📋 City Council Regular Meeting
City of Bellingham Arts Commission
← Back to All Meetings
Meeting Summary
The Bellingham Arts Commission convened with a reduced quorum of three members to hear presentations on two significant public art initiatives and make key decisions on ongoing projects. The meeting highlighted the intersection of indigenous cultural representation, downtown revitalization, and the practical challenges of managing the city's existing art collection.
The evening's most compelling presentation came from Children of the Setting Sun Productions, showcasing their Coast Salish Interactive Living Mural — an ambitious 80-foot by 20-foot installation planned for the new indigenous cultural space at the former Mine Port Building. Artists Pre Borsi and Roy Alexander detailed not only the traditional painted mural depicting the historic Whatcom village site, but also innovative projection technology that would animate the artwork at night with phosphorescent salmon, soaring eagles, and traditional stories coming to life.
The commission also reviewed the Downtown Bellingham Partnership's comprehensive art plan for the Commercial Street parking garage, a project born from years of ad-hoc art installations that lacked cohesion. The partnership's five-month collaborative process with 10 local artists, architects, and designers produced a framework for transforming the concrete structure into a vibrant gateway that reflects "our passion for our city."
Two administrative matters rounded out the agenda: approving a percent-for-art approach for the new Wilburn park facility, and addressing the deteriorated state of a 20-year-old wooden sculpture at Big Rock Garden Park. The latter sparked discussion about proper protocols for deaccessioning artwork, with commissioners emphasizing the importance of artist notification and community partnership.
Study Guide
## MODULE S1: STUDY GUIDE
**Meeting ID:** BEL-ART-2025-05-06
### Meeting Overview
The Bellingham Arts Commission met on May 6, 2025, with three of five commissioners present (Jody, Philip, and Eric). The commission reviewed two major public art projects and made decisions on several ongoing art initiatives, including Coast Salish murals, parking garage beautification, and artwork removal protocols.
### Key Terms and Concepts
**Coast Salish Art:** Traditional art style specific to the Pacific Northwest region, characterized by abstract designs and minimal patterns, different from Northern Formline art styles. Used by Indigenous peoples of this territory for generations.
**Percent for Art:** A city program that allocates a percentage of public construction project budgets for commissioning public artwork. Most of Bellingham's current collection predates this program, which began in 2015.
**Deaccessioning:** The formal process of removing artwork from a public collection, requiring documentation, artist notification, and commission approval according to adopted city policies.
**Downtown Activation Grant:** City funding program supporting projects that enliven and beautify downtown spaces, used to fund the Coast Salish mural and other community art initiatives.
**RFQ (Request for Qualifications):** The first step in commissioning public art, where artists submit their credentials and experience to be considered for shortlisting before submitting specific project proposals.
**Setting Sun Alley:** The branded name for an alley space that will feature coordinated public art installations, including both Coast Salish murals and Paper Whale projects.
### Key People at This Meeting
| Name | Role / Affiliation |
|---|---|
| Eric | Arts Commission Chair |
| Jody Bento | Arts Commissioner |
| Philip | Arts Commissioner |
| Darby | Arts Commission Staff |
| Taylor | Arts Commission Staff |
| Carol Rofkar | Parks Department Staff |
| Pre Borsi | Coast Salish artist, Children of the Setting Sun Productions |
| Roy Alexander | Coast Salish artist, Nooksack Indian Tribe |
| Natalie | Downtown Bellingham Partnership Community Engagement Manager |
| Lindsay Payne Johnston | Downtown Bellingham Partnership Executive Director |
### Background Context
This meeting highlighted the intersection of Indigenous cultural representation and public art in Bellingham. The Coast Salish mural project represents a significant step toward including authentic Indigenous perspectives in the city's public spaces, addressing the historical exclusion of Native voices from municipal art collections. The artists emphasized the importance of territorial appropriateness in art styles, noting that much "Pacific Northwest" art actually represents Northern Formline traditions from Alaska and Northern British Columbia, not the Coast Salish traditions native to the Bellingham area.
The parking garage project reflects ongoing efforts to activate underutilized downtown spaces through art, while the Wilburn project demonstrates the complexities of siting public art in transitional neighborhoods. The artwork removal discussion at Big Rock Garden Park revealed gaps in the city's historical documentation practices and highlighted the need for better artist communication protocols.
### What Happened — The Short Version
The commission heard presentations on two major art projects. Children of the Setting Sun Productions presented plans for an 80-foot Coast Salish mural that will include interactive elements for youth and nighttime projections bringing the artwork to life. The Downtown Bellingham Partnership shared a comprehensive plan for beautifying the Commercial Street parking garage with coordinated murals and potential greenery installations.
The commission approved moving forward with the Wilburn Park art project, selecting potential locations for a $70,000 artwork while deciding not to require references to the site's historic horse barn. They also addressed the deteriorating wooden sculpture at Big Rock Garden Park, voting to make greater efforts to contact the artist before proceeding with removal, despite safety concerns about the rotting artwork.
### What to Watch Next
• The combined RFQ for multiple percent-for-art projects coming to next month's meeting
• Progress on contacting the artist of the deteriorating Big Rock sculpture within 30 days
• Electrical repairs needed for the Sentinel sculpture downtown
• Appointment of new commissioner Blake Hudson pending mayor's approval
---