Sitting at a prominent corner of the Nine Rails Creative District, the Dr. Ezekiel R. Dumke and Edna Wattis Dumke Arts Plaza is a major step forward in the community’s ongoing efforts to weave art into the daily experience and to create an environment where artists and other creatives can thrive. Io worked with Sasaki (the prime consultant) to execute this important project for Ogden.

The plaza’s design maximizes the flexibility of the site through an art infrastructure system that can host performances and static art in a variety of capacities and scales from large-scale installations and small performances, to an LED screen for displaying film and video art. An elevated platform, known as the plinth, provides more space for arts programming, as well as a new perspective on the plaza and opens up panoramic views of the Wasatch Mountains.

The plaza’s design is rooted in the community’s vision for the space. Despite the challenges of outreach during the COVID-19 pandemic, the design team found new, creative ways to work with our clients, gain community input, and meet the needs of multiple stakeholders. From grassroots pop-up engagement to online surveys, the design team reached thousands of people in Ogden.

Photos below are courtesey of Sasaki, taken by Matthew Arielly. The watercolor is by Io LandArch Principal Shalae Larsen.