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Record of Proceedings

Arts in Public Places Advisory Board Meeting - March 26, 2026

County Council & Boards — Thursday, March 26, 2026
BodyLos Alamos County, New Mexico
SessionCounty Council & Boards
DateThursday, March 26, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:26:02

Original source
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0:00

All right, it's 5 30 and two seconds.

0:02

I will call the meetings.

0:15

Moving right along.

0:18

By the way, the tags are not uh that's necessarily for a science seating.

0:22

It's uh use where you like, it's just so I take it's a good spot.

0:27

Neil Clinton sat there, and so and so that's that's your designate spot if you're sticking with that.

0:32

If three times and they show up, I think three times he showed up.

0:35

I was like, David isn't in here, is Rieger coming, and here he is.

0:38

Oh that about Anna.

0:42

Anna's not quick.

0:45

All right, yeah.

0:47

All right, so we'll move on.

0:49

There's no public comment online.

0:55

Oh, yeah.

1:00

All right, so we'll move on to the approval of minutes from our February meeting.

1:03

I move to the third uh approve the minutes as published.

1:07

I second that.

1:08

All favor.

1:10

I alright.

1:10

Moving on to elections of officers.

1:13

So now that Anna's not here, I say we should vote her as chair.

1:19

You should vote what?

1:21

Oh, yeah.

1:22

He said no about her.

1:23

She said she is not interested.

1:26

So she's the one who nominated me where Stephanie nominated me.

1:34

So the two over here, do you any do you guys have any comments?

1:41

I would like the humor of the idea.

1:44

Well, we were gonna do that to Tim if you didn't show up.

1:46

So yeah, I I reluctantly uh declined to vote for Anna.

1:55

When either of you any of you, the three of you would any of you like to be the chair.

2:02

I would be the chair.

2:04

You'd like to be the chair.

2:06

And same way you would like to be the chair.

2:08

Well, or vice chair, or either one.

2:11

Yeah, either one.

2:12

Andy, do you are you interested in any of the things?

2:15

I I yeah, I have no reference if we can say uh if we need someone in the position, happy to, but I've no uh preference.

2:25

Um there's an odd amount of you.

2:30

I don't know how to know how you we had to do this, but do you want to be chair?

2:37

Or vice chair for I'll be chair, you'll be chair?

2:40

Sure.

2:40

Okay.

2:44

I'm good with it.

2:45

But you have to officially have to move.

2:47

Yeah, so I feel weird if I gotta have a like a motion.

2:51

Yeah, yeah.

2:51

So sorry, Andy Fanya.

2:53

Andy, do you want to make the motion that yeah?

2:55

I motion that Tim be uh chair.

3:00

There's an official at the same time.

3:03

There's an official question.

3:06

I think I'd be unless you want to be vice chair again, I'd be happy to be vice chairs.

3:12

Uh long.

3:14

I will not stand down from vice chair.

3:20

I do.

3:22

No, I've got two.

3:24

We're on the same third.

3:26

Yeah.

3:28

Anyway.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Art Management█████████████████████████████████████████████71%
Procedural██████████16%
Fire Department███5%
Community Engagement█2%
Arts And Culture█2%
Personnel Matters█2%
Strategic Planning█1%
Parks and Recreation█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Arts in Public Places Advisory Board Meeting - March 26, 2026

The Arts in Public Places Advisory Board (APP) met on Thursday, March 26, 2026 at 5:30 PM in Los Alamos, NM. The board approved the previous meeting's minutes, elected new officers, approved the Fire Station 4 Art Project Plan, and discussed the lion sculpture survey results, deaccession of several pieces, and other pending projects. The meeting adjourned at approximately 6:55 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (February 26, 2026): The board unanimously approved the minutes as published.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made, either in person or online.

