INCREASING FUNDING FOR PUBLIC ART
- Since 1984, Salt Lake City had invested 1 percent of its Capital Improvement Projects budget in public art. In her first year in office, Erin increased that percentage by half, resulting in record investments in public art.
- The funding increase made it possible to perform long-overdue repairs on four public art pieces in the first year alone, including the Jordan River Peace Labyrinth, the Imagine mural at the Eccles Theater, and more.
- The Mendenhall Administration also won a $500,000 NEA grant to support local artists.
- The biggest splash, however, came from the commissioning and installation of Out of the Blue, the whale sculpture at the 9th and 9th roundabout.
MAKING ART A HIGHER PRIORITY
- Mayor Mendenhall increased the city’s full-time arts staff by 40 percent — the first time the staff has grown in more than a decade.
- To ensure public art played a bigger role in more of the city’s work, Mayor Mendenhall tapped the Arts Council to participate in a number of high-profile projects, including the committee determining the future of the Fleet Block and the creation of the Ballpark Station Area Plan.
PUTTING EQUITY FRONT AND CENTER
- In solidarity with those demanding greater justice and equity for Black Americans, Mayor Mendenhall commissioned a massive Black Lives Matter mural in the driveway at the steps of the City and County Building.
- Of the six major public art installations installed during Erin’s time as mayor, four have been on the Westside.
- The Mendenhall Administration invested $50,000 in seed money for Racial Equity and Inclusion Grants.
- The city’s Arts Council hosted an inaugural fellowship for a Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color to learn from arts professionals.