Public Art Committee

Durham Cultural Advisory Board’s PUBLIC ART COMMITTEE Meeting, Nov. 16, 2016 8:30 a.m. at Durham Arts Council Members Present: X Jennie Barbour X Kathy Bartlett X Margaret DeMott X Dan Ellison X Chris Ogden (Chair) Nola Paterni X Charlene Reiss Julie Rhodes X Katie Seiz X Sarah Serventi Gail Williams General Services: Stacey Poston, Jessica Kemp Guests: Eric Simpson and Jennifer Green, GoTriangle; Amy Unell, Duke The meeting was called to order by Chris Ogden at 8:35 a.m. The minutes from the August meeting were reviewed and some minor changes were made. Charlene Reiss moved that the minutes be accepted as revised and Dan Ellison seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Jennifer Green provided an overview of the Art Bus Shelters associated with the Bull City Connector. The artwork process was managed by the Durham Area Designers and 4 artists were selected. Artists have already been compensated. Two of the shelters have been completed. There are six art pieces in fabrication and another 3 are planned for 2017. David Wilson is serving as artist coordinator. At the present time, the construction is film between two pieces of glass but there is the possibility of using acrylic in the future. Katie Seiz suggested the artists be recognized and Dan Ellison advocated for consistent public art signage. There is the possibility of including the bus stops by the new police headquarters as an extension of this project. Stacey may be able to find the needed additional funding in the project budget. Artwork has not been created for this location. Margaret DeMott reported that the SmART program RFQ for 12 banners on the parking garage across the tracks from DPAC had been widely distributed and submissions are due Dec. 10. There was a discussion of possible quick turn-around projects to “get (quality) art on the ground.” Brian Smith has been pursuing permission to replace the plastic plants with art in the Frontier Building alcoves that the Committee viewed last month. Rotary Park, North of City Hall, may be another good fit for 2017 public art. Stacey November 16, 2016 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 1 of 4 Poston met with Arthur Rogers who agreed to speak with the Rotarian President Elect about sponsoring and shepherding a project. It was suggested that a sculpture for City Hall Plaza might be a good project for 2019 which is the city’s 150th anniversary. We’ll need to plan how to strategically ask for funding. Stacey reported that the Police Headquarters’ project team is wrapping up their big push around opening the $50M bid packages. Thus, hopefully they can now make time to meet with us to go through the project costing plan in detail to uncover potential art opportunities. This should help us define, and then prioritize, places for art in two categories: one, those items which if we can do in the pre/construction phase for relatively small incremental funds (eg, color changing concrete or patterning would only be practical now, vs. jack hammering it up and replacing it in the future, doubling the costs and interrupting the active use of the building) and two, those higher impact items such as signature piece(s) about which our intern might focus her grant-writing efforts. As we discussed with them early on (March 30th 2015), "the idea is not necessarily to add a work of art as an addition to the building budget but, to the extent possible, to use ways in which funds already allocated for various aspects of the project budget (landscaping, sidewalks, interior surface treatments, interior decoration/furnishing, lighting, security features, etc.) can incorporate artist-designed elements as integral components of the building’s program." It will allow us to identify areas for art-friendly supporting elements such as mobile hanger(s), lighting/electricity/hanging systems for art on walls, sculpture pads, etc. before construction when such additions are relatively cost-effective. Other such areas might include Wall spaces, Sculpture Alcoves/Pads, Display Cases, Lighting, Hanging System Hardware, Electricity (for wall/floor/ceiling based art), Façades, Planters, Benches, Fences, Security Barricades, Stairs, Time Capsule, Food Truck Plug Ins, Ground Plane Areas (crosswalks, bike lanes), Bus Stops, etc. Detailed review and collaboration with project manager(s) and architect, will allow us to identify areas for art-friendly supporting elements such as mobile hanger(s), lighting/electricity/hanging systems for art on walls, sculpture pads, etc. before construction when such additions are relatively cost-effective. In sum, reviewing the budget will allow us to brainstorm to create an integrated art environment, within the constraints of function, budget, security, etc. Stacey, Brian, Chris and others met with Durham Central Park