Stadium Bridges Art Gets Council OK
A roughly $350,000 contract with Widgery Studio LLC – to fabricate and install public art at the East Stadium Boulevard bridges – has been given approval by the Ann Arbor city council. The city had already contracted with Widgery on May 20, 2014 for $8,248 to finalize the structural design of the artwork with an engineer.
This amendment to the contract, given approval by the council at its June 16, 2014 meeting, adds art fabrication and installation services to the existing agreement, bringing the total compensation to $353,552 for all services. The East Stadium bridges art was one of the projects for which the city council left funding in place, when it voted on March 3, 2014 to transfer most of the unspent money from the now defunct Percent for Art funding program back to the funds from which the money was originally drawn.
The June 16 vote approving the funding was unanimous. It was preceded by a presentation, around 11 p.m., by John Kotarski and Bob Miller, the vice chair and chair of the city’s public art commission.
By way of additional background, in early August of 2013, Catherine Widgery of Cambridge, Mass. was recommended as the artist for this public art project. She was picked by a selection panel from four finalists who had submitted proposals for the project, which has a $400,000 total budget. [.pdf of Widgery's original proposal] The selection panel provided feedback to Widgery and asked that she revise her proposal before it was presented to the Ann Arbor public art commission and then later to the city council for approval.
Members of the panel were Wiltrud Simbuerger, Bob Miller, Nancy Leff, David Huntoon and Joss Kiely. [.pdf of panel feedback] The public art commission recommended the project’s approval at its April 23, 2014 meeting.
An image by artist Catherine Widgery for artwork on the East Stadium bridge. This night view shows how the structures would be lit from below, illuminating the images of trees that are etched into louvered glass panels.
An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery along East Stadium bridge.
An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery along the north side of East Stadium bridge.
An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery along East Stadium bridge.
An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery below East Stadium bridge, along South State Street.
An image of proposed artwork by Catherine Widgery below East Stadium bridge, along South State Street.
A detail of the louvers designed by Catherine Widgery. The etched glass panels will be attached to a metal frame.
This brief was filed from the city council’s chambers on the second floor of city hall, located at 301 E. Huron.