Several U students have the opportunity to have their work displayed in public, thanks to the new TRAX line currently under construction.
In a competition held for art and architecture students at the U in March, students were invited to submit proposals of art projects which will be installed at the new TRAX stations on South Campus Drive, near Fort Douglas and near the Medical Center.
Coralie Alder, U director of Public Relations, and Steve Greene, former manager of Engineering and Construction at Utah Transit Authority, were primarily responsible for the idea to allow students to submit their works for the new stations.
Brandon Bott, UTA art in transit coordinator, said to have their works displayed in public is a great opportunity for students.
“Often, artists wait for years before they have such an opportunity,” he said.
Winning proposals came from Cody Dingus and James Nielson, both design and architecture students, J. Bernie Johnson, an art and education student, and Yoshikazu Kono, a graduate student at the School of Architecture.
The contest was judged by a seven-member committee, representing the Associated Students of the University of Utah, U Arts Council, Campus Design and Construction and UTA Planning and Maintenance.
Six proposals were submitted. Bott said that all six proposals were quite good.
“There is a lot of talent on campus,” he said.
Dingus and Nielson’s design will appear at Fort Douglas, Johnson’s at South Campus Drive and Kono’s at the Medical Center station.
Proposals were judged based on aesthetic appeal, relevance, cost, maintenance and security.
One proposal was turned down because of the maintenance cost inherent in the project.
Kono’s winning proposal had to be modified by adding holes to the middle of his abstract sculptures so they would be more transparent.
“We do all we can to make the stations as secure as possible. When it come to security, transparency is key,” Bott said.
The winning students will work with UTA on fabrication and installation until the project’s completion on August 15.
Each artist or artist team will receive a stipend of $2,250, thanks to funding from ASUU, which donated $27,000.
Funding for the project also came from UTA and the Utah Arts Council.
Each station has a fabrication and installation budget of about $16,000.
Compared to the usual $70,000 to $90,000 that most stations have for their art, the $16,000 is a small sum, Bott said.
“We have 20 stations and 16 of them have art,” he said.
Kono said he feels Salt Lake City is a beautiful city and he is very excited for the opportunity to have his art at the Medical Center TRAX Station.
Dingus said that it is an “honor…to have our artwork impact the public.”
He commended UTA for incorporating art in the stations and making the individual TRAX stations, “an experience and not just a drop-off.”
The new TRAX line is scheduled to run Sept. 22. TRAX will hold safety courses in late July and train-testing will take place in August.