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Record of Proceedings

Puyallup Arts & Culture Commission Meeting - July 27, 2026

City Council & Commissions — Monday, July 27, 2026
BodyPuyallup, Washington
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateMonday, July 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 34:33

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it
0:10

It's four o'clock.

0:12

Do we have there?

0:16

She is.

0:17

Yay!

0:18

All right.

0:20

The uh August 27th, 2026.

0:25

Uh Arts and Culture Commission meeting is um called to order.

0:29

And our first order of business is Pledge of Leasage.

0:36

I pledge allegiance to the flag with the United States of America.

0:41

Through the Republic for which it stands.

0:43

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

0:48

Thank you.

0:54

Could you do the roll call for us, please?

0:57

Commissioner Rooney.

0:59

Here.

1:00

Vice Chair Busy.

1:02

Here.

1:03

Chair Pew?

1:04

Here.

1:04

We have a quorum.

1:06

Yay.

1:06

Finally.

1:08

Okay.

1:08

So first order business is to approve the agenda.

1:11

So since there's only three of us and need a motion, I'm just assuming that everybody's gonna go for this.

1:16

So a motion to approve, please.

1:18

I second.

1:20

And we'll vote.

1:22

Everyone in favor, I'll go first.

1:24

Yay.

1:24

Yay.

1:25

Yay.

1:26

Sweet.

1:26

So uh approved.

1:29

Okay, so we have election of new chair and vice chair.

1:33

Um Mr.

1:34

Eric, how do we do this?

1:36

I forget it's been a year.

1:40

Yeah, so um every year uh there needs to be an election of the chair and then the vice chair.

1:47

So we'll do the chair first.

1:48

So um you open it up for nominations, who would ever like to nominate themselves, or if you would like to nominate somebody else, feel free to make a motion for that, and then you conduct a vote and then and then we have the new chair, and then we'll do the same process for vice chair.

2:05

Okay.

2:05

Um since there's only three of us, um, I'll go ahead and nominate myself for chair.

2:13

And then do we have a discussion on that?

2:15

Oh my, I think my mic just went.

2:17

You can if you want.

2:18

Um, otherwise you can just move straight into a motion and then a second if somebody so I think we just move straight into it.

2:25

Okay.

2:26

So we need a motion to approve uh current commissioner chair is the new commissioner chair.

2:32

It would be a motion to move forward with the nomination.

2:36

Okay, move forward with the nomination.

2:37

Thank you.

2:38

A motion to move forward with the nomination.

2:39

My mic just second.

2:43

Okay, second.

2:44

Microphones working.

2:46

No, no, it just went out.

2:48

Okay.

2:49

One second.

2:53

Try it again.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Arts And Culture█████████████████████████████████████████████65%
Procedural██████████15%
Public Engagement███████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure████6%
Racial Equity███4%
Summary of Proceedings

Puyallup Arts & Culture Commission Meeting - July 27, 2026

The Puyallup Arts & Culture Commission met on July 27, 2026, at 4:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. With three members present (Chair Brad Pugh, Vice-Chair Amora Bussey, Commissioner Paige Rooney), the commission conducted routine elections, approved past minutes, discussed repairs to a public art sculpture, planned the 2026 Signal Cabinet Wraps program, received an update on the library display case, and addressed recruitment for vacant commission seats. (Note: The transcript initially misstates the date as "August 27th, 2026" but all official materials confirm the meeting date as July 27, 2026.)

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Agenda: Motion by Chair Pugh, seconded by Vice-Chair Bussey, passed 3-0.
  • Election of Chair: Brad Pugh was nominated and re-elected as Chair. Motion by Commissioner Pugh, seconded by Commissioner Bussey, passed 3-0.
  • Election of Vice-Chair: Amora Bussey was nominated and re-elected as Vice-Chair. Motion by Chair Pugh, seconded by Commissioner Rooney, passed 3-0.
  • Approval of October 27, 2025 Minutes: Motion by Chair Pugh, seconded by Vice-Chair Bussey, passed 3-0.
  • Approval of November 24, 2025 Minutes: Motion by Chair Pugh, seconded by Vice-Chair Bussey, passed 3-0.

Public Comments & Testimony

No public comments were made or submitted.

