Public Art Committee

Durham Cultural Advisory Board’s PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE Meeting, March 25, 2015, 8:30 a.m. Adaron Hall, Durham Arts Council DRAFT MINUTES Members Present: _X_ Kathy Bartlett _X_ Margaret DeMott ___ Dan Ellison _X_ Jeffrey Goldman ___ Noel James _X_ Erika Martinez _X_ Chris Ogden (Chair) _X_ Charlene Reiss _X_ Julie Rhodes _X_ Katie Seiz _X_ Karen Slotta _X_ Pamela Taylor _X_ Gail Williams OEWD Staff Present: _X_ Peter Coyle Also Present : Sherry DeVries, Kevin Lilley, Renee Leverty, Jean Greer, Chris beacham, Sarah Schroth, Wendy Hower, Henry Sappenfield, Arthur Rogers, Jackie McCloud, Trish Creta, Renee Haynes The meeting was called to order by Chair Chris Ogden at 8:32 a.m. Ogden welcomed visitors attending the meeting. Ogden introduced the four new members of the committee, appointed by the Cultural Advisory Board. They are Jeffrey Goldman, Erika Martinez, Katie Seiz and Pamela Taylor. All person’s present introduced themselves. Ogden shared Peter Coyle’s retirement announcement and that he’ll be working through the end of May. The Committee unamiously applauded Coyle’s long history of service to the City and Duke in his roles as employee and volunteer to many, many arts organizations. Kathy Bartlett made a motion to accept the minutes of the January 21, 2015 meeting, with corrections. Pamela Taylor seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously. Ogden introduced Sarah Schroth, Director of the Nasher Museum of art, to make a presentation. Schroth discussed plans by the museum to commission two conceptually integrated murals by artist Odili Odita. One of the murals will be installed in the Nasher Museum lobby. A complementary mural is planned, to be painted on an exterior wall of a building in downtown Durham. Local artists and youths will be invited to participate in the mural project. The artist has looked at several downtown sites as possible locations. His first choice is the Foster Street wall 25 March, 2015 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 1 of 6 of the Durham YMCA. The west wall of the building housing Mateo restaurant is the artist’s second choice. Schroth indicated that the YMCA’s reaction to the idea has been positive but the approval process must be completed. The work will be installed in October, 2015 to mark the the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Nasher. The outside mural is not intended to be permanent , and is expected to remain for about three years before it is painted over at the Nasher’s expense. Renee Haynes noted that there will be programs scheduled for the public both during and after the installation period. The companion mural in the museum is targeted to be completed in August, 2015. Schroth discussed the artist’s career and showed examples of his work from other locations. Peter Coyle explained to the committee members that if the mural site is on private property it does not require the City’s approval under the Public Art Policy but he suggested that a resolution of support from the committee is something the committee could consider. Kathy Bartlett made a motion to express support for the project and to thank the Nasher Museum of art for reaching out to the Durham Community. Julie Rhodes seconded the mothion. It passed unanimously. Ogden introduced Jackie McCloud, president of Liberty Arts, for a presentation. McCloud thanked Kevin Lilley and the General Services Department staff for the successful move of the sculpture, “Winding Out,” to its permanent location in the North Black Wall Street Plaza. The piece was donated to the City by Liberty Arts. McCloud presented a proposal from Liberty Arts of an offer to donate to the City the Bull City Sculpture Show sculpture “Pursuit of Happines,” by Virginia artist Charlie Brower. The piece is currently placed in the Convention center Plaza. A donor, who prefers to remain anonymous, has offered Liberty Arts the funds to purchased the piece and donate it to the City of Durham so that it can remain permanently at its current location. It was noted that it is made of locust wood which should last a long time, with little maintenance, although mildew can accumulate on the white wood, especially below the tree canopy. Kevin Lilley reported that the General Servvices Department is reviewing the maintenance needs for the piece. McCloud reported that she has a letter of support from the Convention center management. It was noted that the terms of the donation to the City include the City’s unilateral right to move, sell, or destroy the piece at its sole discretion. Peter Coyle reported that he will be working with McCloud to approval from the County for the location as the land is jointly owned by the City and County. He also reported that the Cultural Advisory Board at its March 18 meeting approved endorsing City acceptance, contingent of the Public art Committee’s recommendation and necessary City staff approvals. Charlene Reiss made a motion to recommend acceptance of “Pursuit of Happiness” by the City. Margaret DeMott seconded the motion. It was approved unanimously. Ogden thanked McCloud and Liberty Arts for the offer of donation and noted that this would be the third piece from the Bull City Sculpture Show to remain in Durham on a permanent basis, along with “Winding Out” and with “Twist of Fate,” which was purchased by the County to remain in front of the new judicial building. 