In other VAC news U.S. 34 and Interstate-25 Interchange sculpture: Five artist groups presented proposals in July for a work of art to be placed at the northeast corner of the I-25 and U.S. 34 interchange. Read more to that story here: http://bit.ly/HXL40Y. A special meeting of the Visual Arts Commission will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21 at the Loveland Museum/Gallery to vote on the artist that will design that sculpture. The public is welcome to attend. There will be an opportunity for discussion by the public and then the voting process will begin. Service Center art proposal: Andy Dufford with Chevo Studios of Denver proposed a concept to the Visual Arts Commission in October to design a columnar art piece for the renovated Service Center. The commission agreed on Thursday to a budget up to $78,000 for his design. A piece of art is required at the location as part of the “1 percent for the arts program” that stipulates 1 percent of construction costs of public buildings must be set aside for the arts. Fire Station No. 2: After costs were factored, the 33 foot tall sculpture, seating area and patio proposed by Ken William Studio of Pueblo came in at $71,000, which is $30,000 over the agreed budget of $41,000. Suzanne Janssen said that the studio representatives will have to modify their design and propose changes to get closer to the budget. She added that discretionary funds are available to go over budget a little, but it depends on how the VAC wants to use the money.

The artist who painted a transformer box known as the “Witch of Wilson” has offered to modify the painting after members of a nearby church complained about the image.

The north side of the painting, titled “Beyond Tomorrow,” by Loveland’s Margie Ellis, is under review by the Visual Arts Commission and members of the church, some of whom question its appropriateness at that location. The church has said it would like to see the painting changed, but VAC members worry that doing so sets a precedent that it’s fine to change art every time a complaint is made.

Slight modifications

The VAC on Thursday voted to allow Ellis to propose slight modifications to the transformer box image, which sits on Wilson Avenue just south of First Street. The box is located in front of a building that houses the Loveland Bilingual Church, Celebration Church and Healing Rooms of Loveland.

Luis Campos, pastor of the bilingual church, wrote a letter on behalf of all three churches to the VAC on Oct. 4, expressing concern over the image on the box that faces the church playground.

In the scene, which is roughly 75 inches by 45 inches, a woman with short black hair stares into the distance on a black background. Her hand is raised, and an atom floats above her palm. Ellis painted it in 2012 as part of that year’s “where art and science meet” theme in an ongoing VAC project to beautify transformer boxes.

Campos wrote that congregation members have repeatedly expressed dislike for the painting. They say the woman looks like a witch.

Teaching moment

“Our children are children that come from a very uncommon background. They are very sensitive to the painting. It scares them,” Campos said Friday.

Campos referred to a city ordinance for Art in Public Places (Section 12.60.070) that states that the Visual Arts Commission will give special attention to matters including “conceptual compatibility of the design with the immediate environment of the site” and “appropriateness of the design to the function of the site.”

The pastor and church congregations believe the painting does not fulfill these mandates. Campos said that an image more inclusive of the environment would have been better. He recently drove by a bank, for example, where the transformer box included dollar bills in its imagery.

Ellis, attended the meeting and said that, while she is willing to make modifications if necessary, her intent was not for the image to be dark or witch-like, but rather a science fiction piece that fulfilled the VAC’s theme. She hopes to identify what is disagreeable about the image and modify the colors if necessary.

Phil Farley, who sits on the arts commission and city council, and Ellis agree that this could be a teaching moment for the church. Perhaps it would be possible for Ellis to visit the church and talk to its members about the intent behind her painting.

Campos said that, while that is feasible, the issue is not with what the intent was, but how the actual image is perceived.

In 2012, the VAC followed its normal procedures to review the model paintings that artists submit for consideration, said Suzanne Janssen, public arts manager with the VAC.

Ellis’ work was approved by a subcommittee made up of VAC members and members of the public, then brought before the commission for approval.

In December, the VAC will review Ellis’ forthcoming renderings to modify the image and decide how to proceed.

Commission member Roger Clark said he is not in favor of this issue becoming a controversy in Loveland. “This is simply a mild misunderstanding at the outset,” he said, adding that he believes a simple solution can be reached.

Campos agreed that he doesn’t want this issue turned into a circus. He just wanted the churches’ collective voice to be heard.

Alternative solutions

Other possible scenarios that were discussed for handling the painting included removing the box and placing it elsewhere. The cost of removing it and replacing it with a traditional green box is around $14,000, said Brieana Reed-Harmel, senior electrical engineer with Loveland Water and Power.

Other options would be to paint the box green again for $800, or simply leave it as is. It is not possible to flip the box to have the image facing the street instead of the church, because of the configuration of the wires inside, according to Reed-Harmel.

The discussion came back to slight modification as the best solution.

Ellis was paid $1,750 for the initial painting, which is what each transformer artist is paid. The Visual Arts Commission agreed to pay her $250 to sketch proposed renderings on how the painting might be altered, according to Suzanne Janssen. Several commissioners expressed concerns about setting a precedent of making changes to a work of art every time complaints are expressed.

“What if we agree on some changes, and three years from now another congregation doesn’t like a woman with red curly hair?” said Charlie Jackson, commission member.

Campos responded by referring to the ordinance again and saying that the image is not abstract enough for its surroundings. “We just wish there was more common sense when they chose it. We just wish it wasn’t as scary as it is. If they can make changes, it will be great,” he said.

Ellis remembers being proud of the final product, and said she didn’t mean to frighten children with it.

“If my piece is doing that to them, I would like to change it so they don’t have that fear,” she said.

Jessica Benes can be reached at 669-5050, ext. 530, or jbenes@reporter-herald.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JessicaBenes. Read her blog at jessicabenes.com.