Yakima Arts Commission drops trash-can color palette, delays final wrap selections pending funding

The Yakima Arts Commission voted on March 19 to remove a specific color palette from its current call to artists for trash-can wraps and agreed to postpone final selections for trash-can and utility-box art until after the submission deadline and city budget clarification.

The moves came during a lengthy discussion about two concurrent public-art efforts: a paid stipend for 16 trash-can wraps and an unpaid utility-box wrapping program. Commissioners and community-member artists debated whether to require a uniform color palette, how to treat unpaid student work, and whether the commission had the budget to cover advertised stipends.

The commission’s chair, Santiago Ituarte, opened the agenda item and said the call to artists remains open through March 31. Commissioners and members of the public pressed for clarity about stipends and technical requirements for submissions, especially how artwork must be digitized and prepared for wrap templates.

Why it matters: the trash-can wraps carry advertised stipends and are intended to be paid public commissions; the utility-box project currently has no stipend attached. Commissioners said mixing paid and unpaid opportunities without clear labeling could confuse or deter artists, and that technical requirements (vectorization, CMYK translation, wrapping templates) create barriers for some applicants.

Discussion highlights - Stipends and budget: Commissioner Yesenia Hunter and others said one of the projects includes a $250 stipend while the utility-box work currently has no stipend and no departmental funding committed. Chair Santiago Ituarte said staff member Erica was checking with the requesting department about available funds. The commission’s current remaining budget balance was reported as approximately $1,500 by staff (noted in discussion), but it was not presented as a final confirmed source for the 16 trash-can stipends. - Student submissions and unpaid projects: Several commission members suggested creating a separate student track for unpaid opportunities to avoid exploiting professional artists and to reduce technological barriers for schools. - Technical requirements and color translation: Staff and commissioners explained the wrap printing process uses CMYK and vector-ready art, which reduces gradient/shading fidelity; commissioners noted that many current submissions do not fit the two-tone/vector approach tied to the original palette.

Votes at a glance - Approval of Jan. 15, 2025 meeting minutes — Motion to approve by Dana Duenel; second by Kimberly Ruck. Result: approved (voice vote; no roll-call tally provided). - Remove color-palette requirement from trash-can call to artists — Motion made from the floor (motion text: remove specific color requirements and adopt general guidelines). Result: motion carried; one member recorded a dissenting vote. - Defer final trash-can funding/selection until call closes — Motion to avoid making a final funding selection or decision until the published deadline (March 31) has passed. Result: motion carried unanimously. - Defer final trash-can selections until staff confirm funding — Motion to vote on final trash-can selections only after budget clarification from Erica (city staff). Result: motion carried unanimously.

Next steps and constraints Commissioners agreed not to finalize which artists receive stipends or placements until the call closes and until Erica confirms whether the requesting department or the commission budget will cover the advertised payments. The commission discussed conducting outreach and offering digitization help or workshops to reduce barriers for artists who lack technical experience.

Quotes from the meeting are limited to those on the record. Chair Santiago Ituarte summarized the color-palette vote after the meeting: “the color palette is no longer used for our call to artists, for the trash cans.” The motion to delay final selections was presented on the record as: “I move that we do not make a final funding selection or funding decision about the trash can wraps until the published deadline of March 31 has passed, and we've received all of the applications that are eligible.”

What remains unresolved: final stipend funding sources for the advertised 16 trash-can stipends and whether the utility-box program will receive a stipend in this cycle. Staff follow-up with Erica on budget availability and a final tally of submissions after March 31 were the key outstanding items.

Ending: The commission directed staff to continue outreach to prospective applicants, offer support for digitization and template guidance where feasible, and return with confirmed funding information at the next regularly scheduled meeting (June) or at a special meeting if staff can obtain budget clarification sooner.