Subject
title
Approval of Memory Walk Park Public Art Proposal by Artist Dina Fisher
end
Department
City Manager's Office (CMO)
Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Mayor and Council approve the proposed Public Artwork to be installed in Memory Walk Park in Lincoln Park neighborhood and grant the City Manager authority to approve the final artwork design which is not expected to be substantively different from the design shown in the packet. The Public Art project will be installed at the conclusion of community engagement activities that will be performed by the artist as the final design of the artwork is completed.
Discussion
Memory Walk Public Art Project Background:
Memory Walk Park is a 0.23-acre park with walkways and landscaping. The center piece of Memory Walk Park was a public art piece entitled Memory Walk, that was installed in 1993. The work was created by artist Christine Hoenstine in collaboration with residents of Lincoln Park and included the walkways in the park leading to the central piece.
The original artwork in the sidewalk depicts values important to Lincoln Park residents, such as education and family. The central part of the work included imprints of residents’ hands and depictions of their family trees. Some of these community members live in Lincoln Park today. In 2023, the central piece of the work was to be deaccessioned and removed due to the condition of the concrete and its foundation. Before the city gave a contractor notice to proceed and notification to the community that the work would be removed, a contractor removed and disposed of the work. Today, temporary landscaping has been done until a new artwork is installed.
The Memory Walk Park Public Art Project is intended to replace the central piece of the original Memory Walk. The walkways designed by Christine Hoenstine remain, and the central piece will tell the story of Lincoln Park, preserving its history while engaging current community members to acknowledge what they hold dear about their neighborhood. The original walkways will remain as they are with the new work incorporating them in the broader design of the park.
Selection Process: Nomination of Dina Fisher
The city received 15 applications that the Art Selection Committee narrowed down to three finalists based on artistic merit and responsiveness to the project's goals. Dina Fisher was chosen due to her qualifications in key areas. Recreation and Parks staff reviewed and approved the parameters of the project for feasibility. An Art Selection Committee of volunteers included two Cultural Arts Commissioners and two residents of Lincoln Park and made the selection of finalists in July 2025. The final artists gave a public presentation of their proposals on Saturday, September 13, 2025, and Lincoln Park residents were invited to vote on the proposal they preferred until September 30, 2025. The community votes were combined with the Art Selection Committee’s review to determine that Dina Fisher should be recommended as the selected artist for the project. Dina Fisher’s proposal was then nominated and approved by the full Cultural Arts Commission at its October 8, 2025, meeting. Dina Fisher’s proposal is attached (Attachment 1).
Strengths of Dina Fisher
Dina Fisher is recommended for this project for the following reasons:
• Experience: Of the 15 applications received, Fisher has the most demonstrable experience in engaging communities in the design of a public artwork similar to the Memory Walk Park project. Of note is the Denton Women's Interracial Fellowship Memorial <https://dinafisher.net/denton/index.php> commissioned by Denton, TX, that required intensive community engagement around the stories of the city's coalition of civil rights activists in the 1960s.
• Design Responsiveness: Fisher's proposal was the most reflective of Lincoln Park's historical past, present moment, and future aspirations. Her work is thought provoking and would cause the viewer to stop and think about Lincoln Park.
• Community Engagement: Fisher was sincere in her approach to designing the proposed artwork and incorporating flexibility for the community's input to make changes to the design before it is installed. She also took the initiative to outline her approach to the additional community engagement that will take place in the next phase of the design process.
Importance of Timely Decision-Making
Staff is working within a timeline to complete the contract with the artist and obligate the appropriated funds for the current fiscal year. Finalizing the contract expeditiously is necessary to completing the project in a timeframe that meets community expectations and city procurement deadlines. Below is the tentative timeline for the project following the Mayor and Council’s approval:
1. Artist and Lincoln Park Resident Interviews and First Artist and Community Workshop: Approximate Completion Date: January 27, 2026.
• Gaining a deeper understanding of Lincoln Park’s history, gathering community feedback on the proposed design.
2. Second Round of Design: Approximate Completion Date: February 27, 2026.
• Proposed design is refined with community input from step one above.
