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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPAAC Agenda Packet 3-2-17 Public Art Advisory Committee Thursday, March 2, 2017 3:30 PM Lobby Conference Room 410 E Washington St AGENDA Call to order Public discussion of any item not on the agenda Introductions – New member Erin Fitzgerald Consideration of minutes of the February 2, 2017 meeting Public Art Matching Fund – update on mural proposal by the Iowa City Downtown District – Betsy Potter Robert A Lee Recreation Center STEAM Wall Installation – update by Juli Seydell-Johnson Committee announcements or Committee reports Staff reports Adjournment MINUTES PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE FEBRUARY 2ND, 2017 – 3:30 PM HELLING CONFERENCE ROOM – CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Sayuri Sasaki Hemann, John Engelbrecht, Ron Knoche, Juli Seydell-Johnson, Tam Bryk, Wendy Brown NOT PRESENT: STAFF PRESENT: Marcia Bollinger PUBLIC PRESENT: Joyce Carroll, Chad Dyson, Hani Elkadi, Cara Briggs Farmer, Jo Myers Walker, Kyle Rector, Daniel Miller, Daniel Fine, Betsy Potter, Hannah Givler RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL: The Committee voted 6-0 to withdraw a motion made at the November 2016 meeting recommending to City Council that the Public Art Advisory Committee by-laws be adjusted to increase the number of members by two (from 7 – 9 members). CALL TO ORDER: Sayuri Sasaki Hemann called the meeting to order at 3:38 pm . PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was no public comment of items not on the agenda. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF THE JANUARY 5TH, 2017 Committee moved to approve the January 5th, 2017 minutes. Motion passed unanimously. ELECTION FOR OFFICERS FOR 2017 Seydell-Johnson moved to approve the nomination of Hemann to chair. Bryk seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Introductions between Brown, the Committee, Carroll, Dyson and Elkadi took place. Bryk volunteered as vice chair. Seydell-Johnson moved to approve. Committee agreed unanimously. REQUEST TO WITHDRAW MOTION MADE IN NOVEMBER Seydell-Johnson moved to withdraw a motion made at the November 2016 meeting PRELIMINARY recommending to City Council that the Public Art Advisory Committee by-laws be adjusted to increase the number of members by two (from 7 – 9 members) Motion was seconded Knoche. Motion passed unanimously. ROBERT A LEE RECREATION CENTER MURAL WALL INTERVIEWS Cara Briggs Farmer explained the meaning behind her work. Bollinger inquired about how it could be made more interactive. Farmer stated she didn’t want to see something deeply contemplative but rather something interactive, which had kinetic components, incorporated STEAM themes, and was appropriate for the rec center. She stated she wanted to repurpose old workout equipment to transform into a wall piece but was unsure of what materials she would have access to. Hemann inquired about finding materials outside of the rec center if they were unable to provide materials. Farmer stated Craigslist was an option. It was asked how technology would be incorporated. Farmer said she would ask the committee how they wanted it incorporated. Elkadi asked artist to provide a sketch. Farmer said she would need to know what materials they would have first. Farmer stated she would love to work on the project because of the amount of time she spent at rec centers and her interest in taking things apart. It was inquired if the artist had made anything interactive before. Farmer said yes, sound proof, steam punk, steel French doors for a home theater. She said adding movement doubles the time and difficulty. Farmer concluded they should budget $500 for a contractor to install the work and that with installation time and a paint job she saw a time budge of 20-25 hours. Joe Meyers Walker introduced herself and shared her latest accomplishment explaining the material she used, comparing it to the STEAM Wall project material she would use, that would be lighter in weight. Walker brought in a model to help show her vision. She explained it was durable and talked about different components such as a chalkboard, plexiglass, a futuristic top that included helicopters and flying machines moved by wind, magnets, sliding cars, and a fun house mirror. Elkadi stated he liked how Walker inspired imagination and thought, but was curious as to how she would incorporate math. Walker responded that the kids could count the building details and build dimensions. It was stated the mural depicted Iowa City. Walker expressed it would be fun to work on the future aspect with kids. She concluded she had left over Lexan to help with cost, as it could be expensive. Kyle Rector, the lead of the University of Iowa group reminded the committee of their vision, stating they wanted to show aspects of Iowa’s landscape through photography, art rendition, and elements of interaction. Daniel Fine and Danial Miller also shared examples of the interaction that would take place focusing on power. They included hydropower, wind power, and solar power in which kids would hear, feel, and see results from actions. They stated another element would be to have grass that could be spread apart to see bugs and critters native to Iowa. Also, kids could open doors and windows to see power company employees inside. The group stated it could be seasonal, there would be steel studded wall for securement, they would use illuminating material and that it would be tactile in nature. Hemann asked if the grass would be real. The group responded they would use artificial grass. Seydell-Johnson inquired as to how it could become more whimsical. The