Arts Commission

Arts Commission Minutes City of Bellingham, Washington Tuesday 6:00 PM December 5, 2023 Mayor's Boardroom & Zoom Video Recorded https://meetings.cob.org Commission members Present: Amy Chaloupka; Kate Clark, Paul George, Eric Shew, and Jody Bento Commission Members Absent: 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. Edgemoor Neighborhood Signs Barbara Zielstra presented the two proposed designs for the Edgemoor neighborhood. The project is a product of the Mayor’s Small and Simple grant. One titled “Moonrise” and another titled “Sunrise”. “Moonrise” depicted a moon over water with a whale/kayakers. “Sunrise”, depicted a deer with an eagle. She stated the line art would be cleaner upon finalization. Eric Shew commented he appreciated how it looked hand drawn. The Commission as a whole preferred the “Sunrise” design. There was a recommendation to provide more contrast between the antlers and the mountain in the background. It was also suggested to offset the eagle and/or the deer. Kate Clark moved and Eric Shew seconded the recommendation to approve the artwork without returning the Commission for final review. All in favor, motion carried. 2. Happy Valley Neighborhood Proposed Sculpture Alex McLean of the Happy Valley neighborhood presented a proposed sculpture for the Happy Valley neighborhood. This project is also the product of the Mayor’s Small and Simple grant process. Pat Burnett, neighborhood president was also present. Alex McLean described the sculpture and the process to date in creating the piece as well as his interest in placing it at 32nd and Elwood. He described the lighting and the green elements of the piece. He said he intends to add mailboxes/birdhouses to the piece that  would have green elements as well. He also suggested he may add homes for bees as well. He described an anchoring method and concrete footings for installation. The Commission asked questions about lighting and how the new pieces would be added to the existing sculpture. Alex McLean said the lighting will be solar. The Commission had concerns about the installation and how it would be safely installed. There was a comment about not really understanding what the final product will look like. Staff said regardless of the final product one element that the City will require is that the piece have a structural engineer provide stamped installation plans. Alex McLean provided more information about the various elements of the artwork (existing and non-existing). The Commission were still concerned about moving forward. Additionally, the proposed artwork doesn’t have an approved location. The Commission asked about any public involvement regarding the selection of the artwork. Pat Burnett stated there had not been any at this point. The Commission said they felt this piece is incomplete and there are too many unknowns. They added they would like to hear what the neighborhood’s thoughts are on this piece. In summary, there are too many unknowns with this proposed sculpture since it is incomplete, the installation plan is questionable, and the neighborhood hasn’t had an opportunity to weigh in Amy Chaloupka moved and Jody seconded the recommendation to not accept this proposed piece into the City’s collection. All in favor, motion carried. 3. Traffic Box Artwork Review and Selection Shannon Taysi has prepared a presentation of the artwork submitted for the traffic box artwork. The Commission has had an opportunity to review and rank the artists. They reviewed the various works. There was a brief discussion about how to narrow down the selected pieces for the ten traffic box locations. Shannon Taysi said the best method is to honor the process of the ranking. She highlighted the top ranked artists based upon the Commission’s ranking. It was decided they would focus on the top five artists. As the Commission began to review the artwork, one of the artist’s work appeared to be generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Shannon taysi said the Request for Proposals (RFP) stated it had to be original artwork. It was decided Shannon Taysi would find out from Legal if there are issues with accepting AI created works of art and the Commission will continue the review of the artwork after that conversation. Other Business 1. Public Comment Period No Public comment 2. For the Good of the Order and Announcements