3. Second Artist and Community Workshop: Approximate Completion Date: March 16, 2026.
4. Third Round of Design: Approximate Completion Date: April 13, 2026.
• Refining design based on feedback from the second workshop. (A third community workshop may be scheduled if it is needed to complete the design.)
5. Design Approval: Approximate Completion: Anticipate approval will take a maximum of four weeks after the third round of design is completed.
6. Fabrication of Artwork: Approximate Completion Date: August 13, 2026.
7. Installation of the Artwork: Approximate Completion Date: September 25, 2026.
• Weather dependent.
8. Dedication of Artwork: Following completion of installation in September 2026.
Public Notification and Engagement
The community engagement process is divided into three phases: 1) Research, 2) Art Selection, 3) Artwork Design.
During the research phase, an extensive community engagement process was implemented to inform the project’s Request for Qualifications and included an online survey in early 2025 that had 16 respondents and the Lincoln Park Postcard Project that had 23 participants. The Postcard Project gave residents and community members the opportunity to write why they love Lincoln Park on postcards designed and printed by the Communications and Community Engagement Department. The postcards and drop box were set up at Lincoln Park Community Center for two months and a separate box was hosted by Mt. Calvary Baptist Church and Clinton AME Zion, each for two weeks. The Arts and Culture Program Manager attended Lincoln Park Civic Association meetings in January, February, March, June, August, and September of 2025 to provide updates and receive feedback. The Lincoln Park Civic Association received written updates in April, May, July, and October when the Arts and Culture Program Manager could not attend meetings.
The art selection process included the Art Selection Committee reviewing the proposals and selecting the three finalists. The Art Selection Committee is comprised of two Cultural Arts Commissioners and two members of the Lincoln Park community. Two of the three finalists had conference calls with one life-long community member of Lincoln Park to inform their proposal, one participated in a virtual tour of the park with the Arts and Culture Program Manager, and one visited the park in person. Dina Fisher participated in a phone call and virtual tour of the park. The three finalists publicly presented their proposals, and Lincoln Park residents and the Art Selection Committee voted on their preferred proposal. The Art Selection Committee received the vote tallies and considered the artists’ references in the final assessment of proposals. A total of 18 people voted, and the vote tallies were: Vito di Bari 9 votes, Dina Fisher 9 votes, and Craig Gray 1 vote. The Committee made the recommendation to award Dina Fisher the project based upon the reasons stated above. This recommendation was forwarded to the Cultural Arts Commission Permanent Public Art Committee which then forwarded the recommendation to the full Commission. The Cultural Arts Commission unanimously approved the recommendation.
The third phase of the community engagement process includes the artist conducting four or five interviews with residents of Lincoln Park to gain a deeper understanding of the neighborhood’s history, present-day existence, and future aspirations, and two or three workshops with residents to incorporate their feedback into the final design.
Boards and Commissions Review
The Cultural Arts Commission (CAC) was represented on the Art Selection Committee by two commissioners. The CAC’s Permanent Public Art Committee voted in approval of the Art Selection Committee’s recommendation and forwarded the recommendation to the full CAC for its vote to approve. The CAC unanimously voted to approve the recommendation to award Dina Fisher the project at its October 8, 2025, meeting.
Procurement
The acquisition of works of art for public display is exempt from competitive procurement in accordance with the Rockville City Code; Chapter 17, Purchasing; Section 17-87. - Exemptions.; (12) Acquisition of works of art for public display.
Fiscal Impact
There is sufficient funding for the project in the Art in Public Places (AIPP) account within the city’s Special Activities Fund. The AIPP account is a restricted account dedicated to the acquisition of works of art. The project budget was originally $90,000 and was updated to $120,000 (Attachment 2) which includes fabrication, engineering, artist travel, and artist fee to ensure the artwork will be soundly engineered and installed for its longevity.
Next Steps
With Mayor and Council approval, staff will proceed with the Memory Walk Public Art project implementation, including coordination with the Procurement Department and the City Attorney’s Office to begin contract negotiations. The contract will be finalized upon approval by the City Manager.