Public Arts Board Meeting

Public Arts Board * March 12, 2018 * 4:00 pm, City Hall In Attendance: Mike Tower, Cheryl Lockstone, Ally Richardson, Debby Williams, Ann Masters, Gary Kramer, Jud Foster and Taylor Wagner Item 1 - Tower called the meeting to order at 4:02 Item 2 – Welcome (to newest PAB member, Gary Kramer) Item 3 – Guests (N/A) Item 4 – Approval of Minutes A motion to approve the minutes from February’s meeting was made by Richardson and seconded by Masters; the minutes were accepted. Item 5 – Update of Finances Tower reported a beginning balance of $42,709.09 in addition to $845.97 in February utility donations (for a total of $43,555.06 in available funds). There were no expenses. With $4,000 set aside for ongoing maintenance and $2,400 to be distributed to the skate park artists, the PAB’S net available funds total $37,155.06. Note: $1,600 was paid by Douglas Shaw Elder (PAB member and FAC Director) for supplies for the skate park redesign; this amount will be reimbursed by the Norman Parks and Recreation Department. Item 6 – Current Items a. Blake Baldwin Skate Park Honorariums – Lockstone moved to pay an honorarium of $600 each to the four artists responsible for the skate park redesign and refresh (for a total of $2,400). Richardson seconded. Discussion included remarks from Richardson and Kramer who expressed the importance of continuing to commemorate Blake Baldwin (with a plaque or other similar insignia). All Board members agreed that the initial intent and integrity of the original skate park should be upheld. Foster explained that although the four new skate parks will not specifically “honor” Blake, the original park will once it is replaced. b. The Big Event – Wagner reported that The Big Event will be held on the morning of Saturday, April 14. PAB members are encouraged to attend to meet with the volunteers who will be helping us wax and polish the bronze sculptures from the City’s collection (pieces include: James Garner, Pioneer Classroom, Sunflower Girl, and Abner E. Norman). Wagner also mentioned that Foster and his team at the Parks and Recreations Department had agreed to wash (but not power wash) the sculptures before the 14th. c. Bike Rack Placement – After much discussion regarding the racks, it was determined that there is actually limited room on Lindsey Street for many to be installed. New locations will need to be considered; ideas for such included keeping the “Ice Cream Cone” at the SnoCone stand and/or installing it at the Wal-Mart on Cedar Lane instead. Tower explained that the funding provided by Fowler Toyota has almost always been dedicated to the racks, so he plans to discuss the potential for alternative ideas with Jonathan Fowler soon. Meanwhile, Kramer inquired about the PAB’s protocol for private/corporate sponsorships of the racks, but, as of right now, there has been no policy established. It was additionally decided that the rack that was originally installed outside of Tino’s on Main Street, would be reinstalled at Sutton Park alongside the Catfish (potentially). d. Membership Update – Kramer was officially approved at both the NAC and City levels as the newest member of the PAB. e. Four Skate Parks – (Please refer to item a. above.) Item 7 – Percent for Art Projects Update Williams reported that “Prairie Wind” (for the new east-side library) is finished and on schedule to be installed in time for the solstice in June. Wagner and Williams are to work together on drafting and publishing Facebook posts in an effort to build excitement for this project before summer. Meanwhile, final proposal presentations for the central library public art project will take place on March 29. Programming for “Public Art is Smart” is now public on the NAC website. Materials for “Splash!” will also be available soon. Item 8 – Board Status Reports PAB members have recently formed committees to further explore the idea of the following: • a new PR strategy (and catchphrase—such as “Be pART of the ART!” as suggested by Richardson) • a revived online presence • increased utility donations (or perhaps even a GoFundMe page) • the potential need for a Public Art Master Plan (perhaps made possible by an NEA grant) In the meantime, members have also been asked to identify new sites and ideas for public art, in general, throughout Norman. Current suggestions include • a literal—albeit artistic—gateway to the Walker Arts District (Richardson) • sculpture at the roundabout/James Garner extension (Tower) • sidewalk art at elementary schools (Tower) • “utlity-themed” art to encourage utility donations (Masters) [Note: many other project ideas have been discussed just not at this particular meeting.] PAB members felt it best to not make a commitment to budget for next year’s art projects until the potential cost for a Public Arts Master Plan was researched. PAB members generally supported the idea of reserving some PAB funding for commitment to a Public Arts Master Plan. Items 9 & 10 – 2018-2019 Art Projects and Strategic Plan Discussion These items were discussed alongside the Board Status Reports—thus they have been included with Item 8 above. Tower concluded the meeting by encouraging Board members to continue to research and explore other possibilities for the future of the PAB. Kramer, Masters, and Wagner were tasked with compiling a list of cities comparable to Norman to determine if those communities had their own Public Art Master Plans and, if so, how could the Norman PAB adopt and adapt those to appropriately fit our local needs. Adjournment A motion to adjourn was made by Richardson and seconded by Lockstone; meeting was adjourned at 5:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Taylor Mauldin Wagner