Public Art Committee

Public Art Committee SUMMARY MINUTES Wednesday, January 20, 2021 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Zoom Meeting Public Meeting Zoom Link located: https://durhamnc.gov/453/Public-Art-Committee Committee Members Present Shana Adams Margaret DeMott Laura Ritchie Antonio Alanis Caroline Dwyer Katie Seiz, Chair Mya Castillo-Marte Kyesha Jennings Wade Williams City/County Staff Present Alexandra Benson, GSD Pierce Freelon, City Linda Salguero, DCE Rebecca Brown, GSD Councilmember Annette Smith, DPR Andrew Holland, Budget Fallon Thompson, GSD Guests Present Councilman Pierce Freelon Jose Pereira I. Call to Order and Guest Introductions a. The meeting was called to order at 9:05 a.m. by Katie Seiz b. Welcome to new PAC member Shana Adams. II. Approval of Minutes – October, November, & December 2020 a. MOTION: The Public Art Committee approves the October, November, and December 2020 meeting summary minutes. (DeMott, Castillo-Marte 2nd) b. ACTION: Approved (9-0). III. Adjustments to the Agenda a. N/A IV. Updates/Announcements a. Request for PAC liaisons project or art selection panel for upcoming DPR public art projects. i. Hoover Road Athletic Complex 1. The Public Art Committee will have an active and engaged role during this project. The site of the new Hoover Road Athletic  Complex is situated near the Merrick Moore neighborhood and will be associated with the future City of Durham’s outdoor Aquatics Park. ii. Rock Quarry Park 1. The renovation to the park will better serve the Department of Parks and Recreation’s outdoor festivals like the Bimbé and Latina Festival. The structural art to be proposed will help define the parking and pedestrian entrances. iii. Weaver Street & WD Hill Recreation Centers 1. Smaller budget projects but critically important. WD Hill Center is in the Hayti neighborhood, it backs up to Hillside Park and, was the first Rec Center open to people of color. Committee will select the artwork and also the site for it. Weaver Street Center is surrounded by the Cornwallis Village public housing community. b. PB Budgeting Process Announcement i. Launch PB Cycle II in the next week. Changes to the scope: will address the needs of individuals heavily impacted by COVID-19, will allocate $1,000,000 to 501C3 non-profits that directly serve residents affected by Covid-19 addressing issues contributing to racial and social economic inequities in Durham. Each organization is eligible to receive up to $50,000. PAC was presented with the preliminary timeline for the PB Cycle II. In late January, PB will open a survey for residents to prioritize their needs. Focus areas of the survey will include: employment opportunities, youth opportunities, food services access mental health services, access to technology, elder care, Covid-19 prevention, racial injustice / racial equity, and other. The survey will close mid-February and the results will be posted online. PB will work with community stakeholders to promote the survey and grant opportunities. The grant application consists of 20 questions and is due late February. Early to late March, Budget delegates will work with Technical staff to vet each grant proposals and score them. Voting will take place during the month of April. Durham residents 13 years and older have an opportunity to vote on each proposal. In mid-May, winners will be announced and grant funding will be available July 2021. Winners will have about two (2) years to implement their grant proposals. Volunteers are welcome to help with this PB process. V. New Business and Presentations a. Maplewood Cemetery, Public Art Amenities i. Background: As the City of Durham improves public amenities through the Capital Improvement Projects (CIP), the Cultural & Public Art Program has the opportunity to provide public art amenities for Beechwood and Maplewood Cemeteries. For the FY 2020-25 CIP, capital projects are funded through impact fees, enterprise funds, grants, the capital project fund, pay-go funding, and debt financings. More information about the CIP process and funding can be found here. Based on the needs of the cemetery through on-site staff feedback, Beechwood will feature art- informed benches near the main entrance, and Maplewood will feature handrails for the space where ashes of passed loved ones may be laid to rest. The public art amenities will provide appropriate upgrades for residents of the community and visitors of the cemeteries. In order to provide the artists’ with a vision and themes, we are asking residents and visitors to share your stories of Beechwood Cemetery and Maplewood Cemetery. Artists will be selected from the Pre-Qualified Artists Registry by a panel of community members, groundskeepers, cemetery administrative staff, and Public Art Committee members. For more information about how to apply to the Pre-Qualified Artist Registry, please visit the Cultural & Public Art Program’s website, here: https://durhamnc.gov/2984/Durham-Calls-for-Artists. ii. More information has been publicly posted here: https://durhamnc.gov/4065/Beechwood-and-Maplewood-Cemeteries 1. Artists Selection Process: Pre-Qualified Artist Registry with Artist Selection Panel comprised of community members, PAC, and City staff selecting the artists 2. Community Survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/NVK7NDQ 3. PAC liaisons: Laura Ritchie & Patricia Harris 4. Budget: $7,500 per artist/artist team 5. Timeline: Artists will move towards fabrication and installation through February to May 2021, based on approvals from the City. 6. Locations: a. Maplewood Cemetery, 1621 Duke University Rd., Durham, NC 27701 7. Approval process: Due to project funding source as a CIP project and the public nature of the project, the Cultural & Public Art  Program is recommending design review by the Public Art Committee and requesting a recommendation of approval. City of Durham’s General Services department reviews the final designs for safety concerns. iii. Jose Periera 1. Trips to the site and community engagement brought about an organic design form – his design concept includes attaching 80 Maple leaves to the two handrails. The handrails will have a powder coating in a green shade to mix well with the surrounding area. The handrails will still be functional and secure. The design will ensure there are no sharp edges. The aging stairs (steps) will be considered at another time and not incorporated into this scope of work at this time. Administration will consider the color of JP’s design into whatever decision(s) are made about the color of the stairs. The design will be more organic than symmetrical but both rails will still look similar with the same number of leaves and design length. iv. Action Item: Recommendation of approval for Jose Periera to move forward to fabrication. (Ritchie, Williams 2nd) 1. MOTION: Approved. (9-0). v. Beechwood Cemetery: Laura Ritchie & Patricia Harris are the PAC liaisons for the project. Artists Jackie MacLeod and Whitney Hunt will host a community meeting about the three design options on 1/25 at 5:30pm. VI. Old Business a. Review and Discussion of the Public Art Committee’s Goals i. Group Discussion: Public Art Committee’s equity goal 4 for FY20/21. ii. Action Item: The Public Art Committee recommends moving forward with the FY20/21 Goals, including goal 4. (Castillo-Marte, Alanis 2nd) 1. ACTION: Approved (9-0). iii. Group Discussion: Developing the Task Force committees and discussion of priority goals. VII. Public Questions a. No questions were submitted by the public prior to the meeting. VIII. Adjournment a. The meeting was called to a close at 10:30 a.m. by Katie Seiz