group responded that the whimsy was in the interaction, illuminated structure and things that changed. Seydell-Johnson asked about maintenance and what had the possibility of breaking. The group responded they would budget and supply extra parts and when they broke. They stated they would make it low power and low technology so that if one thing broke it didn’t all come apart. Seydell- Johnson asked if there was anything on it so complicated they couldn’t replace it. The group stated they would share all information, that supplies would be durable, and that mechanicals would be fabricated from standard bearings so kids could not break them easily. The group stated they were confident they would stay within the budget. Engelbrecht inquired about the time frame. It was stated that it was flexible. The group stated the installation would be accessible to people of all abilities. The committee members then met to discuss the applicants. Hemann posed the question of which installation would fit the Rec well the best. Brown added the question of what would be the most appreciated from an audience aged 2-10. Seydell-Johnson, although she felt comfortable in choosing any of them, chose the U of I group as her top choice, because they had the most technical resources to make it happen and it was the most compelling in terms of teaching and interacting with the STEAM concepts and concepts that related to parks and recreations. Carroll liked the color and whimsy of Walker’s project combined with the U of I’s group project. Dyson said the U of I group was his top choice from a play perspective, but he liked Walkers colors. Elkadi chose Walker as his top choice. Bollinger wanted the U of I group to have more visual appeal. Seydell-Johnson inquired about the possibility of funding two projects. The committee discussed the possibility of using Mercer as a second location, the space available and location options at each rec center, and how inviting and accessible each space was. Seydell-Johnson motioned to select the U of I group for the Robert A Lee STEAM Wall project. Engelbrecht seconded the motion. Hemann stated Walkers work was vibrant and rich and she wanted a place for her work. Bollinger stated they could think about alternative locations. Motion was passed for the U of I group. PUBLIC ART MATCHING FUNDS- REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS: Betsy Potter stated the Iowa City Downtown District was applying for the matching fund for a public mural, size unknown, on the wall of the Sheraton Hotel. She stated she was waiting for the pedestrian mall streetscape update to know if an overhang for the proposed stage area would cover it up. She shared the design with the committee and informed them about the artist, Thomas Agran. She stated their goal was to have the mural become a staple of downtown and their long term goal was to launch more public murals downtown. She stated she had a small amount of funding from their marketing budget. She said the Sheraton gave permission for the mural, but they just needed to submit a letter to the corporate office. Bollinger inquired about the $2500 requested. Potter specified that they saved $500 from the ribbon campaign that they would use on the mural in addition to the $2000 request. Potter concluded and left the room. Brown inquired about how much they had to give. Bollinger responded that $8000 was allocated by the committee for this year (July 1, 2016 – June 30, 2017) and that they had two $2000 applications and another round of funding available in April. The committee stated they were supportive of the cause and that the artist would be ideal. Bollinger inquired about a follow up from Potter on how they design would work. The committee decided to award the funds contingent on the final location. Seydell-Johnson moved to motion. Brown seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. Hannah Givler shared a detailed budget and images with the committee for her application “Near Future”. An inquiry was made about the hockey sticks. Givler said it was work of Patrick Casey, whose art told the story of suburban drug addiction. An inquiry was made of the projects length. It was stated it would go until March 3rd. An inquiry was made if funding would go to continue the show. Givler said yes. Bryk asked what they would do without matching funds. Hannah said they would continue to spend their own personal money, which would put a strain on them, but it was important enough to try and do. Bryk inquired about their biggest budget needs. Givler stated consumables were the most critical part. She stated soap, paper and everything that goes into making it a livable space. Givler concluded and left the room. Bollinger stated Givler put the consumables as $1140, meaning they needed to provide half of that because it was a matching fund and concluded Hannah was using a lot of in kind to pay for their match. Brown motioned to give $1000. Bryk stated she would rather use the funds on the STEAM Wall installation. Knoche stated the timing was unfortunate but the proposed fund seemed reasonable. Motion passed. ADJOURNMENT: Seydell-Johnson moved to adjourn the meeting. Knoche seconded. Meeting adjourned at 6:00 PM. 5 Public Art Advisory Committee Attendance Record 2016 - 2017 Name Term Expires 2/4 3/3 5/5 8/4 9/15 11/3 1/5 2/5 Bodkin Bryk, Tam 01/01/19 x O/E x x O/E x X x Brown, Wendy 01/01/20 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- x Engelbrecht, John 01/01/18 x X x O/E X X X x Hemann, Sayuri Sasaki 01/01/18 x X X X X X X x -- -- -- -- -- -- -- Knoche, Ron x X X X X X X x Seydell-Johnson, Juli X X X X O/E x x x Key: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a member