Public Art Committee

Public Art Committee SUMMARY MINUTES Wednesday, June 20, 2018 Durham Arts Council Board Members Present Kathy Bartlett Dan Ellison* Wade H. Williams Johanna Rose Burwell Caitlin Margaret Kelly Chris Ogden, Chair* Mya Castillo-Marte Charlene Reiss Margaret DeMott* Caroline Dwyer Katie Seiz *Cultural Advisory Board City of Durham Present Eliza Meredith, GSD Henri Prosperi, GSD Stacey Poston, GSD Brian Smith, OEWD Others Present Joel Dabrowski, Little Blane De St. Croix, Artist Sherry DeVries, DAC Lara Kauffman, Artist I. Call to Order Meeting was called to order at 8:30am by Chair Chris Ogden. II. Roll Call III. Approval of Minutes The minutes from the May 2018 meeting were approved unanimously. IV. Adjustments to the Agenda V. New Business i. Welcome New Members  Public Art Committee ii. Public Art for Business Grants Brian gave an update on the selected grantees for this program. The Cultural Advisory Board reviewed the submitted applications for the Public Art for Business grant program in its May meeting and issued a motion to approve the applications from the following businesses and artists: 1. Durham Co-Op Market: Artists Jackie MacLeod, Mike Waller, and Leah Foushee Waller 2. Ninth Street Bakery: Artists James Clotfelter, Kristin Clotfelter, Sean Populorum, Adam Sobsey 3. Alley Twenty-Six: Artists Ben McKeown, working with Elizabeth Peeples iii. Art Banner Design Contest An Request for Proposals (RFP) has been issued for this art call, open to anyone living and working in the Research Triangle area. Applicants are asked to develop and submit a design proposal for eight artful banners to be displayed on the mixed-use parking garage, currently under construction, in downtown Durham. The City hosted two information sessions in early June which offered artists the opportunity to ask questions regarding the contest. The Art Banner Design contest closes for submissions June 31, 2018. The Public Art Committee will then vote to determine the top five finalists. These finalists’ designs will be displayed on the City of Durham website for the public to vote and select a winning design. Each Finalist will be awarded $500 and the artist with the winning design will be awarded an additional $7,500 honorarium. VI. Updates/ Old Business i. SmART Corcoran Garage Banner Wrap The banners will be installed in July. An opening event will be planned after installation; date TBD. The artist and team are meeting with local fabricator Mosca Design to determine a delivery date. Chair Ogden offered to help document the install with his drone. People’s Channel has also offered to help document the installation. ii. The FENCE: Durham 2018 The FENCE photo installation is returning to Durham August 2018. The opening ceremony will be held on August 17 during Third Friday. Chris and Brian are looking for volunteers to help with the installation on August 15-16 and to assist with the opening  Public Art Committee ceremony. A sign-up sheet will be sent around for project planning, installation, dedication ceremony, solicitation, docents, programming, and documentation. VII. Presentations i. Public Ground Studio Presentation Blane De St. Croix and Lara Kauffman of Public Ground Studio gave a presentation update on the initial design concepts for their public art installation at the upcoming Downtown Mixed-Use Parking Garage. Their research has been focused on the neighborhoods of Durham, especially the agricultural and industrial heritage and urban landscape ecologies. The artists examined the rich cultural legacies in Durham, taking note of the variety of creative expressions throughout the city. Their research consisted of various community engagement events, an urban forestry tour, walking around Durham neighborhoods, and learning about the agricultural history of the area. In early April, 2018 the team held multiple community engagement events and published an online survey in which they asked residents to explain what they loved about Durham, what makes Durham unique, and what they believe is missing from Durham. Participators commented on the physical qualities of Durham, including brick buildings, the warehouses, alleyways, grittiness, authenticity, and history. Concept 1: “First Towers” The composition of the image references the relationship between native pine trees and the iconic downtown landscape. The concept mimics the environmental gradient experienced along Mangum Street driving into Downtown, with the viewer moving from a more agricultural forested setting into a more populated area and “historic Durham.” The loblolly pines are significant in this design as the wood was used on a lot of the houses of Durham. The team is considering different colors and how these might relate to the setting. The materiality of the piece will allow for openings where people would be able to look through and see through the “trees” from above. Two colors could be used to create a 3D effect. Materials will likely be steel wire mesh, powder coated with a durable finish for weatherproofing. Concept 2: “22 soils beneath the surface of Durham” Intrigued by agriculture and economy of Durham, the team uses the four different types of soil found in Durham to represent Durham’s history. Overlapping silhouettes mimic a stage set and allude to the  Public Art Committee four different types of landscapes found in Durham: downtown, suburban, agriculture, forest. Concept 3: “Celestial realm” This concept celebrates the constellation Taurus. The artists were inspired that Durham’s birthday falls within the Taurus constellation. The installation would be created with a flat panel system. Chair Ogden noted that there is already a Pleiades gallery in Durham and Taurus sculpture coming to downtown soon. The artist team is most excited about Concept 1. They would use earth tones to create movement throughout the piece. The Public Art Committee encouraged the team to move away from blue, to avoid any association with local universities. Lighting is still being considered for the piece. Public Ground Studio has considered a three dimensional representation of the first concept, but determined that 3D does best with more graphic, transitional images with higher contrasts. Public Art committee members encouraged artists to explore imagery that promotes looking “forward” rather than backwards. The committee also expressed concerns over the continued use of the Durham skyline in art installations. There were also questions regarding how the installation would appear at night. The majority of the committee preferred Option 1, with a few members preferring Option 3. The committee unanimously favored a three-dimensional installation. Chair Ogden and current PAC members gave recognition to outgoing member Kathy Bartlett for her 6 years of service to the committee. VIII. Adjournment Chair Chris Ogden adjourned the meeting at 10:15am Respectfully submitted, Eliza Meredith