Public Art Commission

1 Blue Springs Public Art Commission Minutes of the Meeting Thursday, May 11, 2017 Fieldhouse Conference Room 3:30 to 5:00PM Attending: Lawrence Randall, Greta Hoener, Barbara Landes, Kathe White, Eleanor Frasier, Asia Jones for Kim Nakahodo, Councilman Jerry Kaylor, Guest: Libby Comfort Call to Order: Eleanor called the meeting to order at 3:30. We welcomed Councilman Jerry Kaylor as our new Council liaison and Libby Comfort who was a guest. Minutes. The minutes of the April meeting were approved as emailed. Information/Updates ReDedication of “OH!” 1. Discussion was that the re-dedication of “OH!” was very successful. We enjoyed a nice evening with some 30 people attending. 2. The Mayor welcomed the group and Councilman Edmondson presented commentary on the initial purchase of the artwork that was placed at City Hall for 10 years before moving to its permanent place at 11th and Smith (we agreed it was the perfect place and thank the designers of the Howard L Brown Building for placing the art nook there). 3. Barbara Landes reported information about the artist, Diane Mattern, and gave her artist statement about her sculpture which was originally placed in Farmers Market during the 2006 exhibit. 3. Certificates of Appreciation were presented to restoration donors, Ron and Carolyn Gordanier and OPC. Carolyn, a long time member of PAC, had arranged for the community sponsors for the artwork and Ron had suggested the words used on our plaques (given so all can enjoy). OPC donated the work required for sandblasting the sculpture and powder coating in a brilliant red color. We appreciated the donation for the first restoration project of City art assets. 4. We thanked Parks staff for helping with removing and re-placement of the artwork and adding the plaque and we thanked Sherry McCoy for printing the programs. 4. Following the presentation, we enjoyed refreshments in the Journagan Family Room in the Howard L. Brown Building prepared by Barbara, Kathe White, and Greta Hoener. All items were those identified with the letter “O” and they were enjoyed by all who also remained for camaraderie and reminiscing. 5. Photos were taken at the event with was also filmed. A photo and short feature about the event was in the Examiner. Plaques. Eleanor reported that she will be working with Kim to design plaques for “Breath”, “Quasarc”, “Sundance”, and “From East of Here” and “Tumbleweeds”. The estimated cost of these plaques is $500. Grants. l. State Farm Foundation. Eleanor reported that this has been submitted and awaiting approval for a $500 grant. It was requested by grant donor that the money be used for plaque costs.  2 2. Hallmark Foundation. Eleanor reported that this has been approved and awaiting a check for $400. It was requested by grant donor that the money be used for plaque costs. 3. MACAA. Eleanor reported that she will be submitting a grant for $1000 for the presentation that Kim gave to the Blue Springs Art League Spring luncheon instead of the publication of “Public Art in Blue Springs” for this year and we hope to gain a grant for the publication from the next grant period. The reason for change was the deadline for submission . Restoration of “BlueSprings.Net” 1. Steve reported that work had been underway for quite sometime (somewhat hampered by weather) but that Metalabs had completed cleaning of the “net” and some of the bronze elements. Soon they will start the priming and painting of the sculpture. 2. It was suggested that everyone visit the artwork and note the impressive scaffolding that is in place to complete the restoration. 3. Eleanor suggested that we would like to have an informational document placed in the Adams Pointe Conference Center which documents information about the artist, the history of the sculpture (first major public artwork), lists the donors, and provides other information of interest about the sculpture. She will work with Kim in this project. 4. Ideas for fundraising to help pay for the restoration will be discussed at the June meeting. “Call to Artist” for Eleventh Temporary Public Art Exhibition 1. Eleanor provided an update on the “Call to Artist” document sent earlier to the PAC. This included many of the suggestions made by Ramon Magee who could not attend the meeting. 2. Discussion about the document and timeline resulted in a decision to send to City for approval of the CAFÉ contract to solicit applications for the “Capricious” exhibit. 3. Some of the items discussed included: a. Re-design of the format to some degree to make it more immediately readable by the artists b. Review of the timeline to enable our project to remain on-line longer for artists to apply and for artists to have time to create artwork. Consideration of likely times needed to get approvals for artist contracts was another important element in the plan c. Discussion of what was needed before we go on-line with CAFÉ 4. Possible sites for installation of artworks were discussed. Eleanor asked Larry and Ramon to join with Steve and Randy Cooper to find six appropriate sites for placing art along the west side of the Parkway so photos of these sites can be placed on the City website. 5. Eleanor will send the up-dated “Call to Artist” to PAC for final review to see if there are any additional edits (note: by Wednesday, May 17) and before Steve sends the CAFÉ contract to City Administrator Eric Johnson for approval. Once approved, Steve will send the signed contract and $500 fee to CAFÉ. Items on the “To-Do” Schedule “Treasure Quest”. Greta provided a very impressive updated “Treasure Quest” to be made available to the public, students, and organizations which would encourage public interest in visiting the artwork throughout the City. The map also included the names of the artworks and the artists, along with the locations. We hope this will encourage public appreciation of the art.  3 Public Art in the Public Schools. Grete reported that the elementary teachers have the “Treasure Quest” document to use in classrooms and also provided plastic cubes with public art illustrations, encouraging conversation about the art, where placed, and interest. Maintenance of Public Art Documents. Eleanor asked Kathe to begin the project in June to identify and file the various documents that show the history and record of the public art program Publication of “Public Art in Blue Springs” 1. Asia brought the spreadsheet that Kim has prepared about the public art assets for PAC review before she begins the plans for publication. 2. Kim has identified 75 pieces of public art in Blue Springs (very impressive) which will be in the document Public Art Maintenance. No report but we anticipate working with Meg Zahner in idientifying the maintenance needs of the various art located in Blue Springs including the nature of maintenance, who should do it, and how often the maintenance is needed. Other Blue Springs Art League Spring Luncheon. Kim was well-received as the featured speaker at the annual event. Her topic” Arts in Blue Springs” was a highlight of the event. We were pleased to work with BSAL in this important community gathering. Thank you, Kim, for representing us. Corks and Canvas. Asia reported that the new date is Saturday, June 24, from 11:00am to7:00pm Next Dedications: We anticipate that Mid-Continent Library will host a dedication of “Breath”. It is uncertain when there will be a dedication of “Remnants Restored” artworks and when we will have a re-dedication of “BlueSprings.Net”. Additional Information 1. Eleanor reported that Lee’s Summit is planning to employ a full time arts administrator to support their plan for art in the community. 2. Eleanor read information about the Warrensburg Arts Council Call to Artists for its first sculpture on loan program. There appears to be increasing interest in public art as a means of city and community identity. 3. Larry reported that the artwork on the side of Bike Stop is in disrepair and they are deciding how to deal with this. It has been in place since about 2008 and a visible public art project by that business. Discussion will be continued on how we can help address this concern. Next Meeting: Thursday, June 8 at Fieldhouse Conference Room, 3:30 to 5:00PM  4 .