Commission selects nine artists for 2025 outdoor public art exhibition; one commissioner abstains

The Lawrence Cultural Arts Commission voted to select nine artists for the 2025 temporary outdoor public art exhibition and to avoid awarding more than one commission to a single artist. The motion to adopt the nine selections was made by Tim, seconded by Kelly. The roll call vote recorded: Marlo — yes; Tim — yes; Alicia — abstain; Kelly — yes; Matthew — yes; Naomi Smith (chair) — yes.

Commission staff told members the budget permits "up to 9 slots" for outdoor pieces and walked the group through a ranked list derived from member scores. "So I flipped your scores. If that makes sense," Porter (staff) said while explaining how member rankings were normalized and why a previously lower‑placed entry moved into ninth when duplicates were excluded.

Why it matters: the outdoor exhibition is a high‑visibility, temporary public art program that places commissioned works around the city. Commissioners said they wanted to prioritize a diverse set of artists rather than awarding multiple commissions to the same person.

Selection process and key points: commissioners used a ranking rubric for pieces and discussed how to handle artists who submitted multiple works. The commission agreed to exclude a second entry by one artist (identified in staff materials) to maximize the number of different artists included; that exclusion moved Tate Owens’ piece "Ingratitude" into the ninth slot. Staff confirmed they would compile and distribute images of the nine selected works for commissioners after the meeting.

Vote and next steps: The commission’s action was a recommendation/selection for the outdoor public art exhibition; staff will follow up with images and next steps for contracting and installation. Because one commissioner abstained, the selection proceeds with five affirmative votes and one abstention; final contracting and installation logistics will be handled by staff under the commission’s selection.