City officials are considering a colorful, 48-foot-tall mosaic to accompany the parking garage currently under construction in downtown Olathe.
While the artwork beat out almost 200 other submissions reviewed by the city’s Public Arts Committee, not all councilmembers are sold on the design.
The proposed art, called “Ad Astra,” — so named as homage to the state’s motto — would cover the southwest elevator tower facing Olathe City Hall and the Johnson County Courthouse. It would be visible from Santa Fe Street and the Johnson County Square.
The mosaic by artist Jay Yan begins as a sunflower at its base and gradually transforms into geometric stars near the top.
“This concept’s connected to Kansas with the sunflower being our state flower,” said Renee Rush, staff liaison to the Olathe Public Arts Committee on Sept. 15. “‘Ad Astra’ is part of the state motto, meaning ‘to the stars.’”
The high-gloss ceramic tiles would be custom colored, kiln-fired and cut into individual shapes. LED strips would illuminate the artwork at night.
The design’s bright colors, however, led to some councilmembers say it isn’t appropriate for a municipal building.
The Public Arts Committee selected Yan’s proposal after reviewing 198 submissions and commissioning site-specific designs from three finalists.
Rush said the committee believes the artwork could become an iconic fixture in downtown Olathe and add vibrancy and color to the neighborhood.
“We envision it becoming a recognizable landmark,” she said, “a place where people naturally want to stop and take pictures.”
Funding public art
The proposal comes at a time when Olathe officials are looking for ways to reign in spending to avoid future budget deficits — something Councilmember Jeff Creighton asked about.
The artwork on the downtown parking garage would cost $200,000, including artist’s fees, materials, fabrication and installation. It’s expected to last more than 30 years and be installed by August 2027, a month before the garage is tentatively set to open.
Under an Olathe ordinance, up to 1% of the construction cost of eligible Capital Improvement Projects goes toward public art. For the parking garage, that amounts to $200,000.
The city and Johnson County are splitting the overall cost of the $20 million project, meaning the city and county would each effectively pay for half of the artwork, Rush said.
Councilmember Matthew Schoonover said he supports spending some additional money to make government buildings more attractive.
“I know certainly when we’re using taxpayer dollars to create these buildings… there’s an inclination to say ‘Let’s spend as few dollars as possible,’” he said. “But I do think in the grand scheme of things, if we spend a little more and beautify things, it’s better in the long run.”
“I could see this at a carnival”
Although the Public Art Committee preferred Yan’s work, not everyone on the city council agreed.
Councilmember and Mayor Pro Tem Dean Vakas said the piece reminds him of a kaleidoscope and isn’t sophisticated enough for a municipal building.
“It’ll be iconic, but maybe for the wrong reasons,” he said. “I could see this at a carnival.”
Vakas praised the artist and choice of ceramic tile but said he’d like to see it with a more muted color palette.
Mayor John Bacon shared some of Vakas’ concerns.
“I thought it looked a little cheap,” he said. “But it’s not cheap, it’s over 200 grand.”
At Bacon’s request, city staff agreed to provide the city council with the other two finalists’ proposals and explain why they weren’t selected.
The Olathe City Council will vote on the contract as part of the Oct. 6 meeting’s consent agenda.
