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TO: Mayor Richard C. Irvin
FROM: Jennifer Byrne, Public Art Director
DATE: 5/28/2024
SUBJECT:
A resolution to approve proposals to use existing funds for Lumenaura Festival, the City's first annual interactive light and sound experience.
PURPOSE:
Lumenaura Lighted Art Festival invites the public to explore lighted art installations across Downtown Aurora throughout the month of October, 2024, and to enjoy a feature weekend of live music, roving performers, and additional displays October 11-13. Lumenaura is an economic development tool to draw tourism and continue to brand Aurora as an artistic place to live, work, and play.
BACKGROUND:
City staff released 7 opportunities and one informal bid to solicit proposals from artists across the country. City staff from Public Art, Community Development, and Information Technology divisions reviewed proposals based on cost, design, capacity, and previous experience. Once scoring was complete, city staff made recommendations to maximize the budget currently available and to provide a wide variety of experiences for visitors to engage with.
Today we are presenting contracts for "Drone Display," "Narrative Projection Mapping," "Responsive Projection Mapping," "Lighted Art Installations," "Teaching Artists," "Artists," "Performers," and "Audio Visual for Lumenaura." The total dollar amount for these contracts is $214,500; $72,700 of this total will be reimbursed by the state per the DCEO grant awarded for this project. The total cost to the City is $141,800; funds are available in 101-1360-450.50-66 and 101-1360-450.32-20. See Attachment A for details on the budget and Attachment B for the summary of the scoring review for each request for proposal.
City staff are currently working with all vendors to finalize contracts; the standard contract language for each proposal has been attached as Attachments C - H to this memo.
DISCUSSION:
Lumenaura programming will draw tourism to Aurora during the festival, and provide ongoing passive marketing and branding of Aurora as a destination for the arts. Lumenaura will host international artists in visual arts, new media (technology in the arts), and performance art to Aurora to transform the Downtown with projection mapping, colorful and interactive art installations, circus arts, scavenger hunts, and a lighted drone display.
IMPACT STATEMENT:
Lumenaura will have a positive impact on the city by providing a world-class lights and sound festival that will attract visitors in a family friendly atmosphere.
RECOMMENDATIONS:
City staff requests City Council to approve a resolution to approve proposals to use existing funds for Lumenaura Festival, the City's first annual interactive light and sound experience.
cc: Finance Committee
CITY OF AURORA, ILLINOIS
RESOLUTION NO. _________
DATE OF PASSAGE ________________
title
A Resolution to approve proposals to use existing funds for Lumenaura Festival, the City's first annual interactive light and sound experience.
body
WHEREAS, the City of Aurora has a population of more than 25,000 persons and is, therefore, a home rule unit under subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution of 1970; and
WHEREAS, subject to said Section, a home rule unit may exercise any power and perform any function pertaining to its government and affairs for the protection of the public health, safety, morals, and welfare; and
WHEREAS, Lumenaura Lighted Art Festival invites the public to explore lighted art installations across Downtown Aurora throughout the month of October, 2024, and to enjoy a feature weekend of live music, roving performers, and additional displays October 11-13. Lumenaura is an economic development tool to draw tourism and continue to brand Aurora as an artistic place to live, work, and play; and
WHEREAS, City staff released 7 opportunities and one informal bid to solicit proposals from artists across the country. City staff from Public Art, Community Development, and Information Technology divisions reviewed proposals based on cost, design, capacity, and previous experience, and
WHEREAS, City staff made recommendations based on this scoring to maximize the budget currently available and to provide a wide variety of experiences for visitors to engage with; and
WHEREAS, Today we are presenting contracts for "Drone Display," "Narrative Projection Mapping," "Responsive Projection Mapping," "Lighted Art Installations," "Teaching Artists," "Artists," "Performers," and "Audio Visual for Lumenaura," and
WHEREAS, The total dollar amount for these contracts is $214,500; $72,700 of this total will be reimbursed by the state per the DCEO grant awarded for this project, and
WHEREAS, The total cost to the City for all contracts for these 8 bids is $141,800; funds are available in 101-1360-450.50-66 and 101-1360-450.32-20. See Attachment A for details, and
WHEREAS, City staff are currently working with all vendors to finalize contracts; the standard contract language has been attached to this memo, and
WHEREAS, Lumenaura programming will draw tourism to Aurora during the festival, and provide ongoing passive marketing and branding of Aurora as a destination for the arts. Lumenaura will host international artists in visual arts, new media (technology in the arts), and performance art to Aurora to transform the Downtown with projection mapping, colorful and interactive art installations, circus arts, scavenger hunts, and a lighted drone display; and
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Aurora, Illinois, as follows: Approval to utilize existing budgeted funds for Lumenaura programming, as defined above.