Public Art Commission

Minutes of a Regular Public Art Commission Meeting October 13, 2021 A regular meeting of the Blue Springs Public Art Commission was held on Wednesday, October 13, 2021 at 3:30pm at the Fieldhouse. The Chairman called the meeting to order. Eleanor Frasier – Present City Council Liaison: Susan Culpepper Ramon Magee – Present Parks Dept. Staff: Justin Stuart Susan Rew- Absent Taylor Beller - Present Visitors: Kathy Cornelius Pam Vaughan – Present Jeff Carpenter – Absent Barbara Landes- Present A motion was made by Ramon and seconded by Taylor to accept the Minutes of the September 8 meeting; it passed unanimously. Financial Report. The financial report was provided for review. “Cultivate Dedication” To be held on Tuesday, October 19 at James Lewis Elementary, 5:30 to 7:00PM -Invitations were designed by Kathy Cornelius. Printing was done by Print Graphics and the Parks staff helped with placing labels and postage. -The program plan was explained by Barbara and the printed program as designed by Kathy was reviewed. Barbara expressed appreciation for help from Devin Eperley, principal at James Lewis, who will provide the podium, tables, chairs, and PA system and for the assistance from Katie Woolf for arranging with BSSD personnel. -Refreshments will be provided by “The Dish”, a mobile food truck of Hospitality and Tourism students at BS High School. -Barbara asked that PAC members be at the school by 4:30 to help with setup. -The plaque has been ordered and will be placed on the base of the artwork after the dedication “Regenerate” --13th Temporary Public Art Exhibit -Justin provided an update on the Call to Artist on CAFÉ. PAC decided to extend the artist application process to enable more artists to apply and to change the dates for jury review. Eleanor, Ramon and Justin will determine the changes. -Eleanor reported the jurors would be: PAC jurors are Ramon and Jeff; Colonial Gardens jurors are Grace Ames and Chris Oursler; External jurors are: Jan Duffendack, Kathy Cornelius, and Roscoe Righter (who is replacing Tom Beard who felt he could not serve at this time because of concerns for Covid). -Ramon explained that CAFÉ will determine juror scoring results. The process is individualized so that jurors do not know how others score. The top candidates will then be asked to participate in a phone interview at the Selection Panel Meeting on Wednesday, December 1 from 1:00 to 5:00pm. PAC members will be attending the meeting and will have the opportunity to provide input for the jurors who will determine the top artists. -Eleanor stated that this meeting will be in lieu of the regular December meeting for PAC. “20 + 1 Years of Public Art in Blue Springs” -Eleanor reported that members are in the editing stage of the book. In addition to Eleanor and Ramon, Miranda Austerman, City Communications Manager, will provide final edits. When those are completed, the book will be sent to the publisher. A proof will be returned for review before the book is published. -PAC will need to find a place to store the books once they come from the publisher. Eleanor asked Ramon and Justin to look into possible places in Blue Springs that could provide appropriate storage. -Eleanor and Ramon described the volunteer work of Jennifer Swanson for preparation of the images for the book even though she was not a member of the Commission. Jennifer and Susan had worked together at Hallmark and had voluntarily agreed to assist with the project because of that relationship. Eleanor asked that Jennifer be given a stipend of $500 for the extensive effort for her volunteer work. Ramon made the motion and Pam seconded to 1 approve a stipend offer to Jennifer Swanson up to $500. Motion passed unanimously. Next, Eleanor reported that Susan had arranged for a subscription for In-Design software in order to create the book and had been paying for that monthly since beginning the project. Eleanor felt that a PAC volunteer should not be expected to personally incur this expense, that this should be borne by the Commission as part of the cost of publication. Ramon made a motion and Pam seconded to reimburse Susan for the InDesign subscription for an amount not to exceed $500. Motion passed unanimously. Funds to cover both of these items will come from proceeds of the book sales -PAC will need to determine the cost of the book as we begin plans for sale and fundraising. Bicentennial Project “Celebrating Missouri Through Mosaic Art” -Eleanor reported that 18 volunteers participated in a mosaic art training session led by Rebecca Hite to learn how to create mosaic art and some of the techniques they would need to know to do the project. -Larry has drawn and painted the design on the tile board. The mosaic glass of various colors will be broken and then glued on the design. It is expected to take two months to create the mosaic artwork. -The tentative date for Dedication of the artwork that will be placed at Vesper Hall is Thursday, December 9, time to be determined. Justin will check if this is a feasible date so that we can then begin contacting the various persons who will be invited to attend. -A dedication committee will assist in planning the refreshments and program for the event. Bicentennial Project on “Celebrating Missouri Through Mosaic Art” Bicentennial Mosaic Art Project -Eleanor reported that the project is on time. To date the border has been completed, the dogwood petals are in place and the branches are underway. Glass has been cut and placed for the background but not glued. The next big step is to cut glass and glue the bluebird. -The three organizations have provided helpers and also the Larry Randall family has been actively involved in the project. Rebecca Hite has been exceptional in providing space for work, guiding the mosaic process, and assisting with decisions for glass choice and placement. -PAC has tentatively decided to have the Dedication of the Mosaic Art at Vesper Hall on Thursday, December 9 (time to be determined). The Dedication Team will begin the process of planning the program for that event, determining who will be invited, and making all arrangements. The City will be involved in design of the invitations and program. -Eleanor and Justin will begin to plan the plaque that will be placed somewhere in the Vesper Hall Lobby. Information/Status/ Updates -ArtsKC has been in contact with PAC to get us more involved in the organization. Ramon will be the main contact with ArtsKC. -Eleanor reported that she and Justin had been working with St. Mary’s Hospital to place “Fire, Earth and Water” in the main lobby area. -Eleanor asked Susan Culpepper if she had any contacts with St. Luke’s Health Center to see about placing “The Visit” there. This is a difficult artwork to place as it has religious context but is important to PAC as it was completed by a Blue Springs artist. Visitors/Public Comment: -None Other Business- None As there was no further business, a motion for adjournment was made by Ramon and seconded by Barbara. Meeting was adjourned at 5:00pm ___________________________________ Eleanor Frasier, Chairman 2