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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-03-21 Public Art Commission Summary Minutes IS POSTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 54954.2(a) OR SECTION 54956 PUBLIC ART COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES Thursday, March 21, 2024 Community Meeting Room & Virtual 7:00 p.m. Commissioners Participating: Loren Gordon, Ben Miyaji, Hsinya Shen, Nia Taylor Commissioners Absent: Lisa Waltuch City Council Participating: None Staff Present: Elise DeMarzo, Public Art Program Director Nadya Chuprina, Public Art Program Coordinator Amanda Deml, CSD Assistant Director CALL TO ORDER – Chair Shen called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. AGENDA CHANGES, REQUESTS, DELETIONS – None. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS – None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES – February 15, 2024 PAC regular Meeting Moved: Commissioner Miyaji; Second: Commissioner Taylor. All in Favor. STAFF COMMENTS – Staff announced installation of a series of community quotes collected by artist Kirti Bassendine during her King Artist Residency project. The decals printed on adhesive aluminum are temporarily displayed on King Plaza. Staff update the Commission on the ongoing Call for Artists for the Utility Boxes project opportunity. Up to 20 artists, selected by a selection panel, will be awarded a $1,000 each to paint assigned utility cabinets across Palo Alto throughout in Summer / Fall, 2024. ACTION: 1. Election of Officers– Chair Shen gave an overview of the duties and responsibilities of the Chair to the Commissioners. Chair Shen opened the floor to nominations for the position of the PAC Chair. Commissioner Miyaji nominated Chair Shen for the Chair. Commissioner Shen did not accept the nomination and in turn nominated Vice Chair Gordon for Chair. Commissioner Gordon accepted the nomination. No other nominations followed. Motion: Commissioner Miyaji moved to close the nominations. Second: Vice Chair Shen. All in Favor. Vote: Commissioner Gordon was elected as the new PAC Chair. Chair Shen opened the floor to nominations of Vice Chair. Commissioner Gordon nominated Chair Shen for the position of Vice Chair. Vice Chair Shen accepted the nomination. No other nominations followed. Motion: Commissioner Miyaji moved to close the nominations. Second: Vice Chair Gordon. All in Favor. All in Favor. Vote: Chair Shen was elected as the PAC Vice Chair. 2. King Artist Residency – Staff provided an update on the artist selection process for the next King Artist Residency project. Twenty-four artists submitted their applications for consideration. The selection panel comprised of Public Art Commissioner Ben Miyaji, the City’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager Kojo Pierce; Public Art Consultant Barbara Goldstein; Artist Pantea Karimi; Artist and former King Artist in Residence Rayos Magos; and the City’s Library Services David Sigua. The panel selected four finalists in February who were paid a stipend to develop conceptual proposals for their Palo Alto residency. The four finalists made public presentations March 7, 2024 about their artistic practice and relevant experience as well as their conceptual proposal for the King Residency in Palo Alto. Members of the public were invited to observe the presentations and provide feedback to the panel before they made their final decision. Upon some deliberations after the artists’ presentations, the panel recommended artist Alma Landeta as the next King AIR artist. Staff shared slides featuring images of Landeta’s previous projects and samples of artworks. Motion: Commissioner Taylor moved to approve artist and educator Alma Landeta as the next King Artist Residency project artist. Second: Commissioner Miyaji. All in Favor. 3. Collection Care - Staff provided an overview and shared images of the current condition of the water sculpture titled Confluence by artist Michael Szabo. Staff made a recommendation to approve funding in the amount of $9,130 for the maintenance and conservation treatment including a preventative cyclical maintenance of the bronze surfaces and purple cyanurate treatment to address the prominent purple discoloration currently present on the concrete and stone surfaces. Motion: Chair Gordon made a motion to approve funding in the amount of $9,130 for the maintenance and conservation treatment. Second: Commissioner Miyaji. All in Favor. 4. Cubberley Mural – Staff provided an overview of the artist selection process for the Cubberley temporary mural project. Staff utilized the pre-approved muralist roster to identify a list of artists appropriate for the project. 39 artists were reviewed by the panel comprised of Chris Beszilko - Head of Imagination Lab School, Cubberley Community Center staff member Neha Billing, Acme Education Group representative Wei Chen, artist Richard Hoffman, Palo Alto resident and cultural worker Jennifer Lee, Avenidas Center Director Tracy McCloud, and Public Art Commissioner Hsinya Shen. The panelists identified muralist Cameron Moberg as the project artist applying the following evaluation criteria: Wow factor (artistic quality and excellence) and experience with community engagement. The selected artist will hold a community meeting to gather public input to inform their design development. Painting onsite is tentatively scheduled for June 2024. Staff recommended that the PAC approve muralist Cameron Moberg as the project artist. Motion: Commissioner Taylor moved to approve Cameron Moberg as the project artist for the Cubberley temporary mural project. Second: Chair Gordon. All in Favor. 5. Downtown Murals – Staff provided images and descriptions of three different sites across downtown Palo Alto, including alleyway walls of MAC’s shop at 534 Emerson St and Pacific Art Leaue at 668 Ramona St, and a prominent wall of the All-Saints Episcopal Church at 555 Waverley Street. All three sites are privately-owned, and public art staff secured approvals from the owners to commission murals. Staff provided a tentative timeline for the commissioning process with the artist selection taking place in May 2024 and murals painted on site in September – October 2024. The three murals to be funded by the City and commissioned as temporary artworks with the expected display period of five years. Staff requested that the PAC approve allocation of funding in the amount of $43,000 and initiation of selection process for up to three murals in downtown Palo Alto. Motion: Commissioner Miyaji moved to approve the funds and initiate artist selection process for the murals. Second: Commissioner Taylor. All in Favor. COMMISSIONER QUESTIONS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, OR FUTURE ITEMS: None. CALENDAR: Next PAC Regular Meeting – April 18, 7 pm (hybrid) at City Hall Community Meeting Room. MEETING ADJOURNED: at 8:00 pm by Vice Chair Shen.