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Johnson County OKs artist to pursue mural on 821 South Clinton; staff to draft agreement
Summary
The Board of Supervisors agreed in work session to let local artist Bridal Danner pursue a mural on the county-owned building at 821 South Clinton Street and directed staff to draft an agreement and obtain County Attorney review; the board also asked staff to solicit proposals for a longer-term downtown canvas such as the county parking ramp.
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors in a work-session discussion Wednesday gave local mural artist Bridal Danner permission to pursue a mural on the county-owned building at 821 South Clinton Street and directed county staff to draft an agreement and seek review from the County Attorney’s Office.
Bridal Danner introduced herself as a local muralist and said the proposed mural would focus on “native plants, native animals” and would be funded by matching art grants she plans to apply for. “I am Bridal Danner. I am a local mural artist,” she told the board.
Board members raised two recurring concerns: ensuring the county did not preclude other artists from proposing work on that space and the building’s limited lifespan amid longer-term redevelopment plans for the Riverfront Crossings area. One supervisor urged staff to consider a competitive process if the county were funding the work; others said because grant funding would likely come from outside sources, the county did not strictly need an RFP to allow an applicant to proceed.
The board noted the city’s prior public art programs and asked staff to explore a permanent canvas option downtown. A supervisor said the county parking ramp could be a “most blank canvas” that is unlikely to be demolished and would merit a separate solicitation.
Chairperson (unnamed) said the board had consensus to proceed and directed staff: “We will instruct Erin to work with you to develop an agreement and have it vetted by the County Attorney’s Office. And then as noted in the proposal, your final conceptual work will come back before us for approval.”
The board asked staff to return a formal agreement for final conceptual approval; the artist and staff agreed to proceed and expect county staff follow-up in about two weeks.
Why it matters: The project would place visible public art in a neighborhood earmarked for future redevelopment and tests how the county handles third-party-funded art on county property.
