Arts Commission readies multilingual designs for downtown trash‑can project after council grants selection authority

The Yakima Arts Commission discussed final artwork formatting and multilingual wording for an upcoming downtown trash‑can art project and confirmed the commission has selection authority for the project after a city resolution passed.

Chair Santiago Ituarte told the commission he converted the selected artwork to SVG and is working with a professional to prepare files that meet the vendors’ schematics. “The art went through. I converted it to an SVG format,” Santiago said, explaining he must split and size the file because the vendor requires specific panel measurements.

Multilingual wording: Commissioners revisited earlier discussion about placing brief phrases around the top border of the panels in several languages. Commissioners recalled prior agreement on English and Spanish and discussed adding Tagalog and the Sahaptin language (referred to in the meeting as Ishishkin) to reflect local Indigenous and Filipino communities. One commissioner volunteered community contacts for Tagalog translations; Santiago asked the group to confirm the phrasing so the art can be finalized by email review.

Authority to proceed: Santiago reported a City Council resolution that authorizes the Arts Commission to select art without returning each decision to the council. “The resolution passed. Essentially, what that means is for the rest of the project, we don't have to go back to city council every time. We've been given the authority to select the art,” he said.

Production logistics: The commission discussed whether multilingual text could be added into the art file or applied afterward as a decal; Santiago said he would check with Trace (vendor/staff contact) about whether a decal could be added post‑print. He also said he will try to produce a finalized print layout over the weekend and circulate it by email for approval so the first trash can can be printed with the wording on the inaugural unit.

Why it matters: The project is intended to increase downtown visibility for art and to reflect community languages on a visible public surface. Commissioners emphasized time pressure to finalize files to meet vendor schematics and to place wording on the first printed unit.

Ending: Santiago will confirm vendor requirements (decals vs. embedded artwork), finalize a draft layout for email approval and seek translations for the agreed phrases; commissioners agreed to review designs via email so production can proceed on schedule.