Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Meeting

MINUTES COLTON HALL MUSEUM AND CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION Monday, April 27, 2015 4:00 PM COUNCIL CHAMBER, FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Commissioners Present: Evans, Greenwald, Marohn, Ruhnke, Wojtkowski Sovereign (4:21 pm) Commissioners Absent: Dias Ex-Officio and Staff Museums & Cultural Arts and Archives Manager Dennis Members Present: Copeland, Recording Secretary Claire Rygg Staff Members Absent: Community Services Director Kim Bui-Burton Ex-Officio Commissioners are non-voting members, appointed pursuant to MCC § 2-11. CALL TO ORDER: 4:00 PM CONSENT ITEMS 1. Monday, March 23, 2015 ACTION: Approved. On a motion by Commissioner Wojtkowksi, seconded by Commissioner Ruhnke, and carried by the following vote, the Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission approved the minutes: AYES: 6 COMMISSIONERS: Evans, Greenwald, Marohn, Ruhnke, Sovereign, Wojtkowski NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: NONE ABSENT: 1 COMMISSIONERS: Dias ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: NONE RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: NONE ***End of Consent Agenda*** PUBLIC COMMENTS None. INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & STAFF COMMENTS 2. Receive Museum and Cultural Arts Division Activity Report – March 2015 ACTION: Report received. Staff Presentation/Commissioner Questions: Museums, Cultural Arts and Archives Manager Copeland reported attendance at Colton Hall was down this month of March from last year’s March. Visitor groups and classes may have rescheduled to another so this may increase visitation for next month.  Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 Under “Planning and Projects”, Manager Copeland reminded the Commissioners that there will be volunteer opportunities for the upcoming May outdoor music concerts. Commissioner Ruhnke asked if Manager Copeland would provide introductory remarks related to the history of Colton Hall and Copeland said yes. Manager Copeland reviewed the three proposed history and cultural arts projects selected by the Neighborhood Improvement Program (NIP): The Cannery Row Worker Shacks Restoration ($147,000), Lower Presidio Historic Park (LPHP) Improvements - Section A ($215,000) and the combined Master Plan for Public Art and expanded Path of History ($60,000). The Old Monterey Foundation, applicant for the proposed project to implement sections of the 2002 Lower Presidio Historical Park Master Plan, divided the original proposal into four sections, A through D. The NIP selected Section A, which provides for installation of LPHP wayfinding and entrance signage, a walking path and benches at the Serra Monument, and accessible ADA compliant parking space and curb ramp. Manager Copeland thanked Commissioner Wojtkowski for his remarks in support of projects submitted by Museums and Cultural Arts and to Commissioner Sovereign for the LPHP project at the April 23 NIP selection meeting. Commissioner Greenwald asked if the baseball statue for Jack’s Park was approved. Copeland said it was approved for the existing statue to be moved to a higher and more prominent location. He added that all NIP selected projects will go to City Council for approval in June. Concerning the Public Art Master Plan, Commissioner Ruhnke asked if the City would hire someone to identify the public art. Manager Copeland said there are different components to consider for creating the master plan: 1) is the site on public and private property? 2) does the property need an archeological investigation? 3) that a consultant will assist with the project in identifying locations and compiling information, and 4) student interns may help with identifying artwork and their locations. Commissioner Wojtkowski suggested creating a subcommittee to work with them. OLD BUSINESS 3. Receive Update Report on May 2015 Cultural Arts program on Colton Hall Lawn ACTION: Report received. Staff Presentation/Commissioner Questions: Each Commissioner received a postcard announcing the pilot May Music Program series. Manager Copeland said that press releases, performer photos and public announcements have been posted on Facebook and Instagram and historic photos of bands and May Day scenes will also be posted. He added that what we have learned is the need to post engaging photos catch the audience in a second. Commissioner Wojtkowski and Commission Chair Evans asked if a small poster and videos of concerts could be made, and if there was a public service announcement on Channel 25. Manager Copeland said he would check with the City Videographer Eric Palmer. Commissioner Wojtkowksi asked if there will be a request for donations for the concerts, and Manager Copeland said we will note our previous donors on the program cards and ask for donations. The revised letter requesting for donations and support for the concerts could be sent after the three concerts. Colton Hall Museum Cultural Art Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 2  Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 