Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Meeting

MINUTES MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL ARTS COMMISSION Monday, May 21, 2018 4:00 PM CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, FEW MEMORIAL HALL OF RECORDS MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA Commissioners Present: Wall, Castagna, O’Neil, Sovereign, Wojtkowski Commissioners Absent: Evans, Peake Ex-Officio and Staff Acting Community Services Director Dennis Copeland, Members Present: Recording Secretary Claire Rygg Ex-Officio Commissioners are non voting members, appointed pursuant to MCC § 2-11. CALL TO ORDER 4:01 pm ROLL CALL CONSENT ITEMS Approval of Minutes 1. Monday, April 23, 2018 On a motion by Commissioner Wojtkowski, seconded by Commissioner Castagna, and carried by the following vote, the Museums and Cultural Arts Commission approved the minutes with appropriate corrections for April 23, 2018. AYES: 5 COMMISSIONERS: Wall, Castagna, O’Neil, Sovereign, Wojtkowski NOES: 0 COMMISSIONERS: NONE ABSENT: 2 COMMISSIONERS: Evans, Peake ABSTAIN: 0 COMMISSIONERS: NONE RECUSED: 0 COMMISSIONERS: NONE Commissioner Wall reappointed Commissioner Wojtkowski to the Colton Hall Museum and Old Jail Subcommittee as she will not a member of the subcommittee. ***End of Consent Agenda*** PUBLIC COMMENTS INFORMATIONAL REPORTS & STAFF COMMENTS 2. Receive Museums and Cultural Arts Division Activity Report – April 2018 (Not a project under CEQA, per Article 20, Section 15378 and under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061.)  Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 Acting Community Services Director highlighted the diverse visiting groups touring the City’s museums and the reinstallation of the restored outdoor sculpture “Parenthesis” in Frances Elkins Park. The Commission asked if the City could further explore the idea of rotating outdoor sculptures in the Park to view and possibly sell, and also install sculptures at Friendly Plaza. Acting Director Copeland said the Public Art and History Subcommittee can review the idea. The Commission asked if Colton Hall is replastered does it still have to be repointed? Acting Director Copeland said yes. He noted the replastering would protect the building; however, the mortar is still too heavy for the shale stone walls. He also mentioned that staff conducted an informal survey indicating that many people do not want to see the building re-plastered; over a generation of residents and visitors only know the building as unplastered as it was in 1849 during California Constitutional Convention. The Commission asked what the professional consultants recommend for the building. Director Copeland said they recommended the City may want to consider replastering the building and they also recommended repointing first, if that option is followed. Acting Director Copeland said that Artifact Specialist Leininger worked with high school interns Liam Casey and Jakob Sorensen to create a new exhibit on the 411th Telegraph Battalion in the Presidio of Monterey Museum. The Commission asked that photos of the exhibit be included in the next agenda packet. He also noted Museum staff’’s immediate response to protecting the City’s collections when a water line was tested near the collections vault area and quickly used the disaster preparedness kits staff had created as part of a disaster response workshop. The Commission asked about the “Archives Crawl”, and Acting Director Copeland said he learned of the successful Archives Crawl in San Francisco, and thought one could be held in Monterey. Assistant Booker and Specialist Leininger are collaborating with California State University at Monterey Bay, California State Parks, the Monterey Museum of Art and other archival repositories to sponsor the event and highlight their historical “treasures” during October’s Monterey History Fest. PUBLIC APPEARANCE 3. Receive Draft Study of Displaying Art from the City Art Collection in City Offices, Community Centers and Other Public Buildings and Provide Direction to the Subcommittee and Staff for Finalizing the Study. (Not a project under CEQA, per Article 20, Section 15378 and under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061.) Acting Director Copeland reviewed the report and recommendations with the Commission and answered questions about receiving information from the City’s departments on space available for the City’s public art, an update on the status of the Monterey Mural, a new public art walk brochure, and defined the different security levels for public art. 4. Receive Report from Public Art and History Subcommittee (Not a project under CEQA, per Article 20, Section 15378 and under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061.) Museums and Cultural Arts 2 Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 2  Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 Commissioner Wall reported the subcommittee is exploring the utility box art, contacted two neighborhood and business associations, North Fremont/Casanova and New Monterey, and Acting Director Copeland said the associations are identifying if there are themes to be considered for the box art in their neighborhoods. The subcommittee will provide an update at the July MCAC meeting. 5. Receive Report from Pacific Biological Lab Subcommittee (Not a project under CEQA, per Article 20, Section 15378 and under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061.) Museums and Cultural Arts 3 Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 3 Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 Staff and the PBL Subcommittee reported on recent activities. Chair Wall stepped out of the Chamber. Acting Director Copeland continued the report that the subcommittee had prioritized the recommendations from the interpretive plan to recreate the two important eras of the PBL: 1) Recreate the laboratory work area in the first floor garage (Ricketts’s era) 2) Bar room (Pacific Biological Laboratory Men’s Club era) 3) Front room (Ricketts’s era) The subcommittee recommended that the second floor projects could be completed concurrently while the first floor laboratory area remain open to visitors so they can