2026-08-18 - Public Art Commission

Summary

Special virtual meeting of the CNI Residency Committee. The August 6 minutes were not approved. Staff reported that seven east Winston-Salem community members attended the Aug. 13 community meeting at the Minnie Lee Davis Harris Community Center; they responded most strongly to finalist Immanuel Oni, whose work with light and small memorials speaks to legacy and place, and found the other finalists less connected to their community. Lois Roewade moved to select Immanuel Oni conditional on his references; Erica Palmiter will check references first. The motion was seconded by Cliff Dossel and passed unanimously.

Summary written from the official minutes; no transcript yet.

Issues discussed: Choice Neighborhoods Resident Artist Selection

Official Minutes

MINUTES
Public Art Commission: Choice Neighborhood (CNI) Residency Committee -
Special Meeting
August 18, 2026, at 4:00 PM
Virtual - Please email Erica Palmiter (ericap@cityofws.org) for a link to join.

MEMBERS PRESENT: Lois Roewade, Rudy Shepherd, Cliff Dossel, Teresa
Cervantes, Toni Tronu
MEMBERS ABSENT: None
STAFF PRESENT: Erica Palmiter

 I.    Call to Order
       This meeting was called to order at 4:14 PM.

 II.   Approve Minutes
          a. August 6, 2026
       The minutes were not approved at this time.

III.   Discuss Community Meeting and Selection
       Seven members of the community attended the community meeting held on
       August 13 from 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM at the Minnie Lee Davis Harris
       Community Center. The members in attendance are active in organizing and
       outreach efforts in east Winston-Salem. Ms. Palmiter believed they were
       good representatives of the neighborhood's interests. Ms. Palmiter shared
       the finalists' presentations at the community meeting, discussing the goals
       for this art project and what should be accomplished by the commissioned
       artist.

       Members of the committee reflected on the community outreach and how
       members repeated phrases and ideas from Immanuel Oni's presentation,
       speaking to their interest in legacy. His work was seen the most appealing to
      the group, where they liked his work with light and small memorials, creating
      pieces that spoke to history and place.

      In response to the other finalists, the community commented on the lack of
      unique artistry in the other finalists' work and its connection to their specific
      community.

IV.   Discuss Next Steps
      In response, the committee requested that Ms. Palmiter reach out to
      Immanuel Oni's references for further consideration and, barring any
      negative references, to recommend Immanuel Oni for selection.

      MOTION: Lois Roewade made a motion to select Immanuel Oni, conditional
      of his recommendations.
      SECOND: Cliff Dossel
      VOTE: All in favor.

V.    Adjourn
      The meeting was adjourned at 4:53 PM.

Transcript

Transcript pending: video captions can't be retrieved yet (see the Winston-Salem playbook).