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Arts commission recommends photographer Chris Farooq for BVCP 'prioritizing conversations' public-art project
Summary
The commission's public-art selection panel recommended Chris Farooq for a $20,000 project tied to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan's prioritizing-conversations phase; the commission voted to forward the recommendation to the city manager for approval.
The Boulder Arts Commission voted on May 28 to recommend photographer and community-engagement artist Chris Farooq to the city manager for a public-art project tied to the Boulder Valley Comprehensive Plan’s prioritizing-conversations phase.
Staff described the commission’s selection process and said six finalists were considered; panel criteria prioritized connection to Boulder, socially engaged art experience, clarity of online and in-person engagement plans, and a feasible artistic output. The project’s budget was listed at $20,000.
The project Farooq proposed, described in the staff presentation as "Photo Voice," would collect images, audio and short video from community members at in-person planning events and via online submission. Staff said the resulting combinations of text and image would live primarily online and function as an experimental, digitally focused public-art engagement tied to the planning process.
The panel recommended Farooq because staff said his submission scored highly for artistic quality and demonstrated experience conducting community engagement online and with youth and classroom audiences that the planning team wanted to reach. Commissioners asked clarifying questions about the budget; staff reported Farooq updated his proposal and budget to align with the $20,000 project allocation.
Commissioners approved a motion that the selection process was properly conducted and recommended the selected artist to the city manager for approval. Staff noted the project timeline runs June through October and stressed the short, accelerated schedule requires coordination with the planning department. No physical exhibition was planned as part of the project; staff said the work will primarily be hosted online alongside planning engagement events.
