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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPAAC Packet 11-1-18 Public Art Advisory Committee Thursday, November 1, 2018 3:30 PM Helling Lobby Conference Room 410 E Washington St AGENDA Call to order Public discussion of any item not on the agenda Consideration of minutes of the October 4, 2018 meeting Review of Submissions for the Public Art Matching Funds – attached Discussion of City Hall Lobby Art Project - Tim Adams, Stoney Creek Landscapes Committee announcements or Committee reports Staff reports Adjournment If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Marcia Bollinger, Neighborhood and Development Services at 319-356-5237 or marcia- bollinger@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. MINUTES PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE OCTOBER 4, 2018 – 3:30 PM LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM – CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Erin Fitzgerald, Vero Rose Smith, Wendy Brown, Steve Miller, Ron Knoche, Juli Seydell Johnson NOT PRESENT: Tam Bodkin Bryk STAFF PRESENT: Marcia Bollinger, Morgan Musselman PUBLIC PRESENT: Meeting was called to order by Steve Miller, as Erin Fitzgerald would be arriving late. PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: Fitzgerald arrived at 3:40 p.m. Vero Rose Smith, who is a member of the feminist art collective “Blue Stockings,” brought to the committee comments made by fellow Blue Stocking members concerning the de-installation of the benches in Pedestrian Mall. Rose Smith mentioned that a number of Blue Stocking members painted benches for the BenchMarks project this past year and are upset with how these benches have been handled following de-installation. Rose Smith mentioned that the contractual language for the BenchMarks project did mention that the benches were guaranteed to be on display for one year and there was no guarantee as to what would happen to the benches after this one year was up. Rose Smith stated that the Blue Stockings members request better communication in the future. Rose Smith stated that one of the Blue Stockings members who was a BenchMarks artist found her bench for sale on a government auction website, without credit given to her as the artist or notification that the benches were going to be for sale. Rose Smith stated that some artists have been solicited by Thomas Agran to give ideas about what they would have liked to see happen with the benches once they were de-installed from the Ped Mall and that those ideas range from 25% of the sale of the bench going back to the artist to other ideas such as donating proceeds to a charitable cause of the artists’ choice, but at the very least the artists wanted notification of when the de-installation would occur, which did not happen. Rose Smith also mentioned that Thomas Agran informed her that the benches are being sold as benches, rather than as art, but that she still believes the artists’ names should be included if the benches are to be sold in a painted state. Fitzgerald asked about the process of selling painted Herky statues, because she recalls being notified of the sale of those she painted. Marcia Bollinger stated that was because they were part of an auction, whereas the benches were being sold as a commodity. Bollinger stated that she has been contacted by the staff member who is responsible for the installation and transition of the benches on the Ped Mall, who informed her that the de-installation was going to happen. Bollinger mentioned that she also received a phone call from one of the bench artists roughly six months ago because the artist had heard that the benches were going to be removed and that Preliminary the artist was interested in purchasing the bench she had painted. Bollinger stated that she informed the artist that the benches would be sold as commodities. Miller asked if all of the benches are being sold. Bollinger replied that there are a few that have been reserved and will be relocated. Bollinger asked Ron Knoche and Juli Seydell Johnson if they could confirm that this is true. Seydell Johnson replied that she does not know. Knoche replied that the plan is to change the style of bench installed on the Ped Mall, and that he does not know for certain if there are some benches being preserved. Bollinger stated that not all of the benches are currently posted on the government auction website because they are selling them in phases and that the time frame for bidding on them is also staggered. Fitzgerald asked who is orchestrating the process of removing the benches and putting them on the site. Seydell Johnson stated that it is a process the City follows for the disposal of any City asset. Rose Smith stated that she believes the artists are mainly looking for recognition on these sites if this were to happen in the future and potentially an apology for the lack of communication. Bollinger stated that she will mention it to the staff. Knoche asked if, in the past, the City notified artists when their work was being painted over during the next phase of annual bench painting. Bollinger responded that she does not know because the Downtown District orchestrates that project. Rose Smith stated that she has considered the possibility that in the contractual language with the Downtown District, which she has not seen, this was addressed. Bollinger stated that there is a possibility that this specific situation of the de-installation and sale of the benches was not addressed in the contract because it is likely a standard agreement. Rose Smith asked if she should address the Downtown District about this instead, rather than the Committee. Bollinger replied that would probably be the best channel to go through, as the Downtown District has orchestrated this project for years. Fitzgerald asked if the BenchMarks project was over, or if it would be continuing with the new benches that will be placed in the Ped Mall. Bollinger stated that she believes the BenchMarks project is over and that the mural project is considered its replacement to some degree. