t want to see furniture. We live our lives surrounded by office furniture. The overall concept seems incomplete. It appears to be oversized daily objects with an abstract boy. If the goal is abstract, incorporate more abstract elements. This is a historic neighborhood. I think the art should represent the historic elements of this area. The proposed art is more cartoonish than historic. I think the art should have lots of color to it. The art is voyeuristic. Consider the boy having long arms versus having a long neck. I think the neck should be made longer. The boy needs to be removed from the art. Something more cuddly should be used to greet light rail rider arrivals. I think the boy should be waving as opposed to glaring at us. An animal with long legs could be less creepy than the boy figure. Make the boy friendlier, possibly by adding a dog companion. Consider including a family dog or cat as part of the artwork. I was at first startled by it, but now it is growing on me; however, I think it needs more. The boy needs a friend, such as a plant. Something more should also be added to the lamp. I like the lamp, but the boy s neck is scary a kite might be more appropriate. The lamp is comfortable. Using a kite would provide a historical area youth reference. The furniture makes me feel nothing. It seems lazy and uninspired. A nature or a peaceful theme would be better. I like the artist s vision of appealing to children and homecoming. However, instead of a chair, consider having a baseball. It seems that Arizona has been lost in the concept. A person with a Cubs shirt on playing baseball or boys playing catch would make sense. The chair looks empty and alone. It needs something more. GENERAL QUESTIONS Question: The chair is whimsical and prominent. Can it be modified? Response: Yes, it can be modified. Q: What type of trees will be planted at the light rail stations? R: The trees and landscaping planted will be similar to trees at existing Mesa light rail stations. Q: How long is the boy statue s neck? R: The concept for the boy s neck is currently three feet. Q: What does the budget for the art include? R: The budget only allows for three figures at this station. Q: It looks like the engineering of the stations will require moving the table legs to help with the station flow. Will this be done? R: Yes.
Page 5 of 5 Q: How will the artwork be kept secure from vandalism? R: The advantage of this artwork is that it is high up in the air, which creates less of a vandalism risk and Valley Metro will maintain and monitor all station elements. Q: What materials are used for the art lighting elements? R: The artwork is all engineered to use light emitting diodes (LED) encased in the same material as the color canopies on the exiting Mesa light rail stations. Q: What percent of adults versus children ride light rail? R: The light rail system ridership is very balanced between youth and adults. Q: Can changes be made to the art at this stage? R: The station artwork is at the 30 percent design level. Valley Metro will compile resident feedback from this meeting and will work with the artist on possible modifications. Q: Are some of tonight s comments on this artwork coming from Valley Metro or city of Mesa staff? Do the residents have input? Can I have a show of hands to see how many people in the audience are area residents? R: (By a show of hands, all people in audience who had been commenting or asking questions identified themselves as area residents and none were Valley Metro or city of Mesa staff.) Q: Did the artist first tour the neighborhood or did the vision for the boy come from somewhere else? R: Yes, the artist first toured the neighborhood before developing his concept. This has been a fantastic process. The art will need to survive the Arizona sun and dust storms. This is the most deficient use of city money I have seen. We live in a desert. How about this money is used to plant some trees or install a shade structure?