dollars. They do three to four art installations a year. Rob prefers doing a mockup of the art to win a commission, rather than submitting an application/portfolio, which is significantly less time intensive. “Although it can take many hours, sometimes hundreds of hours, we get a lot of those commissions,” he shares. “With qualifications only, you are swimming in a giant pool. It is hard to stand out that way.” Once Tooza Design has secured the commission, Rob believes the process of integrating art into the architecture must be both pragmatic and conceptual. Depending on the type of installation, this can involve details that many artists aren’t tuned into. Details like footings, the plumbing lines under a building, electrical interface and structural capacity need to be coordinated closely with engineers. “If something goes awry, it comes out of your pocket. It is much better to spend time and money on your art, rather than tearing out a footing,” explains Rob. He’s found that most architects are very accommodating when asked for a model of the building done in Sketch-Up or Revit. Aesthetically, Rob and Shelley look for ways to integrate the art into the architecture. The two ask, “What is the concept? What is important? What is going to be compatible?” The two are always looking at the material. “Art has a much broader definition now than it did when public art was paintings for the walls or a commemorative bronze sculpture,” says Rob. “We look for opportunities where someone can walk around and through under.” And then there is the question of how safe art should be — and if an element of controversy doesn’t actually make the art engaging, exciting — and by association, successful. Rob notes, “Not everybody is going to love it, but it should not just be functional, it should have a soul.” Nancy Boskoff remembered a series of artist-designed benches in Sugar House. One Friday afternoon Nancy received a call from a Sugarhouse resident who shared she didn’t like the project. All of her points were good ones. “I told her I’d been waiting for her call,” recounts Nancy. The resident curiously asked Nancy what she meant. “I told her not everyone can like every public art project, and I was glad to hear her thoughts.” Some of this art will outlast the architecture. After all, paintings and sculpture, even murals and water features can be moved easier than foundations. Aging buildings will be remodeled or demolished or replaced. Parks will be replanted, and redesigned and even paved over then dug up again. But the art just might well stand as a testament to the values of the period of its creation and the community that created it. What then is the goal of public art as a part of architecture? Is it to beautify, to express public standards, to capture the heart and soul of the of the building? To instill meaning, identity and understanding? To bring art outside of galleries and into the public eye? The answer is unequivocally yes. Perhaps, most importantly, it is a tool for social change that ignites conversations and debate. It can even become what people remember most about a place. Think of Stephen Kesler’s Whale two blocks east of Salt Lake City’s 9th and 9th intersection. Transform the World Tooza Design The shape of each fin in this canopy sculpture progressively transforms into more dynamic forms as one walks under the canopy. The result is an organically flowing feel as one moves through the structure. This transformation is a metaphor for the students that attend the school — as they work hard, they can transform their potential and have the ability to impact the world in positive ways. 10’ x 12’ x 27’ Etched Stainless Steel LED Lighting Southwest Technical College Campus, Cedar City, UT 1. Some Modernists considered ornamentation decadent; Adolf Loos - 1908 essay and lecture “Ornament and Crime.” 2. Monument Lab (https://monumentlab.com) is a nonprofit in Philadelphia that is doing substantial work helping people across the country to sort out and deal with art that in present days has become “charged.” 26 REFLEXION
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