Board Considers Police, Newbill Family Feedback For Public Artwork

MOSCOW – Solid protection and joyful service to the community should characterize the representational public art that will be placed outside the Moscow Police Department at 155 Southview Ave., the Moscow Arts Commission agreed at its regular Tuesday meeting.

The budget, timeline, art size, theme and materials were discussed by the commission in light of police feedback reported by Megan Cherry, City of Moscow arts manager and staff liaison to the commission. She plans to write a request for qualifications (RFQ), have it checked by Police Chief Anthony Dahlinger, bring it back to the commission in January, and issue the call for artists in February or March.

The commission also:

* Elected Sonja Foard as chair and Stefan Yauchzee as vice chair for next year, and said goodbye to commissioner Jacob Wilson, who is moving out of town. The new commissioner application can be found at https://www.ci.moscow.id.us/FormCenter/Commissions-26/Commission-Application-130

* Heard that the RFQ for artists will go out in early January for the mural on the City Shops wall at Polk and Public avenues. The $50,000 project is expected to be built in the summer and to be painted in August-September.

* Heard that, because of its popularity, the annual Palouse Plein Air exhibition will stay up from mid-September through October (six weeks compared to previously two or three weeks) at Third Street Gallery in City Hall.

* Heard that the annual Poetry in the Park event in East City Park will be Aug. 27. It will align with readings at the University of Idaho celebrating the start of the academic year.

The police station art is planned to be installed in April 2027, in recognition of the 20^th anniversary of the May 2007 shooting death of Officer Lee Newbill as he was coming to the aid of deputies and dispatchers who were under fire at the Latah County Sheriff’s Office.

“The family doesn’t want it specifically Newbill themed,” Cherry said, “but more broadly about the spirit of service that he embodied.” Signage that will accompany the art will refer to Newbill and likely incorporate iconography from the MPD patch and badge, she said. 

Themes of community policing, solidity, service, protecting the vulnerable, and walking into uncertainty were preferred for the art by Moscow police officers, retired officers and the Newbill family in conversation with Cherry. 

“They expressed joy about their service,” she said. “There is a great sense of camaraderie.”

They also want the art to complement the building’s modern design, use materials (natural preferred) that communicate permanence, and be representational rather than abstract, Cherry said. Commissioner Donna Woolston noted that the request for representational art was something the RFQ should emphasize explicitly, especially since the building itself is so modern.

Though not enough for a bronze sculpture, the $95,000 budget should allow for a fairly large three-dimensional artwork made of metal, stone or other natural materials to be placed in an 11×16-foot space designed to incorporate public art, the commission determined. 

The space is the tall white alcove located to the left when facing the front door from outside. It extends up to the roof of the building, and the board agreed the art should be at least 14 feet tall and fill the space well, so as to be seen from Southview Avenue and perhaps at an angle from Highway 95 South. Lighting could be used to make the piece seem larger, said Commissioner Yauchzee.

Iconography important to the officers Cherry talked with included the star and eagle, and perhaps lion, sheepdog and flag at half mast, she said: “They want it to be inspiring to new recruits and to the public.”

Funding for the art will be part of the commission’s FY2027 budget to be submitted to the Moscow City Council in January, Cherry said. She said she researched 10 to 12 “roughly comparable” public art projects to arrive at the $95,000 pricetag. 

“This is on the conservative side among those,” she said. “We will put out the call for artists, and if none respond because of the cost, we will consider next steps.”

Her budget breakdown included: $3K finalist honoraria; $85K selected artist honorarium; $5K lighting; and $2K permanent signage.

After the RFQ is issued, Cherry’s projected timeline is: April, first-round artist selection; May, finalists prepare site-specific designs; June-July, artist selected by the Arts Commission and City Council; August, design confirmation and contract; April 2027 installation in time for the 20th anniversary ceremony in May.