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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-07-20 Public Art Commission Summary Minutes MINUTES PUBLIC ART COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Thursday, July 20, 2017 City Hall Community Meeting Room 250 Hamilton Ave 7:08 p.m. Commissioners Present: Jim Migdal, Ben Miyaji, Hsinya Shen, and Nia Taylor. Commissioners Absent: Mila Zelkha, Loren Gordon, Amanda Ross Staff Present: Elise DeMarzo, Public Art Program Director Nadya Chuprina, Public Art Program Coordinator CALL TO ORDER: Chair Migdal called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, DELETIONS – Staff requested to move Non-Action Item 4 forward and table the financial report to the PAC retreat meeting in September. Chair Migdal granted the changes. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS – Jessica Brettle, Assistant City Clerk made a recruitment announcement for the new Storm Drain Blue Ribbon Committee to advise the City Council on the future of the City’s Storm Drain Program. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: May 18, 2017 PAC Regular Meeting Minutes Moved: Ben Miyaji, Second: Jim Migdal. All in favor. June 12, 2017 PAC Special Meeting Minutes Moved: Hsinya Shen, Second: Ben Miyaji. All in Favor. STAFF COMMENTS: Staff updated the commissioners on the status update of the maintenance project for Albuquerque, a permanently installed sculpture by Gayle Wagner on Embarcadero Rd. The sculpture is being power washed, stripped of the old paint, primed and recoated with 2 layers of special paint and 2 layers of anti-graffiti matt finish. Staff reported on the relocation of bee hives found in the windows of the Roth building during an on-site conservation evaluation project. The hives will be safely relocated to the JMZ facility. NON- ACTION: 4. 450 Bryant Street (Avenidas) – Staff provided an informational update on the artist selection for the public art project associated with the Avenidas Community Center development project, located at 450 Bryant Street. The artist will design, fabricate and install an artwork for the entrance wall of the new wing at Avenidas. The public art project is project managed by Staff. Staff put together a roster of 8 artists who had submitted applications to the 2014/16 Prequalified Artist Pool. Staff narrowed the qualified applicants down to 3 who were interviewed by the selection panel to identify a finalist. Martin Webb was selected based on his artistic excellence, strength of previous body of work, and relevant experience working with projects in public realm with similar budget and scope. In June, Avenidas and Public Art Program staff facilitated a community meeting with 15 stakeholders where the artist presented his previous body of work and gathered community input to inform his design concept. The artist is expected to present his final art proposal to the Public Art Commission in September 2017. Avenidas Executive Director Amy Adonian updated the commissioners on the construction timeline. ACTION: 1. Collection Maintenance - Staff recommended allocation of maintenance funds in the amount of $4,850 for the treatment of Confluence by Michael Szabo. As part of the treatment proposal the artist and his crew will conduct a detailed 2-year post-install inspection of the bronze sculpture, remove any debris, dirt and built-up in the drain, clean surfaces of any stains and oxidation, and work on the patina, wax the surfaces and adjust the water settings .Moved: Vice Chair Ben Miyaji moved to approve funding for the maintenance project. Second: Commissioner Shen. All in Favor. NON- ACTION: 2. California Avenue Parking Garage and Public Safety Building – Staff provided an presentation on the new Public Safety Building and California Avenue Area Parking Garage to initiate the Public Art selection process. Senior Engineer with Public Works Matt Raschke reported to the Commission that the parking structure must be completed prior to beginning construction on the new Public Safety Building. The tentative timeline for the parking structure is to begin construction in summer 2018 and construction lasting approximately one year. Public Art Program Director Elise DeMarzo reported that depending upon the final scale of the garage, the art budget for the garage may range between $100,000 and $260,000. There are 35 artists in the prequalified pool with experience in transportation and garage projects that staff intends to use for this project. A selection panel will review the artists, select 3-5 finalists to make presentations to the panel, and then select one artist to recommend to the PAC. DeMarzo also reported that for the Public Safety Building, the art budget is approximately $500,000. Due to the specialized nature of the facility, staff will launch an open call for artists, highlighting several potential opportunities for art integration. A selection panel of arts professionals and key stakeholders will meet to select finalists to interview and select one or more artists to recommend to the Public Art Commission for the Public Safety Building project. DeMarzo encouraged the Commissioners to volunteer to serve on the selection panels for the projects. 4. 3045 Park Boulevard - Initial Review for Public Art in Private Development. Tom Gilman of DES Architects + Engineers presented the development project to the Commissioners providing a background of the development project. Gilman presented key architectural design elements of the new site. Commissioners reviewed the details of the project and provided suggestions for possible art placement sites, types, media and themes of public art. The commissioners suggested that the developer considers incorporating art elements to highlight the landscape surrounding the new building. Some of the suggestions included using glass panels and shade screens for art placement, incorporating functional seating, and to be considerate of the artwork scale. 5. Public Art in Private Development Program – Staff provided an update on the program development and statistics for projects in various phases of development. With 47 projects identified as subject to the Ordinance, currently there are 20 projects that are through the initial or final review by the PAC, 11 projects have paid or planning on paying in –lieu of commissioning art on-site, 8 projects are being project managed by staff; and 2 have been installed to-date. 6. Code:ART Updates – Staff briefed the Public Art Commission on the outcomes of the public art festival. The festivities opened with an artist panel at IFTF attended by over 120 people. Staff estimates that more than 10,000 visited one or more of the Code:ART installations. On-site surveys revealed a diverse draw from the region, with almost half of those surveyed Palo Alto residents, and a good draw from all over the Bay Area. 62% of the visitors surveyed came to downtown Palo Alto specifically to see Code:ART. The feedback from the public was overwhelmingly positive and there were many requests to have the installations remain longer and to make Code:ART an annual event. Staff provided images of the installations, and thanked the Commissioners for contributing their time and efforts to make this event a great success. 7. Americans for the Arts Public Art Preconference discussion and report - Staff briefed the Public Art Commission on the outcomes of the AFTA Public Art Preconference that took place in San Francisco June 14-16. Staff and a few Commissioners attended the conference. Commissioners Nia Taylor and Vice Chair Ben Miyaji who also attended the Public Art Preconference shared their feedback with the Commission. ANNOUNCEMENTS – None. FOR YOUR CALENDAR: Next PAC Regular Meeting – 7 PM, August 17, 2017 PAC Annual Retreat – September 8 or 15, 2017 – Final date TBD. MEETING ADJOURNED at 8:52 PM by Chair Migdal.