HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 6639
City of Palo Alto (ID # 6639)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Consent Calendar Meeting Date: 2/29/2016
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Summary Title: National Endowment for the Arts Grant Application
Title: Authorization to Apply for "Art Works" Grant From the National
Endowment for the Arts for Temporary art at Cubberley Community Center
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Community Services
Recommended Motion
Staff recommends that Council authorize:
1) Staff to submit an application for an “Art Works” grant through the National
Endowment for the Arts for temporary visual art that focuses on the Cubberley
campus; and
2) The City Manager or his designee from the Community Services Department to
accept the grant.
Executive Summary
The “Art Works” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (Attachment A) will
support temporary public art projects at the Cubberley Community Center intended to
engage the community and gather input for future arts initiatives at the site.
Background
Creative placemaking is defined as the integration of artists and arts organizations in
the development of physical places that are publicly accessible in collaboration with the
community. The intended purpose of the grant is to foster meaningful engagement
between the public, artists, and the existing Cubberley stakeholders, thereby animating
the environment and generating valuable feedback for future arts programming and
creative placemaking efforts at the site. Using the feedback given by the NEA regarding
the “Our Town” application submitted last year, staff feels that this Art Works
application for smaller pilot projects to explore the possibilities at the Cubberley site will
be successful.
Cubberley Community Center is on the campus of the former Cubberley High School,
which closed in 1979. Cubberley High School was the setting of Ron Jones' teaching
experiment, The Third Wave, and was one of three public high schools in Palo Alto in
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the 1960s and 1970s. Today, Cubberley Community Center is home to several
community organizations and amenities, such as a Chinese reading room, dance
classes, artist studios, gyms and ball fields, as well as a theater. Foothill College also
holds classes at the Cubberley site. Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) owns most
of the land and leases it to the City of Palo Alto. The City owns 8 acres at the site.
Discussion
The existing use of the Cubberley site includes a broad range of stakeholders, including
the organizations and individuals leasing space at the site and the many visitors to the
campus. The Community Services Department with the Arts and Science Division feels
that temporary public art would be an excellent way to bring these stakeholders
together in collaborative projects and to engage in discussion regarding the future use
and design of Cubberley. The activities proposed here will in no way displace the
current Cubberley stakeholders or the various users of the site and amenities.
Cubberley already has a vibrant visual artist studio program, a panapoly of cultural and
performing arts groups and nonprofit arts and service organizations. Arts & Science
staff has been in discussion with our Community Services partners regarding the many
possibilities to engage these stakeholders and transform Cubberley into a creative
cultural destination where arts are integral in the creative discussions and activities that
take place. The three temporary public art projects supported by the Art Works grant
would be a key step in that direction. Staff anticipates commissioning three temporary
projects: one community meal/food related project to engage the community in
dialogue about the future arts programming at Cubberley over a shared meal, a second
commission of a participatory nature that may manifest in a sculptural installation that
engages visitors, and a third project by a lead artist engaging the community in
creating a mural at the Cubberley site.
The Council has been discussing possible ways to gather input from the community
about core values, this type of artist led project could be an excellent way to gather
some of that important insight while reanimating the Cubberley campus.
Resource Impact and Timeline
The National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Works Grant funds for visual arts range
between $10,000 and $100,000, with the average being $25,000. Staff is currently
determining the request amount, but anticipates it will be about $45,000. The awards
will be announced November 2016 and the earliest start date for programming is
January 2017. The City’s grant match requirement is 100% of the awarded grant
amount. Staff plans to fulfill the matching requirement with in kind donations and
existing funds in public art derived from the municipal percent for art ordinance. The
grant match requirements will be fulfilled within the department’s existing budget.
Policy Implications
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Staff will fully comply with the rules and policies for grant submission as outlined in City
Policy 1-12: Grant and Funding request Applications.
Submission of a grant application for the enhancement of Cubberley Community Center
is consistent with Policy C-19 of the Community Services Element of the City’s
Comprehensive Plan: “Develop improvement plans for the maintenance, restoration and
enhancement of community facilities, and keep these facilities viable community assets
by investing the necessary resources.”
Environmental Review
Submission of a grant proposal is not considered a project under the California
Environmental Quality Act.
Attachments:
Attachment A: Art Works Grant Program Description (PDF)
Attachment B: Grant Application Authorization (PDF)
Attachments:
Attachment A: ART WORKS Grant Program Description (PDF)
Attachment B: Grant Application Form (PDF)
ART WORKS Guidelines: Grant Program Description
The guiding principle of "Art Works" is at the center of everything we do at the NEA. "Art Works" refers to
three things: the works of art themselves, the ways art works on audiences, and the fact that art is work
for the artists and arts professionals who make up the field.
Art works by enhancing the value of individuals and communities, by connecting us to each other and to
something greater than ourselves, and by empowering creativity and innovation in our society and
economy. The arts exist for beauty itself, but they also are an inexhaustible source of meaning and
inspiration.
The NEA recognizes these catalytic effects of excellent art, and the key role that arts and design
organizations play in revitalizing them. To deepen and extend the arts' value, including their ability to
foster new connections and to exemplify creativity and innovation, we welcome projects that:
Are likely to prove transformative with the potential for meaningful change, whether in the
development or enhancement of new or existing art forms, new approaches to the creation or
presentation of art, or new ways of engaging the public with art;
Are distinctive, offering fresh insights and new value for their fields and/or the public through
unconventional solutions; and
Have the potential to be shared and/or emulated, or are likely to lead to other advances in the field.
Beyond encouraging projects that demonstrate these characteristics, we want to achieve the following
four objectives through the Art Works category:
Creation: The creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence,
Engagement: Public engagement with diverse and excellent art,
Learning: Lifelong learning in the arts, and
Livability: The strengthening of communities through the arts.
Items of interest:
Partnerships can be valuable to the success of projects. While not required, applicants are
encouraged to consider partnerships among organizations, both in and outside of the arts, as
appropriate to their project.
American arts and design organizations must be inclusive of the full range of demographics of their
communities, as well as individuals of all physical and cognitive abilities. Toward that end, we
encourage projects for which NEA support is sought to strive for the highest level of inclusiveness in
their audiences, programming, artists, governance, and staffing. We also welcome projects that will
explicitly address the issue of inclusion.
We are interested in projects that extend the arts to underserved populations those whose
opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. This
is achieved in part through the use of Challenge America funds.
We are interested in projects, regardless of the size or type of applicant organization, that are of
national, regional, or fieldwide significance; that tour in several states; or that provide an unusual or
especially valuable contribution because of geographic location. This includes local projects that can
have significant effects within communities or that are likely to serve as models for a field.
We urge organizations that apply under these guidelines to involve artists in their projects and to
provide specific information on the participating artists in their applications.
We are committed to supporting equitable opportunities for all applicants and to investing in diversity
in the arts including works of all cultures and periods.
We recognize that the significance of a project can be measured by excellence and invention, not
solely by budget size, institutional stature, or the numbers of people or areas that are reached.
We urge applicants to make accommodations for individuals with disabilities an integral part of their
projects.
The Art Works category does not fund direct grants to individuals. Direct grants to individuals are offered
only in the category of Literature Fellowships.
Grants generally will range from $10,000 to $100,000. No grants will be made below $10,000. Grants of
$100,000 or more will be made only in rare instances, and only for projects that we determine
demonstrate exceptional national or regional significance and impact. In the past few years, well over
half of the agency's grants have been for amounts less than $25,000.
To apply, choose a discipline