25 March, 2015 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 2 of 6 Ogden introduced Jean Greer, consultant to the North Carolina Arts Council on the Durham SmART Grant project and former Charlotte public art program administrator. He noted that the City has obtained a membership in Americans for the Arts, including its Public Art Network and that several members of the Public Art Committee have membership rights under the City's membership. He also reported that, in discussions with staff of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development, there is conceptual support for hiring a consultant for the City's public art program, if an appropriate consultation goal can be articulated. Greer thanked Chris Beacham, Sherry DeVries and Margaret DeMott for their leadership of the SmART process. She discussed the impending changes to pedestrian activity downtown as a result of the new 21c Hotel and other projects She noted that, like Durham, Charlotte used to have an "up to 1%" of capital budget funding resolution for public art, but that they had successfully evolved to an ordinance and now have a robust public art program She described how Durham is handicapped by their voluntary resolution level model vs. an established funding model that can be counted on, planned for, and consistently implemented. She describes the key components of a public art program, noting that place-specific work is a key aspect of a good program and that artists are at the center of public art. She showed examples of successful works installed in Charlotte and other cities and note that public art is a specialty within the visual art community. It differs from studio art, which tends to be more personal to the artist. Public art is a collaboration between the artist and the public, involves artist interaction with other disciplines, and often has a "social conscience." She urged making making art specifically about what makes Durham a unique place. She noted that few university art departments teach public art and that none in North Carolina do so. She described the key steps in a public art process: 1. Capital fund allocation from city and county 2. Artist selection 3. Community engagement 4. Design development 5. Fabrication and installation 6. Final acceptance She recommended that in selecting artists the first step, after identifying a location is to place an artist under contract based on their past work and business processes, not a given proposal for work (which do not have the benefit of community engagement and detailed site-specific planning). This should be followed by community engagement leading to a proposed design. She noted that a public art professional acting as Program Director is key. Such a staff function is to coordinate the process, build interest from world class artists and funding sources, curate the process, and provide guidance on political sensitivity and issues. She noted that selecting the right artist is the key decision to be made. She described Durham as an "Elastic Urban Area" which will undergo natural cycles of growth and contraction. But as Durham is in a period of large growth, she noted the importance of considering issues of scale and commented that the huge changes in pedestrian patterns 25 March, 2015 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 3 of 6 downtown with the new skyscraper, hotel rooms and apartments will change that calculation over the next ten to fifteen years. She noted that Durham has an "up to 1%" resolution, which could be zero percent and may not ever produce a large funding stream. Durham, in her opinion, has a good public art committee but not a reliable funding source. She suggested that efforts be made to encourage the adoption of a full 1% program,. She also note that many communities are moving toward 1.5% or 2% funding programs as collections grow over time and maintenance and project management costs become more significant. She also noted that any proposed changes should be clear as to what kind of capital projects are covered by the percent for art program funding structure. She complimented Durham on doing a good job in encouraging private funding for projects and donated works. She strongly recommend that Durham move from a resolution to an ordinance to create funds that can be counted on, that produce line items which automatically appear on budget worksheets. She noted that funding levels impact the quality of the arts selected, the amount of artist engagement and the potential to produce a successful result. Eligible categories to which the funding process applies is a subject for negotiation and can include buildings, greenways and other components. Less visible projects could be a source of funds for more visible locations. She noted that timing of the funds is critical. Sooner is better, allowing integration of public art into the building design and construction process. Planning at the construction phase of a project is more likely to lead to stand-alone works, which over time can lead to a collection of unrelated works which can even be "plop art." She noted that a good public art committee is a bridge between architects, funders, artists, conservators and other necessary parties to a successful project. She cited examples in Charlotte of how this approach has led to successful projects. She suggested that seven to nine members is an ideal size for a committee and that the members should be knowledgeable about city planning, arts, and culture. She suggested that an attorney should be an active participant with the committee. She encouraged the committee to take advantage of the resources of the Public Art Network, including the annual conference schedule for Chicago in June 2015. She noted that the preconference has excellent public art tracks as well attendance and chances to meet and talk with top public artists from around the world. Jeffrey Goldman commented that downtown is not the only place where people gather. There is a need to look at locations beyond the downtown area. In response to a question from Pamela Taylor, Greer discussed other potential sources of public art funding including annual operating budgets and private donors and partnerships. Encouraging private participation is critical. In response to a question from Reiss, Greer noted that diversity of artists is important. This requires a lot of networking to identify artists for consideration. She advised not to do artist selection until the right pool of artists has been identified. 