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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-11-04 Public Art Commission Summary Minutes MINUTES PUBLIC ART COMMISSION MEETING Thursday, November 4, 2021 Virtual teleconference via Zoom 6:00 p.m. Commissioners Present: Nia Taylor, Lisa Waltuch, Hsinya Shen, Ben Miyaji Commissioners Absent: Loren Gordon Staff Present: Elise DeMarzo Public Art Program Director Nadya Chuprina, Public Art Program Coordinator CALL TO ORDER - Chair Taylor called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, DELETIONS – None. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS – None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES - PAC Meeting August 19, 2021 Moved: Commissioner Miyaji, Second: Commissioner Shen. All in Favor. STAFF COMMENTS - Staff made an announcement for the upcoming CASP Open Studios event on November 13 as well as an ongoing ArtUp project with free art prints being distributed to community members. Staff also provided an update on the pop-up community engagement event with artist Deborah Aschheim for her upcoming temporary mural project for 250 Sherman Ave. Staff also updated the Commissioners on the upcoming opening of the 101 Highway Bike and Pedestrian Bridge and the permanent public art installation by artist Mary Lucking. ACTION: 1. Adoption of Resolution – Commissioners reviewed the resolution authorizing the use of teleconferencing for the Public Art Commission meetings during Covid-19 state of emergency. On September 16, 2021, the Governor signed AB 361, a bill that amends the Brown Act, effective October 1, 2021, to allow local policy bodies to continue to meet by teleconferencing during a state of emergency without complying with restrictions in State law that would otherwise apply, provided that the policy bodies make certain findings at least once every 30 days. Move: Commissioner Shen moved to approve the resolution authorizing the use of teleconferencing for the Public Art Commission meetings. Second: Commissioner Miyaji. All in Favor. 2. Charleston – Arastradero Corridor – Staff provided a summary of the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor project history, including the layout and timeline of the overall construction project, its delays and implications it has made on the timeline and budget for the fabrication and installation of artworks by Susan Zoccola. Initially scheduled to be installed in summer 2021 after the completion of the construction project, the fabrication and installation of artworks had to be delayed until 2022. Due to increase in costs associated with raw materials, as well as fabrication, shipping, and labor the art budget requires an increase of $35,000 Moved: Commissioner Waltuch moved to increase funding in the amount of up to $35,000 for the fabrication, shipment, and installation of permanent artwork by Susan Zoccola for the Charleston-Arastradero Corridor Project. Second: Commissioner Miyaji. All in Favor. 3. King Artist Residency – Staff provided a summary of the King Artist Residency objectives and the artist selection process. Artist Rayos Magos was identified as the finalist by the selection panel based on his public presentation of his previous body or work, community engagement experience, and conceptual proposal for the King Artist Residency. Staff shared slides from the artist’s presentation to the selection panel and related main points of the artist’s residency proposal, including the focus of his residency, creative approach to community engagement, and initial thoughts on the final artwork. Moved: Commissioner Miyaji moved to approve Rayos Magos as the project artist. Second: Commissioner Waltuch. All in Favor. 4. De-accession of Artwork – Staff provided an overview of the Poetry Wall mural located at 2605 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto, including the ideation and installation of the mural in 2003, its maintenance and repair history and associated costs over the past 18 years, and ongoing challenges with the physical condition of the mural brought to the staff attention by the property management company on behalf of the building owner. As determined by art conservators during their 2021 evaluation, the mural, painted on the south-facing wall of Walgreens in Midtown Palo Alto, is in poor overall condition due to high degree of UV exposure and water damage in the wall. Based on these factors, Staff recommended that the Commission initiate deaccession review process for the Poetry Wall mural. Three Palo Alto community members addressed the Commission in support of the preservation and repair of the existing mural. Commissioners reviewed attached condition reports and conservation recommendation from the art conservators, discussed possible options for proceeding forward, including 1) an option to de-accession the mural from the City’s permanent collection, remove the mural and instead commission new temporary work on ongoing basis; 2) an option to de-accession the mural from the permanent collection, while making repairs to the wall and recreating the existing mural in a different media as a temporary artwork; 3) repairing the wall and stabilizing the existing mural. There was a discussion about needing more information about the current condition of the wall and the property owner plans for any repairs to the wall, as well as their willingness to partially fund the repair and future upkeep of the Poetry Wall mural. Moved: Commissioner Miyaji made a motion to table the request to initiate the de-accession process of artwork until staff obtains more information from the property owner about the condition of the wall and any plans by the property owner to address exiting issues, as well as their commitment to keeping the site in sound condition so the PAC can consider not removing the existing mural and allocating funding for its repair and maintenance in the future. Second: Chair Taylor. All in Favor. NON-ACTION: 5. Code:ART – Staff provided an update on the Code:ART new media art festival that took place in downtown Palo Alto October 7-9 and was attended by approximately 7,000 people. Staff shared main attendance and economic impact data points and presented images of the Code:ART art installations and public interacting with it. Staff thanked the Commissioners, event volunteers, and all visitors for making this event a success. ANNOUNCEMENTS – None. CALENDAR: Next PAC Regular Meeting – December 16, 2021 at 7 pm in Zoom. The November 18, 2021 meeting is cancelled. MEETING ADJOURNED at 7:39 pm by Chair Taylor.