Discussion Items

  • Election of Officers: Tim Foley was elected Chair and Jasmine Stephens Vice-Chair, effective March 26, 2026. The board also discussed formalizing the chair's membership on the strategic planning working group.
  • Lion Sculpture Survey Update (Item D): As of March 26, 416 responses had been received—the highest ever for an APP survey. Option B (Jocelyn Russell's non-roaring lion) led with 59% preference (242 responses), Option A (Daniel Borup's roaring lion) had 15% (63 responses), 4% said either was fine, and 23% (93 responses) said neither met expectations. Of those who preferred the non-roaring lion, many cited that the roaring design was too aggressive for representing police. Of those who chose neither, 16 of 92 comments requested a mountain lion instead of an African lion. The survey closes April 5, and the working group will meet April 9.
  • Deaccession/Relocation Working Group Updates:
    • Clowns Sculpture: The group visited the piece and found it in poor condition, with handmade tiles that would be costly to replace. A relocation quote was $30,000–$40,000. The group recommended closing the working group, concluding that moving the piece is not feasible; the chair agreed to close it.
    • Dino World: The piece, located under the Mesa Public Library, is past its 20-year lifespan and in rough shape. The board agreed to contact the artist to explore repair options or possible buyback, with a goal of bringing a deaccession vote to the April meeting.
    • Tranquility (cranes sculpture): The piece is deteriorating in the pond; 69% of survey respondents would be disappointed if removed. The board directed Andy to contact the artist to discuss options, including possible replacement, and will add a discussion item for the April meeting.
    • Aquatic Figures: The piece at the aquatic center is flaking and beyond practical repair. The board tabled the deaccession vote to gather more information (artist contact, cost to paint over). Staff will reach out to the artist and obtain a quote for removal/painting.
  • Fire Station 4 Art Project (Item E): The board approved the project plan as a living document. The theme is: "Community-centered, educational, and therapeutic artwork that tells the story of Los Alamos's relationship with wildfire while highlighting the principles of fire adaptation." A community survey will be launched; the board suggested reordering questions so that the general reflection question comes after more specific ones. The survey may run simultaneously with the lion survey.
  • Pending Items List (Item G): Staff reported on several projects:
    • Justice Center Wall Mosaic: Community tile assembly scheduled for June 5–7 at the library; installation the following week.
    • Senior Center Security Gate: Artist expects completion by third week of April; installation by end of April.
    • Nature Center Sculpture (Bear with Ravens): Plaque installation pending; unveiling at PEEC's Earth Day celebration on April 18 at 10 AM.
    • White Rock Pottery Relocation: Pacific Coast will provide guidance to the trail contractor moving the piece.
  • Staff Liaison Report:
    • Step Up Gallery: The cancelled semiquincentennial art show slot has been filled by a Route 66 exhibit. Diane from Step Up Gallery invited APP members to attend and consider pieces for potential purchase. Board members indicated they would attend.
    • Board Vacancy: One seat remains open; no applications have been received despite advertising. The board encouraged spreading the word.
  • Chairman's Report: New Chair Tim Foley expressed interest in holding pre-meetings with the vice-chair and staff to stay informed.
  • Council Communications: Councilor Rieger explained the cancellation of the planned semiquincentennial art show due to timeline constraints and procurement complexities, and expressed support for the new Route 66 exhibit as an alternative.

Key Outcomes

  • Election: Tim Foley elected Chair, Jasmine Stephens Vice-Chair (effective March 26, 2026).
  • Approved: Fire Station 4 Art Project Plan as a living document (motion carried unanimously).
  • Tabled: Deaccession of "Aquatic Figures" – board will gather artist contact and cost estimates before a future vote.
  • Directed: Staff to contact artists for Dino World (for repair/buyback options) and Tranquility (for artist input on deterioration).
  • Closed: The clowns sculpture working group, with no further action.
  • Next Meeting: April 23, 2026; agenda will include Dino World deaccession action, tranquility discussion, lion sculpture survey results/recommendation, and a budget update.

Meeting Transcript

All right, it's 5 30 and two seconds. I will call the meetings. Moving right along. By the way, the tags are not uh that's necessarily for a science seating. It's uh use where you like, it's just so I take it's a good spot. Neil Clinton sat there, and so and so that's that's your designate spot if you're sticking with that. If three times and they show up, I think three times he showed up. I was like, David isn't in here, is Rieger coming, and here he is. Oh that about Anna. Anna's not quick. All right, yeah. All right, so we'll move on. There's no public comment online. Oh, yeah. All right, so we'll move on to the approval of minutes from our February meeting. I move to the third uh approve the minutes as published. I second that. All favor. I alright. Moving on to elections of officers. So now that Anna's not here, I say we should vote her as chair. You should vote what? Oh, yeah. He said no about her. She said she is not interested. So she's the one who nominated me where Stephanie nominated me. So the two over here, do you any do you guys have any comments? I would like the humor of the idea. Well, we were gonna do that to Tim if you didn't show up. So yeah, I I reluctantly uh declined to vote for Anna. When either of you any of you, the three of you would any of you like to be the chair. I would be the chair. You'd like to be the chair. And same way you would like to be the chair. Well, or vice chair, or either one. Yeah, either one. Andy, do you are you interested in any of the things? I I yeah, I have no reference if we can say uh if we need someone in the position, happy to, but I've no uh preference. Um there's an odd amount of you. I don't know how to know how you we had to do this, but do you want to be chair? Or vice chair for I'll be chair, you'll be chair? Sure. Okay. I'm good with it. But you have to officially have to move. Yeah, so I feel weird if I gotta have a like a motion. Yeah, yeah. So sorry, Andy Fanya. Andy, do you want to make the motion that yeah? I motion that Tim be uh chair.

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