4. Receive Update Report from Angels Auction Subcommittee on November 2015 Joint Angels Auction Fundraiser with Old Monterey Foundation Action: Report received. Subcommittee presentation: Commissioner Ruhnke provided copy of a timeline for the Monterey Angels Project to staff. Commissioners Dias, Marohn and Ruhnke are working with Old Monterey Foundation’s (OMF) Board of Directors member Melissa Theony and others on numerous tasks which include: posting artist biographies and artist videos on website; marketing and public relations activities at the local Farmer’s Market, through newspapers, TV channels, social media outlets, event information event on angel postcards, business sponsorships, and additional fundraising though donations to an angel restoration program “Guardian Angels,” and sales of Angel notecards at Colton Hall Museum and the Cooper-Molera Adobe gift shop. Commissioner Marohn continues to work with the OMF Board of Directors on the OMF-CHM&CA Commission joint project Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), and finalizing the budget for the event. 5. Receive Update Report from Cell Phone Tours Signage Subcommittee Action: Report received. The subcommittee continued to review, confirm and photograph sites for cell phone tour signs. Manager Copeland reported additional signs for selected sites will identify front and rear of historic site, i.e., Colton Hall. He added that he consulted with the Planning Office about the sign requirements. The small cell phone site signs are defined as ancillary signs by the City’s Sign Standards, Regulations and Guidelines and may be installed without additional commission review. He will meet with City Parks Manager Louie Marcuzzo to arrange installation of the signs. The first phase of installation will include City property sites. Subcommittee members will meet with representatives of historic sites privately owned about installing tour signs at those locations. 6. Receive Update Report from Monterey Conference Center City Art Subcommittee Action: Report received. Staff Presentation/Commissioner Questions and Comments: The subcommittee visited three City facilities, beginning with Monterey’s Conference Center (MCC), and then reviewed the Sports Center and Library as possible sites to relocate artwork during the MCC Renovation Project. The subcommittee with staff had previously identified some artwork as possible candidates for de-accession. Other factors will need to be taken into consideration for any final decision to de-accession: City Art policy, agreements, provenance, and importance before the Commission approves the de-accession of any work. Some artwork will be returned for display at the renovated MCC. These include two works by Emile Norman-- Casa Munras mural and “Two Dolphins sculpture--, Paprika by Cornelia Breitenbach, Sound of the Sea sculpture and a few others. The limited amount of art displayed at the Sport Center conforms to sports themes only. The Library offers some wall locations for some small to medium size paintings. Manager Copeland said that in preparation for the major renovation of the MCC in November 2015, staff will review proposals from professional art handlers on services and costs for packaging and storing the artwork. Cultural Arts Assistant Booker has been working hard during Colton Hall Museum Cultural Art Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 3  Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 April to return all loaned art to lenders. A conservation firm will be hired to provide cost estimates and a proposal for removal and storage of the Monterey Mural. Commissioner Greenwald asked about the Polynesian Scene triptych by Gene (Francis) McComas. Manager Copeland said the owner, the Pebble Beach Company, hired a moving company and removed the triptych. Commissioners Wojtkowski recalled a conversation with MCC General Manager Bob Cowdrey who had suggested finding a place for the Monterey Mural with pedestrian activity such as the Monterey Sports Center’s long hallway. Commissioner Ruhnke said the Sports Center’s art is all sports–oriented. Manager Copeland said that staff would like the mural to be accessible to the public and easily viewed from the sidewalk. Commissioner Sovereign suggested the Monterey Mural could be relocated behind the Casa Del Oro, or on storage area wall over by Museum of Monterey. Manager Copeland said the locations noted are not City properties. That is one of the reasons the subcommittee toured City-owned property sites for the Monterey Mural. 