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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-21 Public Art Commission Summary Minutes MINUTES PUBLIC ART COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING Thursday, September 21, 2017 City Hall Community Meeting Room 250 Hamilton Ave 7:00 p.m. Commissioners Present: Ben Miyaji, Hsinya Shen, Loren Gordon, Mila Zelkha Commissioners Absent: Nia Taylor, Amanda Ross, Jim Migdal, Staff Present: Elise DeMarzo, Public Art Program Director Nadya Chuprina, Public Art Program Coordinator CALL TO ORDER: Vice Chair Miyaji called the meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, DELETIONS – Staff requested to move Action Item 2 forward. Vice Chair Miyaji granted the changes. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS – none. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: August 17, 2017 PAC Regular Meeting Minutes Moved: Loren Gordon, Second: Hsinya Shen. All in favor. September 8, 2017 PAC Retreat Minutes Moved: Loren Gordon; Second: Hsinya Shen. All in favor. STAFF COMMENTS: Staff updated the commissioners on the upcoming removal of Murmur Wall by Future Cities Lab. The artwork is scheduled to come down on October 3, 2017. Staff also provided a summary of the Commissioner Recognition Event that took place on Saturday, September 16 in Mitchell Park. Staff thanked the commissioners for their service. ACTION: 2. De-Accession of Artworks - Staff recommended that the PAC initiates deaccession evaluation process for California Avenue, California Native by artist Susan Leibovitz Steinman sited at California Avenue at El Camino Real, based on the process and conditions outlined in the City’s Deaccession of Artwork Policy adopted in December 2016. Staff provided a detailed overview of the artwork commissioning and maintenance history and presented considerations for the deaccession of the environmental streetscape-integrated artwork by Steinman, including the condition or security of the Artwork cannot be reasonably guaranteed; the Artwork is not, or is only rarely on display because the City lacks location for its display; and no suitable site is available for relocation or exhibition, or significant changes in the use, character, or design of the site have occurred which affect the integrity of the Artwork. Staff recommended that PAC proceed with the deaccession process and open the public comment period, notify the artist officially of the deaccession, and agendize the final vote for December or January. Commissioners clarified with staff on the removal options for some of the elements of the artwork and commented on maintenance challenges with integrated landscapes and living plans in areas with a high pedestrian and car traffic. Moved: Commissioner Zelkha moved to initiate the deaccession evaluation process for California Avenue, California Native by Susan Leibovitz Steinman. Second: Commissioner Gordon. All in favor. 1. 450 Bryant St – Final Review for Public Art in Private Development by artist Martin Webb for the Avenidas project at 450 Bryant Street. Staff presented the project background, its goals, initial input from the Commission and the Avenidas stakeholders meeting, and spoke about the artist selection process. Staff then presented some examples of the previous work by Webb and his site-specific proposal for the new addition of the Community Center. Some of the PAC feedback included: the proposed artwork looks elegant, welcoming and appealing, the piece will have great visibility from both the exterior and interior of the building, and it would be a great fit for this rather challenging space. Moved: Commissioner Gordon moved to approve the artwork proposal by artist Martin Webb for the project. Second: Commissioner Zelkha. All in Favor. 3. Temporary Public Art – Staff briefed the Commission on the estimated timeline for a series of upcoming temporary installations for King Plaza in downtown Palo Alto over the next two years. Staff presented an overview of the Blue Tree Project, shared images of some previous installations across various locations in the US and abroad, talked the Commissioners through the environmental and community engagement of the project, and provided more details about the non-toxic organic pigment that developed and patented by the artist. Staff earlier obtained approval from the City arborist team and is currently working with the Storm Water manager to secure department approval. Staff recommended the allocation of funds for Konstantin Dimopolous’ installation on King Plaza Spring 2018- Spring 2019. Moved: Commissioner Zelkha moved to allocate funding in the amount of $23,000 for the project. Second: Commissioner Shen. All in Favor. 4. Adoption of Priorities for 2017/2018 – Staff presented the overview of the PAC priorities developed during the PAC Annual Retreat held on September 8, 2017. The five priorities included 1: Completing the murals and percent for art in private development policy revisions. 2: Increasing staff capacity by hiring Project Manager to provide support with the oversight of municipal public art projects; 3: Commissioners to act as active ambassadors for the program; 4: Focusing on increasing public art collection awareness by exploring mobile applications; and 5: Expanding the locations and scope of temporary public art installations to new locations and, when possible, incorporating interactive (light and sound) and performance-based projects. Vice Chair Miyaji proposed to hold PAC retreats semi-annually and suggested that commissioners are provided with PAC name tags with the new logo. Moved: Commissioner Shen moved to adopt the PAC priorities for 2017/18 Second: Commissioner Gordon. All in Favor. ANNOUNCEMENTS – Staff notified the Commission about the changed date for the Joint Meeting with Council. The new date is Tuesday, October 10, 2017. FOR YOUR CALENDAR: Next PAC Regular Meeting – 7 PM, October 19, 2017 Joint Meeting with City Council - Tuesday, October 10, 2017. MEETING ADJOURNED at 7:44 PM by Vice Chair Miyaji.