Discussion Items

  • Nature's Throne Repairs: Public Affairs Officer Eric Johnson reported that the wood sculpture "Nature's Throne" by Thomas Verba sustained damage (an arm/leg broken off), likely from accidental wear and tear. The artist has been contacted and will complete repairs within the next month at a cost of approximately $500, to be absorbed internally (likely through Parks and Recreation). The sculpture has received positive community feedback and minimal vandalism despite high foot traffic.
  • 2026 Signal Cabinet Wraps Update: PAO Johnson presented a draft Call to Artists for four new cabinet locations recommended by Public Works: 39th Avenue SE & 5th Street SE, 39th Avenue SE & 25th Street SE, Pioneer Avenue & 12th Street, and River Road & 4th Street. Selections were based on visibility, traffic usage, graffiti deterrence, and distribution across city council districts (one per district plus one citywide). The commission discussed timing: issuing the call in the fall (September) when schools restart, with selections by winter for spring installation. They also suggested a teaser flyer with QR code for distribution at the Puyallup State Fair fine art preview (August 27) and intake (August 6-8) to build early interest. Commissioner Rooney expressed concern about the "Puyallup Tribe" theme, noting that work representing tribal culture by non-tribal artists could be offensive. She asked if submissions could be categorized by tribal affiliation to ensure the tribe's autonomous voice. PAO Johnson agreed to explore this with the city clerk's office and legal. It was also agreed to include specific cabinet dimensions in the call so artists can tailor designs.
  • Library Display Case Update: PAO Johnson reported the display case project is ahead of schedule, with installation set for August 19. The updated design, reflecting input from Arts Downtown, features two larger drawers (instead of three) to accommodate larger art pieces and includes removable shelving for flexibility. The case will be installed in the hallway of the library's south entrance, designed to resemble existing display cases. A ribbon-cutting ceremony with Arts Downtown is planned. The case will eventually host the gallery currently on the 5th floor of City Hall, providing greater public visibility.
  • Recruitment of Commission Members: PAO Johnson updated the commission on recruitment efforts following a City Council ordinance reducing the commission size from seven to five members. Council requested an active recruitment campaign. Applications are accepted year-round, and an ad hoc committee will conduct interviews. Commission members were encouraged to identify potential candidates. Arts Downtown has expressed interest in referring members from their network.

Key Outcomes

  • The commission approved all routine motions (agenda, elections, minutes) unanimously (3-0).
  • Direction was given to staff to: issue the Signal Cabinet Wraps call in fall 2026 with a teaser flyer at the State Fair; include cabinet dimensions; and explore legal options for categorizing tribal-affiliated submissions.
  • The library display case installation is confirmed for August 19, 2026, with a ribbon-cutting to follow.
  • The next meeting (scheduled for August 24) will be rescheduled due to member availability; the Arts & Culture Work Plan will be a major agenda item at that meeting.
  • Staff will invite representatives from the Puyallup Main Street Association (PMSA) and Julie Dore to the next meeting to discuss mural programs and inventory.

Meeting Transcript

It's four o'clock. Do we have there? She is. Yay! All right. The uh August 27th, 2026. Uh Arts and Culture Commission meeting is um called to order. And our first order of business is Pledge of Leasage. I pledge allegiance to the flag with the United States of America. Through the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Could you do the roll call for us, please? Commissioner Rooney. Here. Vice Chair Busy. Here. Chair Pew? Here. We have a quorum. Yay. Finally. Okay. So first order business is to approve the agenda. So since there's only three of us and need a motion, I'm just assuming that everybody's gonna go for this. So a motion to approve, please. I second. And we'll vote. Everyone in favor, I'll go first. Yay. Yay. Yay. Sweet. So uh approved. Okay, so we have election of new chair and vice chair. Um Mr. Eric, how do we do this? I forget it's been a year. Yeah, so um every year uh there needs to be an election of the chair and then the vice chair. So we'll do the chair first. So um you open it up for nominations, who would ever like to nominate themselves, or if you would like to nominate somebody else, feel free to make a motion for that, and then you conduct a vote and then and then we have the new chair, and then we'll do the same process for vice chair. Okay. Um since there's only three of us, um, I'll go ahead and nominate myself for chair. And then do we have a discussion on that? Oh my, I think my mic just went. You can if you want. Um, otherwise you can just move straight into a motion and then a second if somebody so I think we just move straight into it. Okay. So we need a motion to approve uh current commissioner chair is the new commissioner chair. It would be a motion to move forward with the nomination.

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