Leonardo banking on 'Body Worlds'

Leonardo officials remain optimistic the art, science and culture center will receive the $10.2 million in voter-approved bond money, despite Salt Lake City's legal opinion that it's not obligated to release the funds.

Attorneys for The Leonardo are reviewing the city's legal opinion and plan to meet soon with city attorneys to present their opposing views, said Peter Giles, executive director of The Leonardo.

"We want to arrive at a better understanding of (the city's) legal position by having a face-to-face meeting," Giles said. "We want to present our side to the (city) attorney and the administration."

A meeting has not yet been scheduled, but both sides say they're open to the discussion.

Giles and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker issued a joint statement this week saying they're committed to working together to resolve concerns about The Leonardo occupying the city-owned former library building at 209 E. 500 South.

According to the legal opinion prepared by city attorney Ed Rutan and made public earlier this month, Salt Lake City and The Leonardo never agreed on the scope of building improvements for the former library, absolving the city of financial obligation.

Buoyed by that decision, members of the Salt Lake City Council have said the bonds will not be issued unless Leonardo officials come up with a plan that city leaders agree is viable.

Museum and city officials have set a Dec. 31 deadline to reach an agreement on the scope of the building renovations, as well as to come to terms on a lease.

City officials also want to assess the viability of The Leonardo's proposed exhibition and workshop program and determine whether the museum can be self-sustaining.

"Both city staff and The Leonardo are working together in good faith to achieve these goals and are making good progress," according to the joint statement.

Giles said he believes that progress, combined with the success of the ongoing "Body Worlds" exhibit at The Leonardo, will prove to city officials that the bond money should be issued.

The limited engagement of Gunther von Hagens' "Body Worlds 3 and the Story of the Heart" has been "an unqualified success," Giles said.

"It's attracting a lot of people," he said. "It's doing exactly what we envisioned it would at Library Square."

Leonardo officials have not released official attendance figures, citing contractual obligations with "Body Worlds." Exhibit officials generally release attendance numbers at major milestones, which likely means the Salt Lake City showing hasn't yet hit 100,000.

Leonardo spokeswoman Lisa Davis said "tens of thousands" of visitors have viewed the exhibit since its Sept. 19 opening.

"We started strong and it's stayed strong," Davis said.

"Body Worlds" exhibits attracted 338,000 visitors during a Jan. 18-June 1 run in Milwaukee, and a whopping 688,000 in Denver in 2006.

"We're in a pretty small market," Davis said. "We're not going to be Denver, but we're doing really well."

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