Public Art Commission

Minutes of a Regular Public Art Commission Meeting March 11, 2020 A regular meeting of the Blue Springs Public Art Commission was held on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 at 3:30pm at the Fieldhouse. The Chairman called the meeting to order. Eleanor Frasier – Present Parks Dept. Staff: Justin Stuart Ramon Magee – Present City Council Liaison: Chris Lievsay- Absent Joy Frazier Boyle – Absent Community Member: Tom Beard Larry Randall - Present City Staff: Jackie Sommer, City Attorney Greta Hoener – Present Jeff Carpenter – Present Barbara Landes- Present A motion was made by Greta and seconded by Ramon to accept the Minutes of the February meeting; it passed unanimously. Public Art Commission Financial Report: The financial report was presented for review. Update on Policy for Placing Public Art in Public Places a. Jackie Sommers attended the meeting to discuss the proposed policy developed by Ramon and to better understand the expectations for the policy which needs to be approved by City Council b. The Policy was reviewed and discussed. Jackie will make additional review and appropriate wording and return the information for PAC approval. Status of Contracts a. Robert Barnum for “Ascend 2”—Justin reported the contract was approved and the first check was being sent. Barnum is continuing to work on the art but would like as soon as possible to have the three words for the base. Discussion was that everyone send three words to Justin and he would have the members vote on their choices to see if we can find common wording. b. Spencer Schubert for “Moving the Stars”—there is still a small glitch in paperwork that Schubert needs to provide before the contract can be issued but Justin felt that it would soon be resolved, and contract provided. Spencer plans to remove the original artwork and begin the process of re-casting with the expectation it will be available by late September. Momentum” Temporary Public Art Exhibit A. Purchase of “Wheels”: Eleanor reported that the Blue Springs Art League had voted to acquire the sculpture and has given a check for $6500 for purchase from Jonathan Bowling. They will be the sole donor for the artwork. A motion was made by Jeff and second by Larry to approve to accept the funds of $6,500 from Blue Springs Art League to purchase the art piece titled “Wheels” from artist Jonathan Bowling and place the piece at the Blue Springs Historical Society property at the corner of 15th & Main Streets; it passed unanimously Permission has been secured from the Blue Springs Historical Society to allow us to site the artwork on their property at 15th and Main Streets. When appropriate, Parks staff, along with PAC members, will decide where to locate the art but since it will not require a base that will be helpful Justin will be arranging for contracts to purchase the art from Bowling and to allow placement at the Historical Society B. Purchase of “Cultivate” -Eleanor reported that she received notice from Annette Seago that BSSD will look forward to having “Cultivate” placed at James Lewis Elementary. -Timothy Hawkeye Jorgensen has agreed to sell “Cultivate” for an additional $5500 and to keep it in place until we decide to move it. He had originally planned to place it in an exhibit in Cape Girardeau but will no 1 longer display there. A motion was made by Ramon and second by Larry to use funds from the Assigned Public Art account of $5,500 to purchase the art piece titled “Cultivate” from artist Timothy Jorgensen and place the piece at the James Lewis Elementary school in cooperation with Blue Springs School District; it passed unanimously -Justin will be arranging for contracts to purchase the art from Jorgensen and to contact BSSD to determine next steps to locate where to place the art. Park staff, PAC members, and BSSD staff will be involved in the decision of siteing. -Eleanor said that we would need to ask for donations to purchase the art and we would probably have a mailing on that in late summer. -Eleanor asked Jorgensen if he would develop an artist statement about how “Cultivate” relates to the role of teachers in educating students and developing student potential. He would like input from PAC members of phrases and concepts that he can use for that statement. -We need to continue plans for giving a certificate for People’s Choice for “Cultivate”. It was suggested that we ask the artist to attend the dedication and give at that time. C. “Inchoate” De-Installation. Justin reported that Luke Achterberg will plan to come around March 20 to remove the artwork. We have enjoyed having this colorful sculpture along the Parkway. D. “Basics 31”. Matthais Neumann has written that he will be installing another artwork in Olathe, KS soon and would perhaps use some of the wood from “Basics 31”. Justin reported that there was some interest in keeping the artwork in place as is. Neumann asked if there could be some additional compensation. Ramon moved and Jeff seconded that we offer $250 for keeping the art in place; it passed unanimously Updates/Information/Status -Intern- Cassandra Brown has requested the opportunity to intern with PAC this summer. She will be a senior at Drury University, majoring in Fine Art and Arts Administration. She would need 135 hours of work for the internship. PAC reviewed her resume and will accept her as an intern. Justin indicated that there was no specific work station available but she could come to the Fieldhouse and work where possible but she would need to provide her own computer as none was available for her use. Discussion was she would likely work on on- going projects of designing “Public Art in Blue Springs, donor request mailings for “Cultivate”, plans for Corks and Canvas, and other work as assigned. A motion was made by Barbara and second by Greta to accept Cassandra Brown as an intern for the summer; it passed unanimously. Eleanor will contact Cassie and let her know of the decision and welcome her to work with PAC. -“Mother and Child”- Justin reported that the sculpture is in place at Blue Springs North Library and located near the building. He said there was a problem with the base being too tall and that Parks staff had to cut the base down to place the collar between the art and the base. Justin showed photos of the restoration and felt the workmanship was disappointing. There was discussion of whether to contact the artist and/or the restorer to register our concern. Justin will continue to review the problem and PAC will discuss at the next meeting. -Kohl’s Community Service Agreement- An agreement has been made to allow PAC to have volunteer workers from Kohl’s to help with art maintenance. Larry will be in charge of all planning regarding which art requires care and work with the group. The planned work day is April 13. Justin will provide additional information to Larry as it becomes available. It is expected that PAC will receive a $1000 donation from Kohl’s Foundation for this project and the money will be used for future maintenance needs. -“Fire, Earth and Water”- Later in the summer, this fiber artwork will be hung in a new location (to be determined) at the Adams Pointe Conference Center. The artwork has been cleaned and restored by artist Janet Kummerlein. -Corks and Canvas- Plans are that PAC will have a tablecloth banner to identify Public Art Commission at Corks and Canvas on June 20. Decisions about who will be scheduled and what PAC will have to display, sell or giveaway will be discussed at March or April meetings. Other Business -The annual MACAA meeting is April 6 and 7 in Columbia. At this time, PAC has not decided whether to attend. -PAC has received a Hallmark grant of $400 for volunteer work by Jill Frasier. -PAC would like to place “Providence” and need suggestions of where best to locate the artwork. If possible, PAC would prefer to place at the Howard L Brown Building as the art was designed for that location. 2  -Fundraising Plans- Eleanor provided information from Susan Rew that due to the uncertainty of our economy and the coronavirus, she suggests a change in plans to “Friend-raising” instead of “FundRaising”, with projects related to Corks and Canvas, an “All Aboard Trolley Car Tour of Public Art”, and updating our mailing list being the most likely. PAC will discuss at the March meeting. Visitors/Public Comment: None As there was no further business, a motion for adjournment was made by Jeff and seconded by Larry. Meeting was adjourned at 4:50pm ___________________________________ Eleanor Frasier, Chairman 3