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF THE SEPTEMBER 6, 2018 MEETING Marcia Bollinger stated that she had received the full names of the students who attended the September 6th meeting with Rachel Arnone to present their proposals for the Longfellow Pedestrian Tunnel. Both students’ names will be edited in the minutes. Wendy Brown moved to approve the minutes with the changes to the students’ names. Rose Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. REVIEW OF SUBMISSIONS TO RFQ FOR CITY HALL ART PROJECT Before consideration of the RFQ responses for the City Hall Art Project, Seydell Johnson asked to present to the committee the replacement for the “Mayors Wall” in the City Council chambers, an installation which involves a number of octagonal pieces displaying Iowa City’s mayors. Sydell Johnson stated that she expects this piece to be installed in around eig ht to ten weeks. Seydell Johnson stated that she wanted to show this to the Committee now because one of the proposals for the City Hall Art Project, which will be installed on the opposite side of the Mayors Wall installation, involves a similar design. Fitzgerald noted to the Committee that one of the submissions is that of the finalists from last year’s application round, Tim Adams. Fitzgerald asked Bollinger if this artist saw the request for qualifications or if she informed him directly. Bollinger replied that she informed both Adams and Vako Darjania directly. She said Darjania and she had corresponded briefly via email and that he had voiced his interest, but that he had not submitted to the RFQ. Miller clarified that the submissions are for a request for qualifications, not proposals. Bollinger confirmed that was the case. Brown expressed surprise that there were much fewer submissions than last year. Miller asked how many responses the Committee received last year. Bollinger responded that they received thirteen submissions last year, and that she thinks the high number could be due in part to last year’s request being published on websites that advertises artist opportunities. Fitzgerald asked if the Committee would be selecting three artists, as they did last year. Bollinger responded that the decision to do so is up to the Committee; they do not need to select three artists. Brown asked what potential consequences to extending the deadline there would be. Bollinger responded that if the Committee were to extend the deadline, it would be more difficult to complete the project within the fiscal year. Rose Smith stated that, given the Committee’s prior experience, professionalism is something that she finds very important to focus on during this round of submissions, and that to her, the artist who stands out as having the professional experience that the Committee desires is Tim Adams. Rose Smith stated that her second choice is Rachel Ayers-Arnone, but that Arnone’s focus as presented in the samples of previous work provided in her submission to the RFQ is not quite what the Committee is looking for in the City Hall piece. Fitzgerald stated that she agrees with Rose Smith’s comments. Fitzgerald stated that she trusts Tim Adams because she has seen his work for years and knows that it is quality work that is long-lasting and displays attention to detail. Fitzgerald stated that the Committee should ask Adams to propose a piece that is different from his last proposal because the previous proposal was not as connected to the community as the Committee would have liked. Miller stated that he enjoys Adams’ “Freebird” installation in Cedar Rapids. Fitzgerald stated that she believes Adams is an artist who the Committee could collaborate with well and someone who is open to suggestions by the Committee. Rose Smith stated that Adams has a record of working with materials that are lasting and of creating and executing public-scale works that will stand the test of time. Bollinger stated that Adams asked her for feedback on what the Committee did not like about his proposal from the first round and was very open to hearing and appreciative of the Committee’s comments. Seydell-Johnson asked the Committee if they would like something closer to the “Freebird” piece instead of something with a lot of detail. Seydell-Johnson suggested the Committee ask Adams about constructing a piece similar in style to “Freebird”. Bollinger stated that she believes Adams would be open to sitting down the Committee and discussing what the Committee’s vision is for the City Hall project. Fitzgerald stated that she found the material selection for his previous proposal to be an excellent fit for the space. Bollinger stated that it also lent itself well to lighting. Rose Smith stated that the indoor location of the piece would mean it would be easy to maintain because it is not exposed to the elements. Miller stated that he was apprehensive about Terrance Riley’s lack of experience. Rose Smith stated that she is familiar with the Ellis Island Inside-Out project that Riley mentions in his letter, but that such a project would require a lot of involvement from the Committee and that she is apprehensive about his lack of detail concerning materials that are involved in the Ellis Island project and the materials that he would use in his own project. Rose Smith stated that Riley does not seem to have the professional experience the Committee wants for this particular project. Rose Smith stated that Marina Ross’s mural downtown is beautiful, but that she believes the Committee is not looking for a painting for the City Hall space. Bollinger