25 March, 2015 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 4 of 6 Ogden noted that the scheduled ending time for the meeting had arrived. Pamela Taylor made a motion to extend the meeting time to 10:30 am. Charlene Reiss seconded the motion. It passed unanimously. Ogden thanked Greer for her presentation and asked Chris Beacham, of the North Carolina Arts Council, for an update on the SmART Grant project. Beacham listed all of the current SmART projects in North Carolina and noted that there are both differences and similarities among the projects. He noted that downtowns have suffered in past decades and that public art has been a component of the revitalization of downtown areas. He agreed with Greer about the range of skill sets needed by public art artists. He noted that Durham SmART project consultant Mikyoung Kim is an artists, landscape designer and public planner. He noted that the project goal is to create an exciting vision for infrastructure in the project area, of which public art is only one component. Streetscapes, benches, performance spaces, lighting and other considerations are also important. He stressed that public art can provide aesthetics while also being functional (eg, benches, performance spaces, lighting, way finding, etc.) The concept is full integration of public art and aesthetics within the fabric of a downtown area and its surrounding communities. Sherry DeVries commented that the original Durham SmART proposal included five downtown hubs in the plan, but that the plan was narrowed to focus on three hubs in the Blackwell/Corcoran/Foster Street corridor. Beacham outlined some key locations along the corridor, including the railroad tracks, the downtown loop and the CCB and Convention Center Plazas. He noted that issues of scale, lighting, safety, sidewalk conditions and effective use of space are among the considerations for a good plan. He reported that the proposed Nasher Museum project and the Willard Street mural proposed project fit into the vision for the SmART project. The Nasher and the American Tobacco Campus, the sponsors of those two projects, are in dialogue with the SmART project team. He stressed the importance of the public/private cooperative process to the success of the plan. He underscored that Durham’s Public Art Committee needs to serve a key role as a fundamental leader to drive SmART implementation and community adoption. He reported that Mikyoung Kim has produced a draft proposal which is undergoing preliminary review and refinement. The consultant’s report should be completed and ready for formal review in April. DeVries reported that the report will be circulated to the Cultural Advisory Board, Public Art Committee, the City and County Managers and other project partners for feedback once it is available. Beacham noted that funding will be a key issue if the plan is to be adopted and developed. DeVries noted that Jim Goodmon is playing an important lead role in encouraging private financial support. Beacham recommended Public Art Committee representation at the Americans for the Arts Public Art Network annual conference overall, and the pre-conference specifically for it is an excellent learning and networking opportunity with artists, arts administrators, and public art professionals. 25 March, 2015 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 5 of 6 Ogden welcomed Trish Creta, General Services Department project manager for the Police Headquarters construction project. Creta reported that land has been identified for the building site and that it is expected that the property purchase will be closed in the next few days. O'Brien/Atkins have been chosen as the architect and Lend Lease as the construction manager and the contracting process is underway. There will be a public visioning session on April 16, 6:00 – 8:00 pm at the Durham Convention center. The committee will be invited. Reiss discussed the Public Art Committee’s Police Headquarters Task Force. Its goal is to cooperate with and support the design process. The task force emphasized highlighting the importance of the police as an integral part of the Durham community. Sherry DeVries asked if a percent of the project budget had been set aside for a public art component for the building. Creta replied that as of now that has not been done. Jean Greer suggested that there is a need to get public art considerations into the contract and selection process for architects. Creta suggested that general services department Assistant Manager Jina Propst be invited to a future committee meeting. Creta suggested that there are opportunities for public art components in the project budget. Greer Following continued discussion, Charlene Reiss made a motion that the Public Art Committee and Cultural Advisory Board request to the City Manager/City Council that the full 1% of the Police Headquarters’ capital budget be set aside to integrate public art into Durham's Police Headquarters’ project beginning at the time of the project design, and including direct collaboration with project firms (e.g., architects, designers, construction managers/general contractors, etc. ). Pamela Taylor seconded the motion. It passed unanimously. Charlene Reiss made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Kathy Bartlett seconded the motion. It passed unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:41 am. 25 March, 2015 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 6 of 6