Public Art Commission

Salem Public Art Commission Meeting The Public Art Commission (PAC) was held on Tuesday, April 17, 2018, at Old Town Hall, 32 Derby Square, Salem, MA. Norene Gachignard, Chair of PAC called the meeting to order at 6:42pm. Roll Call: Members Present: Kurt Ankeny-Beauchamp, Norene Gachignard, J. Michael Sullivan, Emily Larsen, Carly Dwyer Naik, and Deborah Greel, Public Art Planner. Janine Liberty entered the meeting at 7:00pm. Members Absent: John Andrews Approval of March Minutes: Sullivan made a motion to accept the minutes. Naik seconded the motion. Motion passes: 5-0 Entered into the record: Efa Naik, Carly’s daughter, brought slime to share with the commissioners. The thought was much appreciated. Greel asked to read a thank you letter from Elaine Cronin. The PAC had helped fund Cronin’s film on the opioid crisis that premiered at Old Town Hall during the Salem Film Festival. Discussion of Murals on Artists’ Row: Greel noted that there will be 10 murals that will need to be relocated before the next mural slam to take place during the Salem Arts Festival. Sullivan mentioned moving them to Higginson Alley/Square. Naik agreed saying the murals would add more to the space and provide security especially with the alley lighting. Sullivan noted that they could be vandalized. Larsen said that the murals aren’t typically touched, Greel concurred. Greel noted that there is no storage for the murals. Sullivan asked when the next murals will be painted and she said in June. Greel asked the PAC to consider where to install the murals and to come up with ideas before the May meeting. Discussion Lighting Proposal: Joey Nicotera of Retonica presented light installations that included concepts for disco balls producing an explosion of lights. He also discussed putting disco balls in windows of public buildings and encourage other hosts to put lights in their windows for a bigger effect downtown. He noted they could either host a disco ball or a spotlight that could bounce the lights from building to building that way creating pockets of disco lights. Washington Street may be a good starter point for this project presenting a good model and visibility. Ankeny-Beauchamp noted that the lights are portable and Naik asked about a good backdrop for taking awesome photos of the light. Liberty said that a pocket of space would enhance the experience and great for taking selfies. Sullivan asked if it was just one time and Nicotera said that we would own the equipment and it could be left in place. Nicotera said he would plan, program and manage the logistics of the lights to make sure the logistics work properly. Naik asked about Armory Park as a location and Larsen said there are restrictions to the use of the park. Nicotera said that mounting giant discos ball would define a space and Larsen asked about the top of the fountain on the pedestrian mall. He also said that the disco ball project could be the most unique and can be identified with laser pointers. Ankeny-Beauchamp said perhaps we could get sponsorships for the laser pointers. Greel asked about the next step which is to specify what to buy for the project and where to put it. Naik mentioned the Salem Common, a place that people stroll through. Sullivan asked how the lights get installed if on the Salem Common which would be an effort if they were used in the Gazebo. When asked about the budget Nicotera said the disco ball lights are $225 a set which included the light, motor and ball. Sullivan noted that the lights could be a pathway through town and Ankey-Beauchamp said to follow the rainbow of lights. Nicotera asked where the darkest part of town is and using underutilized areas but finding the right venues are important. The rooftop bar soon to open at The Hotel Salem was also mentioned as a venue and the hotel could be approached to purchase their own disco ball lights. Larsen asked when it was going to open and Greel thought sometime in May. Ankeny-Beauchamp said that we should have the lights at a public event, such as the Salem Art Festival and Liberty said that it would be mentioned in the festival materials. Greel mentioned to do it on Artists’ Row and Nicotera said that the lights would flood the area. He also said that the lights could be installed on the tops of the streetlights on the Row as they can be plugged in and left there and programmed to come on each night. Nicotera will submit the full light proposal to Greel within the next week. Updates: Greel gave the following updates: • Light Cubes: Plan is to have them ordered and delivered in May. Brian Donnelly and James Rogers will manage the cubes and will develop programming when they put them out in public spaces. They are both musicians and have a great attitude for fun and engaging the public. PAC can develop a schedule for when and where the cubes will ‘appear’! • Alley Lighting: The Mayor has agreed to fund the lights in Higginson Square to provide better security in that alley at night and to engage the space for events. Joey Nicotera has done a lighting plan. An installer has to be hired. • Artists’ Row Opening: The Row will have a soft opening the weekend of April 12-15 and limited hours until May 16th when the full season starts. • Call for Performer Series: We have received nine submissions. The Artist Selection Panel for the Call will meet on April 18 to review the submissions. • Art Summit: The Creative County Initiative Art Summit on April 12th was attended by 400 people. The feedback from attendees was the summit had dynamic speakers and great energy. Next steps will be for participants to submit a letter of interest for the grants by May 11th. Public Comments: There were no public comments Adjournment: Liberty made a motion to approve. Ankeny-Beauchamp seconded the motion. Adjourned: 7:42pm