With the redesign of the entry plaza to come into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, an opportunity is available to re-envision the entire outdoor entry of the downtown library. The direction from initial stakeholders includes creating a handicap-accessible design that highlights the building and its entry, creates outdoor seating for library programming, develops a donor recognition opportunity (e.g., bricks or otherwise), and includes artwork that reflects what a library represents.

Artist Search

A selection panel of community members and library representatives is currently working to select artists to interview. The focus is to find an artist to work with a design team, including a landscape architect, to create art that integrates with the new redesign of the library entry.

Vision

Direction for the public art is:

• To successfully contextualize the art within the plaza
• To have the artist determine the type of artwork
• To amplify the programming of the plaza to the greatest extent possible
• To create, fabricate and install artwork that exemplifies:
  • Community bonds
  • Community enrichment
  • Excavation of ideas
  • Exploration
  • Imagination
  • Learning
  • Possibilities
  • Seeking

Concepts, Proposals & Construction

Concepts and proposals are likely to begin to be vetted in late 2020 to early 2021. Construction of the new entry plaza is likely to begin during the summer of 2021.

When patrons return to the East Flagstaff Community Library, a new mural will greet them! The artists Mural Mice created the piece, working with a 'Kid Committee' to determine themes and components. The mural is in the 'Tween' (youth between childhood and teens) section of the library.

The mural text is in Spanish, Hopi and Navajo. It translates to mean: Hope through kinship (Dine), To come together to help benefit one another with no expectation of reward (Hopi), and We are united in the hope of the world (Spanish). It is inspired by the youth missing their friends and the library during this time of COVID.

This mural is part of a children's book, with each page as an actual mural in Arizona. Artist Isaac Caruso donated the mural to the City of Flagstaff, completing it in the summer of 2020. See more information about Issac and his book.

Stainless steel traffic signal cabinets in two locations (South San Francisco Street and East Butler, and East Cedar Avenue and North Gemini Avenue) are set to become public art canvases! A selection panel of community members is currently meeting to select artist designs for each location.

The chosen designs will then be transferred to vinyl wraps in an effort to visually enhance Flagstaff's streetscape and provide opportunities for emerging public artists. This pilot project is expected to be complete in October 2020!