Kendra Fleishman

You Might Recognize:

Dancing on the Stairs - Arvada Center for the Arts, Arvada, CO

Family - Loveland Housing Authority, Loveland, CO

Trust - Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY

Attraction - North Central Michigan University, Petosky, MI

Ribbon Dance - Benson Sculpture Park, Loveland, CO

Public Art Average Success Rate:

2%

 Rejected Project Proposal

Proposed Project Location:

Sleeping Giant School in Steamboat Springs, CO

Concept:

I was contacted by Nine Dot Arts in Denver about this project in 2020. Having been an educator for many years, I was excited to have the opportunity to submit a piece for students and visitors to the Sleeping Giant School in Steamboat Springs. The request for proposal stated that the piece should reflect the history of the valley including the first inhabitants, the Ute people. My previous works in bronze incorporated elements of dance and featured lots of movement. In keeping with my style, I decided to research traditional Ute dances and use that as my inspiration combined with historic elements. I submitted a concept that featured a Fancy Shawl dancer. The feedback from the Ute members of the selection committee pointed out that the Fancy Shawl dance is not considered to be a traditional dance form but a more modern dance that developed for entertaining tourists in the mid-20th Century. I did more research and decided on using a figure from the traditional Bear dance that is performed by tribe members each spring to celebrate the bear emerging from hibernation. I also proposed to incorporated images of Steamboat’s historic moments on the shawl of the dancer.

"I Regret to Inform You..." Artist Response:

While the rejection of this proposal was disappointing, it did not discourage me. I think the representative from Nine Dots was more frustrated with their selection than I was. There are so many facets that go into the selection of public art and much of it is beyond the control of the artist. It is best to accept the rejection and move on to the next idea or proposal. One way this did change my work is to make me consider using other media in my public artwork. Bronze is extremely expensive and many public art programs cannot afford large works in bronze and the pandemic increased this problem.