No doubt the three artists chosen by the Durango Public Art Commission for the Highway 550/160 intersection are fine artists, but I strongly object to not being able to vote “none of the above” on these concepts.

I do not believe any of them are truly representative of Durango; they are not scalable to the massive size of the display area, and all three would present a serious distraction to drivers.

I am also familiar with Jeff Wise’s proposal, which I believe fits the environs – we are about the mountains and our river and all that accompanies them – and it would be visually appealing and immediately understood without having to stop or slow down to understand what it is.

Jeff’s work and experience as a sculptor is truly extraordinary, and his concept is perfectly suited to this space.

This, of course, is just my opinion, but I would ask that his proposal and those of others be presented to the public if the PAC is truly serious about public input and transparency. One would hope so after the debacle with the Arch, but they are making the voting process very arduous on a convoluted website, and without possibility to comment or to vote for none of the proposals.

Many people I have spoken with are against all three proposals, and at minimum would like for the public to see Jeff’s proposal. We hope the PAC listens and re-considers this process before another artistic fiasco is foisted on us.

Petra Hinke

Durango