Arts and Humanities Council of Falls Church

Page 1 MINUTES OF the Arts and Humanities Council (A&HC) of Falls Church approved 3-21-24 PURPOSE OF MEETING: To discuss arts and humanities matters across the City of Falls Church. DATE OF MEETING: Febuary 15, 2024 (Next Meeting: March 21, 2024 at 9:30 am) PLACE OF MEETING: Dogwood Room, City Hall 1. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER BY: Laura Connors Hull at 9:31 am 2. THOSE PRESENT: NAME LIAISONS Member: Laura Connors Hull, Creative Cauldron Jessie Labukas, MRSPL Member: Elise Neil Bengtson, Chamber of Regan Davis, FCCPS Commerce Justine Underhill, City Council Member: Ronald Anzalone, Victorian Society Ed Henderson, Historical Commission Member: Ellen Gross, VPIS Member: Katharine Stewart, Friends of Cherry Hill Member: Lapha Havan, VLAC Staff Holly Irwin Member: Nikki Graves Henderson, Tinner Hill Mike Guy (virtual) Member-at-Large: Ari Autor Member-at-Large: Russ Mardon Guest Member-at-Large: Mary Sellers Juan Pineda Mary Beth Avedesian ABSENT Thomas Pipkin Maureen Budetti, Falls Church Arts Malcolm Williams Keith Thurston, CATCH Foundation TOPICS OF DISCUSSION: . 3. Organization Round Table Members or liaisons representing Friends of Cherry Hill, VPIS, Victorian Society, FCC Public Schools, MRS Library, Creative Cauldron, City Council, and the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation, and Chamber of Commerce gave updates. Members-at-Large Ari Autor, Russ Mardon, and Mary Sellers also gave updates. 4. Minutes for Approval For the January 18, 2024 meeting minutes,were there being no corrections, Russ moved to approve the minutes; Nikki seconded. Unanimously approved. 5. New Business A. West Falls Church Public Art Presentation – Mary Beth Avedesian, Project Mgr of West Falls, gave an overview of the West Falls project. She was joined by Thomas Pipkin and Malcolm Williams of Pipkin Creative and artist Juan Pineda. Pineda had been asked to present two design options for a large mural to be painted on the east wall of the large parking garage in northeast corner of the West Falls development. The City Council required that Hoffman & Associates install some kind of public art on the large blank side of the garage. The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in alternate format upon request. Call 703 248-5014, (TTY 711). Page 2 By June 2026, Hoffman must decide on phase 2 of the West Falls project whether they will be building on the empty space in front of the wall. Mr. Pipkin presented their ideas on what to do on the wall and spoke inroduced Juan Pineda, an award- winning, well-recognized, Latino artist who has done more than 50 large scale murals of this type in the metro DC area. This is a massive area to be ‘decorated’ and Juan has good experience in working on art of this scale. They presented 2 proposals. o “West Fall Va State” – Very figurative, and realistic. Members liked how it uses architectural landmarks in FC, and ties into the environment of and natural resources in Virginia. o “West Falls Circle Trio” – More modern and abstract. Three large circles with some realistic elements inside the circles. A unique design for size of the space. o Hoffman has the option to eventually say no to the City Council that they will not develop the bldg as part of phase 2. o Yes it’s conceivable that there would be no bldg there, but highly unlikely. After members gave their reactions and talked about pros and cons of the 2 proposals, there was consensus on preferring proposal #1, with different ideas of how to tweak it. Holly offered to send the artist and Pipkin Creative our more detailed comments to use for incorporating the comments into a revised proposal. B. Tinner Hill Historic District Presentation – Holly Emily Bazemore presented the Comprehensive Plan Amendment for the Tinner Hill Historic and Cultural District. She reviewed what is contained in the Amendment, what are the boundaries for the Tinner Hill Community, map of the District, inner core and outer core, the historic markers for 7 individuals who were important to history of Tinner Hill; and strategies for ‘activating the District.’ Any developers who wish to develop any parts of land in that area must have their proposals reviewed against the Amendment. After presentation to us, Emily takes the ‘amendment’ and our comments to the Planning Commission, then to City Council to get it incorporated into the Comprehensive Plan. While it still does not have the “teeth” of a historic “district,” it is vital that this information goes into the Comp Plan. All applications go right to the Comp Plan. Emily is looking for feedback on the District. Several members of the Council provided comments about the pros and cons of it being a “Historic and Cultural District” and not a “Historic District.” There were questions about surveying for archeological information in the area, other developments in the surrounding areas such as the Quinn’s project, and the need for the Tinner Hill Heritage Foundation to find space for offices and exhibits. It was proposed that we send a letter to Emily with our comments. C. City Council Retreat & Work Plan Report – Justine & Ron Justine and Ron presented a report on the Council’s Retreat; issues about communication that were discussed; the status of work on finalizing the Public Art Policy and it’s review by City legal staff; a schedule for moving the Public Art Policy into a final state; and the CATCH grants program. 6. Ongoing Business A. City-Initiated Public Art Projects Update – Holly & Mike The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in alternate format upon request. Call 703 248-5014, (TTY 711). Page 3 E.B. Henderson Banner Mike presented a proposal for a sign for E.B. Henderson that will go in the Community Center for our review. He took inspiration from E.B. Henderson’s jersey with the outline mirroring historic signs in Falls Church Ctiy. Council members presented various comments about its size, graphic design, colors, how the existing plaque relates to the banner, where it will hang, and if there is a more visible space to place it so it is seen by more people. Holly will incorporate our comments and give them to Mike. Mike to come up with another version to show Ed. Update on Art Wraps Holly needs 2 volunteers to help her. Ari volunteered and Holly will reach out to Russ and possibly Mary. 75th Anniversary Art Projects City Council will be commisioning 2 portraits. B. Proposed Changes to Arts & Humanities Grant Program – Holly Holly is going to focus on the 2024 grant cycle, and save review of the eligibility criteria for 2025. There was 1 ineligible project in last grant cycle. The sticky point has been disagreement on how to treat projects that are not in the City. Current guidelines for eligibility will remain. Members made suggestions for clarity in the document. Elise moved to approve the document with the edits, Ellen seconded and it was unanimously approved. C. Art Day and Art Walk Planning Update – Mary Ari and Mary have been working on this. They met with Farmer’s Market representatives and Rec and Parks staff. Ideas include live music by Meridian High School students, visual art at the Market, a dance group performing, other special activities in the City. Mary and Ari welcome more ideas. 7. Adjourn Ron moved to adjourn, and Ellen seconded. Unanimously approved. MEETING ADJOURNED AT: 11:15 am SIGNATURE OF RECORDER: Katharine Stewart The City of Falls Church is committed to the letter and spirit of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This document will be made available in alternate format upon request. Call 703 248-5014, (TTY 711).