Public Art Committee

Public Art Committee SUMMARY MINUTES Wednesday, August 21, 2019 at 8:30 a.m. General Services Department, 2011 Fay Street, Durham, NC 27704 Committee Members Present Marcella Camara Patricia Harris Katie Seiz, Chair Mya Castillo‐Marte Caitlin Margaret Kelly Wade Williams Cici Cheng** Monet Marshall * Cultural Advisory Board member ** Student Representative Margaret DeMott* Charlene Reiss Caroline Dwyer Laura Ritchie Present Alexandra Benson Stacey Poston Fallon Thompson Rebecca Brown Jina Propst Rachel Wexler* Tom Jaynes, CAB Chair Linda Salguero *Cultural Advisory Board member Angela Lee, CAB Vice Chair Annette Smith Brenda Miller Holmes Nicole J. Thompson I. Call to Order and Guest Introductions II. Approval of Minutes – June and July 2019 a. MOTION: Motion to approve Public Art Committee summary minutes from June and July 2019. (DeMott, Reiss 2nd) b. ACTION: Motion passed. 14‐0. III. Adjustments to the Agenda IV. Announcements and Presentations a. Presentation: Rachel Wexler, Director of Special Projects for Downtown Durham, Inc. (10 minutes) i. Downtown Durham, Inc. is working to draft a document that guides the design and programming of downtown Durham public spaces. The document will be malleable and based upon community engagement. DDI would like to get the Public Art Committee’s involvement in crafting this document and other suggestions for greater community engagement. DDI is currently working with Call‐In Number: 1‐857‐232‐0157 Conference Code: 769537  Public Art Committee consultants to schedule focus groups and loop the community into the plan’s goals. ii. On August 28, Kendal Henry, the Director of the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs Percent for Art Program will be presenting at the Downtown Durham, Inc. Speaker Series from 4‐5 PM. b. Durham Police Headquarters Public Art (60 minutes) i. At the end of July, three public art pieces were installed Durham Police Headquarters in downtown Durham by local Artist David Wilson and the artist Team Re:Site, who include Norman Lee and Shane Allbritton. The Chair, Seiz, introduced the topic discussion by asking the PAC members if they had the opportunity to review the project documents provided by City staff. The Chair opened the floor for discussion, with the idea that the space was a safe, and open environment to share opinions. In response to the public art installations, a local artist activist group called Art Ain’t Innocent‐‐which includes some members of the CAB and PAC‐‐issued a public statement sharing feedback on the project, which were then shared to the greater Public Art Committee. This statement touched base on the transparency of the project, timelines, community input, and the amount of community dialogue prior to artist selection and design concepts. ii. PAC members shared concerns around the high budget of the project ($225,000) that involved spending money on artwork for a building that not all members of the community felt safe inside. PAC members that worked on the project since 2014 discussed what the early community engagement sessions and planning meetings were like and emphasized that the resident advisory subcommittee needs to serve every person in the City, including those that they disagree with. iii. In early planning meetings, staff was looking to do something in the lobby to honor the site and area of the new police headquarters. The security of the buildings was one of the main concerns but City staff wanted to make sure it was still welcoming to the public – they believed this could be achieved through the installation of artwork. iv. Overall, PAC members have come to a consensus that big change doesn’t happen overnight and that the key goals are to focus on more community engagement moving forward. Ultimately, the Public Art Committee is a subset Call‐In Number: 1‐857‐232‐0157 Conference Code: 769537  Public Art Committee of a resident advisory board that is City‐Council appointed. Therefore, those serving on the Public Art Committee must consider not only public input from residents, but also input from key stakeholders within the city’s internal and external networks. v. PAC members discussed the topic of dissent as an advisory body. It was noted that the PAC Governance Task Force will explore that topic further, in addition to exploring how the PAC will ensure members are properly oriented and are empowered to speak up. As a result of the emphasis on robust and authentic community engagement, the PAC collectively agreed that it would be beneficial for Communications Task Force to discuss initial strategy. vi. While everyone experiences artwork differently, the City and the Public Art Committee can use this experience as a learning curve to promote greater community engagement in future projects. The Committee is working with the City’s Cultural & Public Art Program to determine which upcoming projects can be slowed down to further improve community engagement. The neighborhood art projects timeline and discussion is scheduled for the next PAC meeting, which will allow Committee members to decide on how to create more community‐engaged artwork in greater Durham regions and underserved areas. Rock Quarry Park project is just one example of this. This greater discussion around equity in the arts is being pursued as a key goal by the Cultural Advisory Board and Public Art Committee. V. New Business a. The Cultural and Public Art Program has been approved for two Participatory Budgeting projects: Fayetteville Street Corridor Project and Bus Shelters with Reclaimed Art and Solar Panels. City staff are currently looking to have at least two representatives per project to act as project liaisons and to help volunteer with coordination, planning, community engagement, and logistics. VI. Updates/Old Business a. Update on Black Wall Street Garden (5 minutes) i. The artist team is currently wrapping up community engagement for the project. A public survey is available to be shared until its closing date on August 30. Approval requested may be held at the September PAC meeting. VII. Adjournment Call‐In Number: 1‐857‐232‐0157 Conference Code: 769537