Fianna Dickson 509.625.6297
Tuesday, September 13, 2016 at 12:47 p.m.
Spokane Parks & Recreation and Spokane Arts are pleased to announce the lead artist has been selected for the Riverfront Park Redevelopment Project. Meejin Yoon – artist, architect, and urban planner – was recommended for approval by the Joint Arts Committee to the Park Board on August 11; the Park Board approved the selection.
The Joint Arts Committee is comprised of three Park Board Members (Chris Wright, Dr. Samuel Selinger and Ted McGregor) and three Spokane Arts Commissioners (Ginger Ewing, Rick Eichstaedt and Jim Kolva). This committee was formed to shape the art activities within the new park, including work on arts acquisition policies, vetting of art proposals from the community and the selection of a lead artist who will work within the design team to engage in outreach with the community and park users, create a comprehensive art plan and ultimately propose one or more original, site-specific permanent artworks. Yoon, based in Boston, was a unanimous recommendation by the Joint Arts Committee.
“Yoon is internationally recognized for her innovative installations including the difficult, emotional and meaning memorial to the MIT police officer killed after the Boston Marathon bombing. The committee was impressed with her humility, innovation and desire to connect with the community,” said Dr. Samuel Selinger, Joint Arts Committee and City of Spokane Park Board member.
J. Meejin Yoon, AIA, FAAR brings a wealth of experience in public projects to her new role as lead artist. She is a Korean-American artist, designer, architect, and founder of MY Studio and Höweler + Yoon Architecture, LLP. She is the recipient of the United States Artist Award in Architecture/Design, the Athena RISD/Target Emerging Designer Award, the Rome Prize in Design, the Young Architects Award from the Architectural League, and a Fulbright Scholar. Yoon’s academic and professional work has been widely recognized for its innovative and interdisciplinary nature. Her work has been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, the Institut Valencia d’Art Modern, and the National Art Center in Tokyo, Japan.
“One of the greatest capacities of Meejin’s work is the ability to connect with a community, to bring together disparate elements and to overcome obstacles with a thoughtful and inclusive approach to the public art process. She will be a strong, creative visionary for the Park but will never forget to listen to the people” says Spokane Arts Executive Director, Laura Becker.
Ms. Yoon will begin working with the Joint Arts Committee, the design team and city staff in the fall of 2016. She will be leading and participating in public outreach in tandem to the design team and will be presenting her developing conceptual approach to the community at large as her process evolves.
Redevelopment details are at RiverfrontParkNow.com.
The City of Choice
509.625.6200
parks@spokanecity.org
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
