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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-01-2007 Public Art Advisory Committee Agenda Public Art Advisory Committee Thursday, February 1, 2007 3:30PM Lobby Conference Room Iowa City City Hall 410 E. Washington St. A. Call to order B. Public discussion of any item not on the agenda C. Consideration of the minutes of the December 7,2006 meeting D. Discussion of the Grand Avenue roundabout project. . Report from University . Decision re: Anderson sculpture E. Discussion of the "Art on the Walls" project for Artsfest 20th Anniversary in cooperation with the Summer of the Arts. F. Discussion of potential public art projects for the remainder of FY07 and for FY08. G. Public awareness . Recognition of public art in private spaces . Community survey H. Committee time/updates I. Adjournment MINUTES PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE THURSDAY, DECEMBER 7,2006 LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM, CITY HALL PRELIMINARY Members Present: Mark Seabold, Terry Trueblood, DeLayne Williamson, Emily Martin, Rick Fosse Members Absent: Chuck Felling, Emily Carter-Walsh Staff Present: Marcia Klingaman, Brian Boelk Others Present: Jean Walker, Howard Collinson, Rod Lehnertz, Gene Anderson, Bob Brooks CALL TO ORDER Seabold called the meeting to order at 3:32 PM. RECOMMENDATIONS TO CITY COUNCIL None PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA None CONSIDERATION OF THE MINUTES OF THE OCTOBER 5,2006 MEETING MOTION: Fosse moved to approve the minutes as submitted. Trueblood seconded the motion. Motion passed 5:0. DISCUSSION WITH GENE ANDERSON REGARDING HIS GRAND AVENUE ROUNDABOUT PROPOSAL Seabold explained to Anderson that the committee liked both proposals and wondered if it would be possible to combine the ideas of both proposals. Martin said that the committee liked the look of proposal one and the materials of proposal two. Martin mentioned that the radial configuration was appealing to the committee and felt that limestone was a theme that Coralville had used a lot. Anderson said that he was thinking about stone ranging from one foot thick on up. The quarry was not sure if they had striations that thick. Martin said that the committee was very much interested in the arrangement of proposal one but liked the smoothness of proposal two. Klingaman apologized for not being present at the last meeting and said she and Gene were under the impression that the committee was more interested in proposal one. Lehnertz wondered if the stone pieces would have to become smaller for the radial configuration. Anderson said that if the pieces are too small, and become shorter than the overhang, they will become lost against the backdrop, which is not very attractive for a piece of art. Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 3, 2006 Page 2 Walker wondered if the committee could see the piece in the surroundings so that they could get an idea of the scale. Anderson said that he would like to go to the site and see what 14 feet tall would look like. He said the piece needs to represent itself. He said that he could do more of a pinwheel design with different shapes. Martin agreed that it was the pinwheel aspect that they liked. Fosse said that they also want to bring in a landscaping element, such as an ornamental grass. Anderson said that he was not prepared to think in those terms. Brooks wondered if Anderson had thought about foundations or plantings. Anderson said that the foundation would need to be very large and the amount of dirt access would be small. Also, the potential of underground electrical vaults would require a survey to find out what is underneath the area. Boelk said that University water, a steam tunnel, and University telephone are all underneath the site. He thinks that Anderson should think of something that is a bit smaller scale. Lehnertz said that the scale might feel ominous with the fourteen foot proposal. Walker wondered if the pieces would be more stable in a pinwheel configuration. Fosse said that the committee had envisioned something that could be created off-site and then moved onto the site. Anderson said that everyone that he has talked, to who may make the molds, said that the easiest way to cast the structure would be on-site. Everyone he talked to said to pour it on-site. Anderson has also investigated how he could create sleeves to slide the stones onto. He said that would take some fine steel work with about 10 inch diameter pipes. It would be expensive and is more economical to cast the structure on site. Walker wondered again about the scale and Anderson said that the height for both proposals would be pretty similar. Seabold wondered how deep and the location exactly of the utilities. The steam tunnel is underneath and is still being used. Brooks wondered whether Anderson had thought about vandalism. He said with the smooth stone may attract students. He wondered if the structure could be power washed or coated to make it easier to clean. Fosse said that if the structure were painted, it could easily be repainted if vandalism occurred. Brooks wondered if Anderson had considered colors. Anderson said that he could find out what big cities use to maintain their art. He also mentioned that sometimes leaving graffiti makes it part of the artwork, such as is done in Spain. He said that with colors, people tend to either like blue or red, but white is acceptable to most people. He sealed the sculpture on the sculpture pad downtown and as of now, they have not had any problems with vandalism. Anderson said that in the past he has used natural dyes, like walnut, that become part of the material. He would not want to paint the structure but he would be happy to stain it with a natural dye. The coating would not be consistent throughout, the coating would be natural. Walker is more concerned about something growing on the structure. Anderson said that if that happens it would become a natural part of the sculpture and he likes the idea. In general, his concrete sculptures do not grow algae. He did say that vines may grow on proposal one and he really likes the idea. Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 3,2006 Page 3 Anderson again mentioned that the quarry does not have a guarantee that the slabs of stone would be available. Seabold wondered what type of weight difference there would be between the limestone and the concrete. Anderson said that concrete is about 150 pounds per cubic foot and the limestone is about 90 pounds per cubic foot, depending on the type. Seabold said that he liked the organic look. Anderson said that with the quartz in the sculpture down, the sculpture glistens, and it depends fully on what the committee wants. Williamson wondered if the sculpture could use a raised base instead of digging a larger foundation. She wondered if the committee should find out what is possible. Fosse agreed and did not want Anderson to spend more time before they find out what can be placed on the site. Anderson said that they could drive honeycomb piles around the steam tunnel, but it fouls up the plants and dirt idea. Anderson said that he wanted to be upfront with the amount of time that the sculpture may take. He said the molds would take 2 or 21/2 months. He would really prefer to pour it on-site. Seabold wondered if there are possibly additional utilities, or if they can have Anderson think of some ideas that work around the utilities. Boelk said that the tunnel will at some point need to be dug out. Anderson wondered if the City has a structural engineer on-site or if he would have to provide one. He said he did not plan on providing the footing as part of his proposal. Klingaman said that in the call, the City offered to provide one. Fosse said that since Anderson is busy for the next month, the committee could think about options, then discuss this at the January 4, 2006 meeting. The committee thought that before Anderson spends any more time, they should look at the constraints of the site. Walker wondered if there was any possibility of repairing what is underground before installing the sculpture. Boelk said that it would just start a new life cycle for the tunnel and Lehnertz said that it is not needed yet. Walker wondered if lighting would help to prevent vandalism. She also wondered how much lighting the sculpture entails. Anderson said that he wanted wall washers and ground lighting on both pieces so that it would wash the sculpture. Seabold said that he would find out more information and the committee would get back to Anderson. Anderson thanked the committee for selecting his work. Gene Anderson left at 4:38 P.M. Fosse said that he feels like the committee is forcing the artwork. Williamson said that even if the piece is not 14 feet high, it would still be a dominant piece. Seabold said that he is still really excited about the piece. Martin said that even with sealant, you can not totally get rid of all of the graffiti. Lehnertz said that he still would like to offer up the idea of a landscaped island. Martin agreed that it would be a good idea. Lehnertz said that Bob Brooks could partner with the City to landscape. Fosse said that he is the one who threw out the idea, but he now thinks that Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 3, 2006 Page 4 art may not be a good idea. Trueblood wondered what obligations the committee has with Anderson. The committee seemed to agree that they do not have a formal obligation to Anderson. Lehnertz said that he would talk to Bob Brooks about sketching up some landscaping ideas. Martin thinks that the committee should communicate with Anderson that they do not know how they are going to proceed, so that he does not invest more effort. DISCUSSION OF A POTENTIAL ART PROJECT TO HIGHLIGHT ARTSFEST 20TH ANNIVERSARY Williamson suggested bringing in David Williamson, who is an artist and a motional speaker. He works with the Department of Natural Resources to pull things out of the river and make art out of it. He gave a presentation on leadership on at the Young Professionals Conference in Cedar Rapid. He told Williamson that he does respond to calls to artists. Klingaman said that the project will have to be self-supporting or the committee will have to knock on doors. Seabold said that this type of event will be a good way to get people involved. Klingaman said that she would contact David Williamson. Klingaman told the committee about a meeting with Katie Roche where ideas were developed for possible projects. One idea is a projection of art onto buildings downtown. Martin said that this type of art has been done and it is very flexible. Klingaman said that Roche mentioned the idea of having photo booths set up downtown and then projecting the faces of Iowa City. She said that practically everyone could participate. Martin said the committee should find out how much David Williamson costs and then think about ideas. Seabold liked the face projection idea. Klingaman said that she saw the committee as doing the initial review. Seabold wondered about whether someone would be hosting to projector to avoid someone switching the photographs, and Marcia said that someone would monitor the projectors. Klingaman brought up the fact that a lot of times people avoid art galleries because they feel uncomfortable. This project would make the art more accessible. The group seemed to agree that they should continue discussions next month. DISCUSSION OF 2007 SCULPTOR'S SHOWCASE CALL AND THE PENINSULA PARK SCULPTOR'S SHOWCASE CALL Klingaman wondered if there were any questions or comments about the calls for artists. The committee said the calls seemed fine. Martin said it was a good idea to get it out now so that it will be available when the students get back. Tom Aprile will get the call immediately. Martin said that Isabel Barbuzza is the other sculpture professor and she should be notified of the call as well. Klingaman said she would send it to Kirkwood also. Martin said to send the call to Coe College and Mount Mercy also. COMMITTEE TIME/UPDATES Boelk said that John Coyne is working on an icon that will be repeated at two locations along West Branch Road. It is the first time they have incorporated an artist into the design team on a project. Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee Minutes August 3, 2006 Page 5 ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 5:12 P.M. 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