The Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority (RCRRA) approved the selection of artists for public art commissions at historic Union Depot in St. Paul's Lowertown neighborhood. The selected artists will begin a process of designing works specifically for the depot, to be installed in 2013.
Pictured: Amy Baur and Brian Boldon,"The View from a Distance,"2006. Baur and Boldon have been commissioned to create a photographic mural in ceramic and glass in Union Depot's carriageway.
Applications were received from 156 artists who wanted to be a part of the program, including many local and national artists, and a few international artists. Four artist teams with experience on public infrastructure projects were recommended by a review panel comprised of artists, art professionals, historic preservationists, project partners and community representatives.
Pictured: Mouna Andraos + Melissa Mongiat,"Giant Sing Along,"2011. Andraos and Mongiat of Daily tous les jours are part of the Northern Lights.mn team who will create an interactive multimedia artwork platform at Union Depot. They are locally known for the tremendously popular "Giant Sing Along"at the Minnesota State Fair.
"We were thrilled with the response," said Commissioner Jim McDonough, chair of the RCRRA. "These artists will make a lasting mark on the building, and help to create a place that people will want to visit and experience again and again," he continued.
Selected artists include:
• Amy Baur and Brian Boldon of In Plain Sight Art Studio (Minneapolis, MN) have been selected to produce a work of art in the carriageway of Union Depot, which will serve as a primary drop off site for those arriving at Union Depot by auto, taxi or accessible transportation services.
• Ray King (Philadelphia, PA) has been selected to create an elegant suspended sculpture in the Great Hall Atrium, which will be visible from the depot's front plaza and from inside the Great Hall.
Pictured: Ray King,"Wings,"2007. King has been commissioned to create a suspended sculpture in the Great Hall Atrium,which will be visible from the depot's front plaza and from inside the Great Hall.
• Tim Prentice (West Cornwall, CT) will create a suspended kinetic sculpture in the newly built Kellogg Entry, where transit riders will ascend from street level to the train deck and historic waiting room.
Pictured: Tim Prentice,"Staysails,"2009. Prentice has been commissioned to create a suspended kinetic sculpture in Union Depot's Kellogg Entrance.
• Steve Dietz of Northern Lights.mn (Minneapolis, MN) will direct a team of local, national and international artists in the development of an interactive multimedia artwork platform that will engage visitors of Union Depot with various multimedia projects. Dietz's team includes: internationally celebrated light artist Jim Campbell; Mouna Andraos and Melissa Mongiat of Daily tous les jours; Michael Murnane, a Twin Cities-based lighting and projection artist; Jeffrey Scherer, an architect and world-renowned library expert; Sarah Peters, a public engagement and community partnership specialist; and Cynthia Hilmoe, an expert in user interface and design.
The RCRRA is investing approximately $1.25 million towards public art at the renovated Union Depot, with 80 percent ($1 million) of those dollars coming from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA).
The four selected commissions make up about 85 percent of the overall public art program budget. The RCRRA plans to issue a supplemental Call to Artists in the coming months to engage additional artists in projects at Union Depot.
For more information on selected commissions visit http://www.regionalrail.org, or follow Union Depot on Facebook at http://facebook.com/uniondepot.
