Arts Commission

Arts Commission Minutes City of Bellingham, Washington Tuesday 6:00 PM August 1, 2023 Mayor's Boardroom & Zoom Video Recorded https://meetings.cob.org Commission members Present: Paul George, Amy Chaloupka; Kate Clark, Eric Shew, and Jody Bento Commission Members Absent: Tami Landis Staff Members Present/ Presenters: Shannon Taysi, PCDD - Call to Order The Arts Commission meeting was called to order by the Chair at 6:00 PM. Agenda Items Public Meeting 1. Birchwood Neighborhood Sign p. 2 Joy Patterson and Grant McMeekin, Birchwood neighborhood representatives, presented several variations of their proposed neighborhood signs to be placed on poles in locations around Birchwood Neighborhood. They will also be working with Parks on placement on a trail system. They feel the design will work well with the rainbow bridge and let visitors and residents know when they have reached the neighborhood. The design is a rainbow with trees set on a dark background. Overall, the Commission liked the concept. There were comments addressing the following aspects of the design:  Provide examples of 24 x 30 street sign without QR code and 11 x 18 park/trail signs with QR code  Fill in more of the space  Make the word Birchwood taller  Enlarge QR code and Get Involved!  Enlarge the rainbow  Delete white lines and shadows in words and rainbow – shapes instead of lines Shannon Taysi said she would have to check with PW and see if a black background is allowed on a public sign.  The Commission asked the representatives to return to a future meeting with designs that include some of this guidance. Other Business Shannon Taysi said Sheila Klein, an artist interested in having a sculpture temporarily displayed, was in the audience to discuss her idea. She said this isn’t a formal agenda items so no decisions need to be made. Sheila Klein says she has a large “Necklace” piece that she would like to offer for temporary installation somewhere in Bellingham. Her first site to be considered is the Alcohol building on the Port property but if that isn’t possible, she would be open to other sites being considered. The piece is approximately 25’ x 18’ and has LED lights illuminating the piece. She is offering to install the piece herself with whomever is interested in hosting the artwork provide a lift and other installation needs. Shannon Taysi said she wanted the Arts Commission to be informed of this opportunity and if there is a site on City property, she will make it a formal agenda item for consideration. She did ask the Commission if they felt it appropriate to explore sites for this piece. They agreed it was. 1. Public Comment Period Jon Oesting commented that he thought the black background would fade rapidly and had some comments about the use of LED lights versus the original lights of the sculpture mentioned by Sheila Klein. 2. For the Good of the Order and Announcements