stated that she did not see much reflection of the community in the proposal Ross discussed in her submission. Rose Smith noted that these submissions were for an RFQ, not complete proposals for the project, which is something that needs to be considered. Rose Smith stated that Ross’s only experience at this scale is mural work, so she believes it’s likely that a mural is what Ross would propose, in which case the question of materiality comes into play. Fitzgerald stated that she would not like a mural to be featured in that space. Fitzgerald stated that she believes she made the wrong choice in her selection of artist during last year’s proposals and that she believes Adams was and is the best choice for this project and that she would like the Committee to choose to work with him. Miller stated that he agrees. Seydell Johnson also stated that she agrees. Seydell Johnson stated that she thinks the Committee should pay Adams an honorarium to come to the committee so they can discuss their ideas for the piece, then final approval would come after the agreement on the design. Seydell Johnson motioned to provide Tim Adams with a $250 honorarium to come to the Committee with further design developments for the City Hall Lobby art project, tailored more towards his “Freebirds” design. Brown asked if the Committee wanted to discuss things with Adams in a meeting before he came to them with further design developments, so that he does not begin a design before hearing the Committee’s ideas. Bollinger stated that she thinks doing so is a good idea and would allow the project to advance at a quicker pace. Bollinger stated that she didn’t want to put him in a position where he presents a design to the Committee and the Committee doesn’t like it. Fitzgerald stated that there seems to be a sense that many people who work at City Hall care about how the piece will look in the lobby, and want it to fit well within the space and to involve certain materials that will elevate the space, so hearing those ideas and visions would likely help Adams create a piece for that space. Seydell Johnson amended the motion to offer Tim Adams a $250 honorarium, invite him to the Committee’s next meeting in November or whenever is convenient for him to come to discuss ideas, and then come back to the Committee with a design proposal based on those ideas. Rose Smith seconded. Motion passed unanimously. COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS OR REPORTS: Fitzgerald announced that this is her last meeting as a member of the Committee, as she is moving to a different town and is no longer eligible for the position. Bollinger presented Fitzgerald with a certificate of recognition to acknowledge her service. Fitzgerald stated that she has loved being a member of the Committee and will continue to support the Iowa City art community. Rose Smith stated that, in conjunction with four architecture firms downtown, the University of Iowa Art Museum is working on a pop-up exhibition that will take place in the pods on the Ped Mall Rose Smith stated that there will be a party beforehand downtown, where each firm will present their vision of home in response to an exhibition that she has organized through the museum which is on display at the Figge Art Museum. The pods will open officially on November 2, and the Figge exhibit is already open. Miller asked if the design Seydell Johnson shared for the location of the Snelson sculpture is the same as what she showed the Committee in the September meeting. Seydell Johnson responded that there have not been any changes made to the plan but that she is trying to get more information on that project. Seydell Johnson stated that she is also trying to get more information on the Farmers’ Market project, as she has sent the contract to the artist who will be creating the project and has not yet heard back from the artist. Seydell Johnson stated that Cara Briggs Farmer is moving forward with the Chadek Green garden sculpture and that Briggs Farmer has been informed that the Committee would like to continue working with her on future community garden placemaking projects. Bollinger asked when the Chadek Green sculpture will be installed. Seydell Johnson responded that it should be either this fall or early next spring, but that Backyard Abundance is altering the design of the gardens slightly, which is holding off installation currently. Bollinger stated that Creekside Park has been demolished to prepare for the installation of a new playground. Fitzgerald asked if the change to the zoning code that was approved by the Committee during the September meeting had been approved by the Council yet. Bollinger stated that it is on the Council’s agenda for its next meeting. STAFF REPORTS: Bollinger stated that the Longfellow Tunnel mural was painted early today by Rachel Arnone’s art students from Southeast Junior High School. Bollinger shared photos of the mural with the Committee. Fitzgerald asked if there was a plaque or something similar noting who painted the mural. Bollinger stated that Rachel Arnone and the students typically write that the mural was completed by the students of Southeast Junior High somewhere near the mural, but that she wasn’t sure if they had done that this year. ADJOURNMENT: Knoche moved to adjourn. Miller seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned 4:25 pm. Public Art Advisory Committee Attendance Record 2018 Name Term Expires 1/4 2/1 4/5 5/3 6/7 7/12 8/2 9/6 10/4 Bodkin Bryk, Tam 01/01/19 O/E x x x x x x O/E O/E Brown, Wendy 01/01/20 x x x x x x x x x Erin Fitzgerald 01/01/20 x x x x x x x x x Knoche, Ron x x x x x x x x x Seydell- Johnson, Juli x x x x x x x x x Vero Rose Smith 01/01/21 x O/E x x O/E x O/E x x Steve Miller 02/01/21 -- x x x O/E x x x x Key: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a member