Murals Inside Palm Ave Garage Move Forward

After a strange turn of events Monday night, it appears that the Palm Avenue parking will be getting new murals painted on each floor.

Early in Monday night’s city commission meeting the commission voted 3-2 to deny the public art committee’s request to use $25,000 to commission artists to create the five murals.

Vice Mayor Terry Turner and commissioner Shannon Snyder said this was not the best use of public money. They said the money should be more spread out throughout the downtown area.

“I think we need to be distributing more resources more broadly around town,” Turner said. “[The garage] is going to be lightly used for the foreseeable future. On those two grounds I made the motion to reject.”

Commissioner Paul Caragiulo said he did not understand the murals if they could not be fully seen from the roads and sidewalks.

During commissioner comments, however, Caragiulo motioned to rescind the earlier vote.

“My problem seemed to be out of the scope of what my understanding of the public art committee,” Caragiulo said. “It occurred to me that [there was] a 5 -0 vote from the public art committee [for this project]. Who am I so say that this doesn’t work? I’m prepared to go the other way with this issue.”

The vote was rescinded and a new motion was passed 3-2 in favor of the murals.

One of the garage’s architects said the city should have faith in his judgment.

“You trusted me to get it this far,” said Johnathan Parks. “We have control over the process and have an understanding about how to work with these folks.”

The murals are just in the conceptual phase. According to the approved plan, some of the artists coming into Sarasota for the Chalk Festival are going to help create the murals.

Local architect, and a member of the city’s planning board, Chris Gallagher said he thinks this is a good use of public art funds because most of when the city has spent on public art has been for sculptures.

“We really haven’t had many murals,” Gallagher said. “[The] purpose of public art is to promote cultural diversity. I think this is a great opportunity to do that.”

“I think this is a good use of public art fund,” said Mayor Suzanne Atwell. “This is a bold, bold structure and this these murals will be bold, too. I think this is a stunning idea.”

Quick Hits

• Money was dedicated specifically to the public art fund from the construction budget of the Palm Ave garage.
• On Sept. 27, the Public Art Committee voted unanimously, 5-0, to approve an expenditure of $25,000 from the Public Art Fund to commission five artists to paint murals in the interior of the Palm Avenue Garage.
• The theme of the floors will be:
  • Second floor, dance
  • Third floor, film
  • Fourth floor, music
  • Fifth floor, theater
  • Sixth floor, opera