Arts Commission

City of Sunnyvale Meeting Minutes - Final Arts Commission Monday, February 25, 2019 7:00 PM Neighborhood Room - Recreation Center, Sunnyvale Community Center, 550 E. Remington Dr., Sunnyvale, CA 94087 Special Meeting: Presentation - 7 PM CALL TO ORDER Chair Vaughan called the meeting to order at 7:04 p.m. in the Neighborhood Room at the Recreation Center. SALUTE TO THE FLAG Chair Vaughan led the salute to the flag. ROLL CALL Present: 4 - Chair Susannah Vaughan Commissioner Jeremie Gluckman Commissioner Julie Rogers Commissioner Sue Serrone Absent: 1 - Vice Chair Dawna Eskridge Commissioner Eskridge (excused) Council Liaison Larsson (present) PRESENTATION 19-0067 PRESENTATION - Master Plan for Public Art Preliminary Findings Director of Library and Community Services, Cynthia Bojorquez, gave a presentation on the Master Plan for Public Art (MPPA). The presentation provided an overview of the City's public art programs and an overview of the community engagement process and preliminary recommendations. Commissioner Rogers requested further clarification on the difference between Art in Public Places and Art in Private Development. Director Bojorquez explained the difference between the two programs. City of Sunnyvale Page 1 Arts Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 25, 2019 Chair Vaughan asked if additional information on the MPPA would be shared with the public and if the City had considered selling City owned artwork. Director Bojorquez mentioned that MPPA project updates are provided on the City's "Sunnyvale Top 30 Project Summaries" webpage and updates will be provided at future commission meetings. She also noted that the City has not sold artwork from the Art in Public Places collection and is not aware of an artwork from the Art in Private Development collection being sold. Commissioner Serrone asked for the current balance in the Public Art Fund and whether sites for future public art projects had been identified. Director Bojorquez noted that the current balance in the Public Art Fund was approximately $460K and that the final report would identify sites based on the feedback received during the MPPA. These sites include public spaces such as the proposed Lakewood Branch Library and Learning Center, the new Civic Center, the Washington Pool project, city parks as well as in private development projects in the downtown, north Sunnyvale and along major corridors throughout the City Commissioner Serrone also asked whether the full results of the online survey were available and whether the proposed recommendations, especially those related to the fee, had been vetted with the development community. Director Bojorquez indicated that yes, the full results were available and would be incorporated into the final report. With respect to vetting the recommendations, Director Bojorquez stated that staff would be conducting a series of follow-up meetings with different stakeholder groups to share the preliminary findings. Meetings were being scheduled with the Moffett Park Business Group, the Parks and Recreation Commission, the Neighborhood Associations as well as the development community. Chair Vaughan asked if the City had the authority to require that developers contribute to the public arts fund in-lieu program instead of installing art on their project site. Director Bojorquez noted that under the current policy, that discretion was left to the developer. Commissioner Rogers asked about the requirements placed on developers in terms of public accessibility to the finished piece of public artwork. She expressed her displeasure with a recent project that had been brought to the Art Commission for approval because the public did not have access to the building that would have allowed the public to experience the art from above, which the artist can highlighted City of Sunnyvale Page 2 Arts Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 25, 2019 in their presentation as an asset of the art piece. Commissioner Rogers asked why the developers were allowed to choose between onsite and in-lieu options. Director Bojorquez responded that the Art in Private Development Ordinance guides the requirements placed on developers and that part of the rationale for the Master Plan for Public Arts process was to re-evaluate those requirements. Director Bojorquez also clarified that part of the role of the Arts Commission when reviewing art in private development projects was to ask about public accessibility of projects and encouraged the Commissioners to ask those questions. Chair Vaughn asked how other cities deal with issues of access to art in private development. Director Bojorquez indicated that, in general, access is dealt with on a project-by-project basis as there is a balance between the desire for public access and the limitations that relate to the construction and siting of the project. Staff works with developers to ensure that both the siting and nature of the project maximizes public access within the scope of the overall project. Commissioner Gluckman expressed his support for the Master Plan for Public Art noting that too often art programs are first to be cut during tough economic times. He noted that public art adds to the economic vitality of a community and that sustainability of a robust arts program would be important. Commissioner Serrone asked if the City definition of "art" includes: performance art, dance and other forms. Director Bojorquez replied that at this time, the ordinance provides regulations for visual art only. Commissioner Serrone suggested that the City look into how to increase donations and additional options to generate money for the Public Art Fund. She also noted that making art accessible to the public is important and recommended that staff find identify options to increase contribution to the in-lieu program. Chair Vaughan thanked Director Bojorquez for her presentation. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS Mr. Mike Serrone commented that architecture and landscape be considered additional forms of art. He also suggested that murals and art pieces in lobbies of buildings could also be opportunities to make public art more accessible to the public. He also supported the concept of public art in the form of benches and gateways and indicated that he was supportive of the overall direction of staff’s recommendations. In particular, the comment that public art should be integrated City of Sunnyvale Page 3 Arts Commission Meeting Minutes - Final February 25, 2019 into the environment and not just “plopped down” resonated with him. He stated that if someone went out and switched some of the existing pieces, no one would probably even notice. He stated that art should be relevant to the surroundings just like the “Out to Lunch” piece at the Library. He also supported the concept that the City’s public art show reflect the cultural diversity of Sunnyvale. STANDING ITEM: CONSIDERATION OF POTENTIAL STUDY ISSUES None. NON-AGENDA ITEMS & COMMENTS -Commissioner Comments Commissioners thanked Director Bojorquez for the presentation. -Staff Comments None. ADJOURNMENT Chair Vaughan adjourned the meeting at 8:15 p.m. City of Sunnyvale Page 4