7. Receive a Report on Proposed Bicentennial Celebration of the Battle of Monterey 2018 Commissioner Presentation/Questions and Comments: Commissioner Sovereign noted the 50-year lease agreement between the City of Monterey and the U. S. Army for the Lower Presidio Historic Park (LPHP). He provided background information on the historic Battle of Monterey), citing the book, “The Burning of Monterey: The 1818 Attack on California by Privateer Bouchard” by Peter Uhrowczik. Commissioner Sovereign also stated three reasons for the city to celebrate the Bouchard event and the Battle of Monterey:  Potential Hispanic tourists’ and local students’ interest  Increased publicity of the key existing sites of the Bouchard’s attack on Monterey: Royal Presidio Chapel and access and interpretation at Lower Presidio Historic Park  2018 celebration as precursor to the 2020 250th anniversary of founding of Monterey in 1770. Commissioner Sovereign suggested the need for more tourist-supported materials to celebrate the anniversary, such as cell phone apps with short docu-drama videos. Commissioner Wojtkowski asked if the City’s LPHP counterparts have been contacted. Commissioner Sovereign said Command Historian Stephen Payne, Deputy Command Historian Cameron Binkley, both of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) and Cultural Resource Manager Laura Prishmont-Quimby, Directorate of Public Works, Presidio of Monterey are the counterparts. Manager Copeland stated City Museums work closely with the Army officials for the Lower Presidio. He suggested that the Chair, following Commission discussion, may wish to appoint an exploratory subcommittee to contact other institutions and organizations, such as the Royal Presidio Chapel, about their interest and support for the proposed bicentennial celebration. Colton Hall Museum Cultural Art Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 4 Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 Public Comments: Chair Evans asked for public comments before proceeding. Patrick O’Dowd, Old Monterey Foundation (OMF) board member and former chief curator for the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation, provided information on the collaboration of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum and the Argentines for an exhibit about Bouchard and his involvement with the de la Guerra family of Santa Barbara during his activities in California. Events included lectures, reenactments of a platoon of soldiers, and tango dancing. For future planning of the event, Mr. O’Dowd stated he will gladly represent OMF. Discussion: Commissioner Chair Evans said the Battle of Monterey celebration event sounds like an interesting project and the Commission wants to get involved. Commissioner Sovereign wants to initiate planning for these events. Mr. O’Dowd stated that he studied Edna Kimbro’s Lower Presidio Historic Park Master Plan and there is no discussion on interpreting Bouchard, but this may provide an occasion for a scholar to write papers for a deeper and richer interpretation of the event. Manager Copeland suggested the proposed celebration should include interpreting the fortification El Castillo on the LPHP and the Royal Presidio Chapel (Presidio de Monterey) for their roles in the historic event. Commissioner Sovereign also suggested reenactors performing as part of the celebrations. Asked about tours, Manager Copeland said Royal Presidio Chapel museum docents may be someone to contact. For the Lower Presidio Historic Park, Museums and Cultural Arts staff or docents along with Command History Office, may be able to provide tours depending on what is planned for the event. Manager Copeland said the Commission may want to first discover if other institutions and organizations would be interested in partnering or collaborating on a proposed project and asked if there have been conversations with the docents and staff at the Royal Presidio Chapel, for example. Commissioner Wojtkowski said he supports the idea of a celebration of the Battle of Monterey, wants to discuss it with the Old Monterey Foundation for a proposal, and obtain approval by City Council. Chair Evans appointed Commissioners Evans, Sovereign and Wojtkowski to a Bouchard/Battle of Monterey bicentennial exploratory subcommittee, and asked that a subcommittee report be placed on May’s agenda. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS— Commissioner Wojtkowski suggested that since the Old Monterey Foundation is involved with an outdoor art event, they may want to partner with Hartnell Gulch group and Paseo Zabala to use art in the Hartnell Gulch Park. Commissioner Wojtkowski requested that a report on Art in the Gardens be agendized for the next Commission meeting. Commissioner Ruhnke recently spoke with Colton Hall Museum Attendant Donna Da Vigo and learned that Ms. Da Vigo has worked for the City for 10 years; we need to acknowledge and thank her for all her hard work. Commissioner Sovereign said the Commission prioritized the Lower Presidio Historic Park NIP project and supported the Old Monterey Foundation’s proposal for the Lower Presidio. NEXT MEETING Monday, May 18, 2015 Colton Hall Museum Cultural Art Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 5 Colton Hall Museum and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 ADJOURNMENT Chair Evans adjourned the meeting at 5:16 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Dennis Copeland, Manager Robert Evans, Chair Museums, Cultural Arts and Archives Colton Hall Museum & Cultural Arts Commission Colton Hall Museum Cultural Art Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, April 27, 2015 6