executive director and board president yesterday to discuss options for the Liberty Art Wall (the new brick wall between Liberty Warehouse swimming pool and the North end of the park). Stacey reported that the City formally accepted the $25,000 for the project from East-West partners. Chris shared images of the location and architectural drawings. They identified many categories of types of potential art. Chris volunteered to seed a new Pinterest board showing ideas for the wall. Committee members were encouraged to contribute. Central Park will be taking the ideas, and inviting us to November 16, 2016 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 2 of 4 attend as resources, to their December Exec and Board meetings for next steps. E-W Partners is also commissioning local artist Darius Quarles to create a mural inside their complex (not visible to the public). Chris introduced a potential new project. Durham has the potential to be picked nationally as 2017’s newest city for the public art project called the FENCE, the largest outdoor photography exhibit in the world. Chris saw the (photo) FENCE installation in Santa Fe. He met the local organizer and explored/pitched Durham as a potential city. Brian saw it in Atlanta and was equally excited. It seems we might be an excellent candidate to be chosen as the next city for this project, among the likes of Atlanta, Brooklyn, Houston, and Santa Fe. It would bring (free) inter/national attention to Durham. Other cities have found it to be a terrific project appealing to all ages and all backgrounds. Because it's a cooperative venture across the US, Durham’s investment would be relatively nominal, for the great return…  On a high, strategic, level, Durham could benefit from the considerable international press and artist calls.  On a local/regional level, Durham and Triangle residents could benefit from direct experience with the art and area photographers could apply to have their work featured. It seems to be an excellent fit for Durham! Chris showed aerial footage of the Santa Fe installation (https://vimeo.com/190206305), some iPhone snaps of fence details, and examples from Atlanta, Houston, Brooklyn, Boston, Santa Fe (http://Fence.Photoville.com). Dan Ellison also advocated for inset panels along Chapel Hill Street, along the wall of the former Herald-Sun building. The content might tie into the Durham History Hub. Agreement was that this could be another potential new project and more exploration is warranted. Jessica Kemp said a reason for other cities’ FENCE project’s success was that they were put along already well-traveled walkways. The committee brainstormed several possible locations but agreed that currently they may not be well-traveled enough, so more research needs to be done. Chris agreed to do so. It was noted that we’re under a tight timeframe; we’d need have to have our site details and pitch presented to the project’s national organizer, United Photo Industries, in December in time for their decision Jan 5, 2017 so that if we’re accepted, we’d be included in their artist call and documents. Jessica Kemp also updated the group on a federally funded project that includes a tunnel under I-85 by West Ellerbee Creek Trail, ending at Guess Road Park. There might be mural opportunities connected with the project sometime in the future. A challenge is that the tunnel is massive: 160 linear feet(!) x 12’ high + ceiling + wall. It is located on the edge of Watts-Hillandale, with lots of runners and a strong neighborhood group, so perhaps there’s opportunity to get support. Graffiti concerns were raised – walking the balance between the City’s anti-gang initiatives and “art.” November 16, 2016 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 3 of 4 It was noted that a mural organization in California created a very cost effective anti- graffiti clearcoat to paint on top of mural to protect them. Stacey Poston said the city was participating in a STAR Community rating system which could highlight the presence or absence of public art. Kim Currie Evans of the Raleigh Arts Commission recently met with city staff, and all agreed it was a productive exchange of ideas. There was a discussion of potential new committee members. Suggestions included expanding diversity to those who lived or worked east of downtown, as well as representatives from NCCU, Hillside, Self Help and the Scrap Exchange. Katie Seitz offered to contact one of her board members whose father created Self Help. It was agreed that the December meeting will predominantly focus on interactively reviewing the new police headquarters budget with General Services. Stacey will coordinate internally. The meeting was adjourned at 10:05 a.m. Respectfully submitted by Kathy Bartlett November 16, 2016 Durham Public Art Committee Minutes page 4 of 4