view the specimens and a short video showing the upstairs rooms to entice them to return for the City- sponsored or Cannery Row Foundation tours. Acting Director Copeland noted that staff also have available a video virtual tour of the Lab. He recommended applying for a project grant, especially for the front room re-creation which will require more extensive planning and fabrication. The subcommittee will review the PBL interpretive plan’s general design concepts and recommendations and identify short- term and long-term project goals. The subcommittee asked staff to prepare a timeline and to meet with stakeholders to discuss their ideas and return to the Commission at a future meeting with more specifications for interpreting the Lab. Acting Director Copeland reminded the Commission that the grant funded PBL Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) assessment project needs to be completed before starting the second floor recreation projects since the ADA recommendations may have an impact on exhibits.. He said the subcommittee can continue to work together and with others for ideas to enhance interpretation of the Lab, following interpretive plan guidelines. Chair Wall reentered the Chamber. Public Comments: Mr. Mike Guardino commended the City on purchasing and retrofitting the PBL, making it available to the public and interpreting the Ricketts, Steinbeck and Monterey Jazz Festival eras. He has been associated with the PBL since 1987, brought his Carmel High School science classes to the PBL through PBL Club member Frank Wright, and he is a City volunteer docent for the PBL tours on the second Saturday of every month. He identified individuals who are interested in assisting with recreating the PBL: Pamela Wade, Jim Covell, Patrick Webster of the Monterey Bay Aquarium; Don Kohrs, Stanford-Hopkins Marine Station Library; Lucas Seastrom and Greg Cailliet, Cannery Row Foundation. Mr. Guardino has also discussed with people about restoring the front room to the Ricketts’ era, and they agree that the bar room should pay homage to the PBL men’s club members who preserved the lab and helped initiate the Monterey Jazz Festival. Mr. Guardino stated his concern about ADA visitor accessibility through the front door of the garage. He mentioned Mr. Ralph Porras, superintendent of the Pacific Grove Schools, has some Ricketts’s marine specimens and would donate them to the City Museums. Chair Wall and Acting Director Copeland asked that the subcommittee explore the ideas presented by Mr. Guardino. Mr. Greg Cailliet, President of the Cannery Row Foundation (CRF) and retired marine biologist and ichthyologist, said he and the Foundation would be is ecstatic to help recreate the lab. The downstairs lab is atrocious and not the place that people would like to see. He will update the letter he sent to former Community Services Director Kim Bui-Burton and send it to the subcommittee. Museums and Cultural Arts 4 Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 4  Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 Chair Wall stepped out of the Chamber. Commissioner Castagna assumed the role of Chair. Acting Director Copeland noted that the City Museums and Cultural Arts and the Library’s California History Room have Ricketts and Lab photographs, as well as PBL club collection materials. The City also owns Ricketts’s safe, some of his file cabinets, and other artifacts. The California History Room also has a collection of Edward Ricketts Papers. Chair Wall reentered the Chamber. 6. Receive a Report from Bouchard–Battle of Monterey Bicentennial Subcommittee (Not a project under CEQA, per Article 20, Section 15378 and under General Rule Article 5, Section 15061.) Commissioner Sovereign reported that the subcommittee, through the Old Monterey Foundation (OMF), received funds through the City’s Special Events Grants program, and the tall ship “Lady Washington” will be in Monterey during the same week as the Battle of Monterey event. The event will be held on Saturday, November 17 at the Custom House. Historians Rose Marie Beebe and her husband Robert Senkewicz, and actor Howard Burnham are eager to help with the event’s educational portion in the late afternoon or evening, possibly at the Wharf Theater. The subcommittee is exploring the use of Access Monterey Peninsula (AMP) to attract and educate people about the event. COMMISSIONER COMMENTS None NEXT MEETING 7. Monday, June 25, 2018 ADJOURNMENT 5:20 pm The Museums and Cultural Arts Commission meeting packet may be reviewed by the public at the Monterey Public Library. Information distributed to the Commission becomes part of the public record. A copy of written material, pictures, etc., should be provided for this purpose. For more agenda information, call 646-5648. CITY OF MONTEREY'S 24-HOUR SUGGESTION HOTLINES: Voicemail: (831) 646-3799 FAX: (831) 646-3793 Email: suggest@monterey.org WebPage: http://www.monterey.org The City of Monterey is committed to including the disabled in all of its services, programs and activities. In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, if you need special assistance to participate in this meeting, please contact the City Clerk’s Office at (831) 646-3935. Notification 30 hours prior to the meeting will enable the City to make reasonable arrangements to ensure accessibility to this meeting [28 CFR 35.102-35.104 ADA Title II]. Later requests will be accommodated to the extent feasible. For communication-related assistance, dial 711 to use the California Relay Service (CRS) to speak to City offices. CRS offers free text-to-speech, speech-to-speech, and Spanish-language services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you require a hearing amplification Museums and Cultural Arts 5 Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 5 Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 device to attend a meeting, dial 711 to use CRS to talk to the City Clerk's Office at (831) 646-3935 to coordinate use of a device. Respectfully Submitted, Approved, Dennis Copeland Kathleen Wall, Chair Acting Community Services Director Museums and Cultural Arts Commission Museums and Cultural Arts 6 Commission Meeting Minutes Monday, May 21, 2018 6