Public debate centers on proposed City Square “Dome of Unity” as staff outline selection process and community workshops

Supporters and opponents of a proposed City Square sculpture called the Dome of Unity spoke at the City of Joliet pre-council meeting on Sept. 15, 2025, as staff reviewed the project timeline and the Arts Commission’s selection process. The sculpture by Sija Chen Studio appears on the council agenda as Council Memo 4-98-25 with a contract amount not to exceed $197,000; the pre-council discussion did not include a formal council vote on the contract.

The Arts Commission’s chair, Tom Gratowski, told the council the selection followed a multi-step process that included an open call, a public voting round and interviews of finalists. Gratowski said more than 3,000 people participated in the public narrowing of finalists and the commission later recommended the Dome of Unity because of its design, durability and planned community engagement.

“The selection unfolded in two important stages,” Gratowski said, adding the commission considered maintenance, materials, and public input when recommending the work.

Multiple speakers representing downtown and regional tourism groups urged approval. Bob Navarro, president of Heritage Corridor Destinations, said the sculpture could become a regional draw that benefits restaurants, hotels and retail around the Rialto Square Theater. Emmanuel Lopez, executive director of the Joliet City Center Partnership, said the commission’s outreach included open houses and social media and that downtown businesses helped promote the public voting process.

Residents and other audience members objected to the selection process, the apparent early publicity for the project and the cost. One resident who identified themselves as representing callers opposing the project criticized the timing of finalist notices and said some residents felt the decision was already made. “People think that was printed months ago, then it’s already a done deal,” the resident said, arguing that local artists should have been prioritized and that the city has not properly maintained previous public art installations.

Ron Romero, who described himself as a community member and former chair, said the visible concept image shown at the meeting was a placeholder and not the final design. City staff confirmed the artist’s proposal includes a two-part engagement process — in-person paper-cut workshops and an online portal — to solicit local images and narratives for parts of the dome’s decorative panels. Staff indicated those community workshops were expected, if approved, to occur in late October 2025.

Staff presentation materials traced the project history to the council’s 2018 adoption of the Chicago Street Corridor Plan, which included a signature sculpture in City Square. City staff said the RFP was issued Feb. 2, 2024, attracted about 50 submissions, and that the Arts Commission narrowed those to 14 complete proposals and later to six finalists before recommending Sija Chen Studio.

Questions from council members and the public at the pre-council meeting focused on three themes: who contributed to the online vote and whether the votes were local, how maintenance would be funded given Detroit’s or Joliet’s past upkeep issues with public art, and the degree of community collaboration on the final design. City staff said funds are available for the project without reallocating existing infrastructure budgets and that maintenance requirements for the proposed piece were “straightforward” and could be handled by existing crews with minimal incremental cost.

No formal action to approve the contract was recorded during the pre-council discussion. Council Memo 4-98-25 — “award of contract for the City Square sculpture to Sija Chen Studio in an amount not to exceed $197,000” — is on the upcoming agenda for formal council consideration.

The pre-council meeting continued with review of other agenda items after public comment; staff remained available to answer follow-up questions about community engagement and next steps for the sculpture if the council moves to approve the contract at the regular meeting.