Public Art Committee

Public Art Committee Summary Meeting Minutes Wednesday, February 17, 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 Antonio Alanis Patricia Harris Laura Ritchie Marcella Camara, Vice-Chair Kyesha Jennings Katie Seiz, Chair Caroline Dwyer Nicole Oxendine City/County Staff Present Annette Smith, DPR Linda Salguero, Durham Alexandra Benson, GSD County Public Art Fallon Thompson, GSD Rebecca Brown, GSD Guests Present Jackie MacLeod Margaret DeMott Whitney Hunt I. Call to Order and Guest Introductions a. The meeting was called to order at 9:05 a.m. by Katie Seiz II. Approval of Minutes – January 2021 a. MOTION: The Durham Public Art Committee approves the January summary minutes (Dwyer, Jordan 2nd). b. ACTION: Approved. (8-0). III. Adjustments to the Agenda a. N/A IV. Announcements a. Updates on PAC liaisons for upcoming public art projects i. Current PAC Liaisons: 1. Hoover Road Athletic Complex - Caroline Dwyer 2. Rock Quarry Park - Laura Ritchie 3. Weaver Street & WD Hill Recreation Centers - Antonio Alanis 4. PB Bus Shelter Project - DCAB: Angela Lee/Katy Clune. PAC: Kyesha Jennings/Nicole Oxendine 5. Fire & EMS Station 18 - Mya Castillo-Marte 6. Celebration of Black Artistry Public Art Projects - DCAB: Zena Howard, PAC: Kyesha Jennings 7. Club Crossing Art Asphalt Initiative - Katie Seiz: Artist Candy Carver selected ii. Open PAC liaisons public art projects 1. Black Wall Street Gardens Public Art V. Update / Old Business a. Chair and Vice Chair positions will be up for nominations at the March meeting. b. More discussions on PAC goals in detail during the March meeting VI. New Business and Presentations a. Beechwood Cemetery, Public Art Amenities 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. https://durhamnc.gov/223/Capital-Improvement-Plan-CIP 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. i. 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. Beechwood Cemetery, 3300 Fayetteville St. Durham, NC 27707 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. ii. Jackie MacLeod & Whitney Hunt 1. MacLeod & Hunt have three initial design concepts and are requesting feedback on which design would be the most suitable for the location and community. The artist team hosted a virtual  community engagement session on 1/25 to gather community members and stakeholder feedback. The North Star Bench design was inspired by visit to Stagville and the fingerprints in the bricks made by the slaves. Their design involves adding handprints of different sizes within the star at the top. The handprints will be reflected by sun light at the bottom of the design. The central circular bench is cast from fiberglass and concrete stained in a light blue color. The bottom of the bench will have a copper ring engraved with the seven attributes: “Resilience, Literacy, Enterprise, Creativity, Workmanship, Independence, and Leadership.” The bench can be moved, it will be low maintenance, has plenty of seating for visitors, and provide shade year-round. The designers are thinking about imbedding a QR code within the design for visitors to learn the background and inspiration for the bench and ideas about putting signage. iii. MOTION: The Public Art Committee recommends approval for the artist team to move forward into fabrication with the North Star Bench design. (Ritchie, Harris 2nd) iv. ACTION: Approved. (7-0 with 1 abstention.) b. Updates on Celebration of Black Artistry Public Art Projects in Neighborhoods McDougald Terrace project has launched. The community provided great feedback on their ideas of what the art should look like. The McDougald Terrance project RFQ will use the City of Durham’s Pre-Qualified Artist Registry. The South side project meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 24. Funding for these neighborhood projects was directed from our Participatory Budget by City Council so that public art is spread throughout Durham in an equitable manner. The nine neighborhoods identified by City Council were McDougald Terrace, South Side, Bragtown, Cornwallis Road, Walltown, Albright, College Heights, Hayti, and the West End. McDougald Terrace, South Side, Bragtown, Cornwallis Road, and Walltown will be rolled out first. The communities get to determine their selection process whether by RFQ, using the pre-qualified artist list, or other. Youths from the selected neighborhoods are encouraged to participate in the discussions about the projects and will be compensated for their assistance. c. Neighborhood Public Art Project i. How can PAC combine forces with the Celebration of Black Artistry Public Art Projects in Neighborhoods project? Ideas for what PAC could do with their $25,000: 1. Give $2,000 extra to each of the nine selected neighborhoods to expand those projects. PAC would then be left with $7,000 of the  $25,000 funding to do a project in a non-listed neighborhood or to help provide documentation for the Celebration for Black Artistry projects. 2. PAC could look at other neighborhoods outside of the selected nine such as Merrick Moore and/or the historically black neighborhoods around Old Farm Park and River Forest Park. Enlarging the tent of funding to have outreach in other areas would have a great impact on Durham. 3. PAC could use the funds for public art in the Latinx or other communities of color. PAC and the Celebration for Black Artistry project managers should be involved together to learn what processes work. Identifying the community liaison/partner for each community is essential to success. VII. Public Questions (5 minutes) a. N/A VIII. Adjournment a. The meeting was called to a close at 10:30 a.m. by Katie Seiz.