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Commission discusses request for art to add sidewalk stamps for Eleventh Street Underpass paving
Summary
At its April 21 meeting, Moorhead Arts and Culture Commission discussed a draft request for art to commission new concrete sidewalk stamps to be used with 2025 paving at the Eleventh Street Underpass, using previously-allocated project funds and existing inventory; staff sought feedback on outreach, ADA compliance and timing.
The Moorhead Arts and Culture Commission discussed a draft request for art on April 21 to commission new concrete sidewalk stamps for areas being paved as part of the Eleventh Street Underpass project.
The request for art, staff said, would seek original, locally produced designs that comply with ADA standards and could be manufactured into stamps to expand the commission’s existing inventory. Staff is coordinating with the state to identify appropriate stamp locations among areas scheduled to be paved in 2025 and plans to use available project funding that was allocated in 2015.
Ethan, a staff member for the commission, said staff is also working with a local business, Sign Badgers, to remake several stamps from the existing inventory that are currently missing. He described the draft request as specifying scope, submission requirements (including ADA compliance), an estimated timeline and a selection process that would use the artist review team.
Commission members recommended outreach strategies to increase submissions, including social media, contacts at local schools and colleges, and community arts organizations. A commissioner specifically suggested including FMVA and Arts Partnership in distribution, and another commissioner recommended West Central Creatives and a local contact listed as Reed of Moorhead. Staff said the request for art would likely be posted the week after the meeting and that selections were anticipated in May; a submission deadline mentioned in the discussion was “the 16th,” with the meeting record not specifying the month.
Commissioners discussed budgeting and how many stamps to commission, with staff saying the number would vary depending on the artistic selections and how much project funding the commission chose to allocate versus reserving for a downtown project. Staff estimated an approximate range of 10 to 20 new stamps, subject to change after submissions were reviewed.
The commission did not take a formal vote on the draft request during the meeting; staff requested feedback that could be incorporated into the final request for art and asked commissioners for recommendations on marketing the opportunity to local artists and groups.
