Williamsburg Public Art Council

City of Williamsburg Agenda Williamsburg Public Art Council Meeting Monday, July 25, 2022 @ 3:30 PM Stryker Center (Room 127), 412 N Boundary St, Williamsburg, VA 23185 Page I. CALL TO ORDER II. ELECTRONIC PARTICIPATION REQUEST a. Consideration and Approval of Remote Participation Requests from WPAC 2 Members Barbara Ramsey and Conor Sokolowsky WPAC - AIS - Remote Participation Request III. APPROVAL OF MINUTES a. May 23, 2022 - WPAC Minutes 3-5 WPAC - May 23 2022 Minutes - Draft b. WPAC - June 27 2022 Minutes - Draft 6-8 c. WPAC - July 18 2022 Minutes - Draft 9 IV. STAFF UPDATES a. Silver Hand Meadery - Joanna Skrabala, Tourism Development Specialist b. Wayfinding Gateway Feature - Yuri Adams, City of Williamsburg Economic Development Director, and Richard Wiatt, VHB Landscape Architect V. CHAIR'S REPORT a. Community Appreciation Day b. Public Art Program 10 - 13 WPAC - Public Art Plan - Draft c. Regional Mural Program 14 Regional Mural Festival VI. MURAL PROGRAM AT MIDTOWN ROW a. Consideration and Approval of Mural Designs 15 WPAC - AIS - Approval of Mural Designs at Midtown Row b. Branded Arts VII. NEXT MEETING The next meeting is Monday, August 29, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VIII. ADJOURNMENT Page 1 of 15 Meeting Date: 7/25/22 Staff Contact: Joanna Skrabala, Tourism Development Specialist Agenda Item Wording: Consideration and Approval of a Remote Participation Request from WPAC Members Barbara Ramsey and Conor Sokolowsky Background Information: Pursuant to the code of Virginia Section 2.2-3708 and City Ordinance #19-15 Williamsburg Public Art Council Members Barbara Ramsey and Conor Sokolowsky have requested to participate in the July 25, 2022 WPAC meeting remotely. The WPAC must approve this request by majority vote prior to Ms. Ramsey and Mr. Sokolowsky joining the meeting. Previous Action: None Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that the WPAC approve the remote participation request from WPAC Members Barbara Ramsey and Conor Sokolowsky. Sample Motion: I move that the Williamsburg Public Art Council approve the remote participation requests from Barbara Ramsey and Conor Sokolowsky for the July 25, 2022 WPAC meeting. Page 2 of 15 The Williamsburg Public Art Council met at 3:30 pm, Monday, May 23, 2022, in room 127 at the Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. WPAC members present: Robert Currie (Chairperson), Patricia Rublein (Vice-Chairperson), Sarah Balascio (Secretary), Barbara Ramsey, Scott Spence, Harold Philipsen, Chris Caracci (virtual), Pat Dent WPAC members absent: Conor Sokolowsky Staff members present: Joanna Skrabala (Tourism Development Specialist) Others present: I. Call to Order Mr. Currie called the meeting to order at 3:32 pm. II. Electronic Participation Request a. Adoption of Electronic Meeting Participation Policy Mr. Philipsen made a motion to approve the electronic meeting participation policy and Mr. Dent seconded. All approved. b. Consideration and Approval of remote Participation Request from WPAC Member Chris Caracci Mr. Philipsen made a motion to approve Mr. Caracci’s request and Ms. Rublein seconded. All approved. III. Approval of Minutes a. April 25th, 2022, WPAC Minutes Ms. Ramsey made a motion to approve the April minutes and Mr. Dent seconded. All approved. IV. Chair’s Report a. Public Art Plan Mr. Currie said that based on April’s discussion, the WPAC needs to prioritize developing a public art plan. He said the Virginia Commission for the Arts plan does a good job outlining goals and strategies in a concise way. He suggested forming a new subcommittee to begin work on the plan. Ms. Rublein made a motion to approve the subcommittee and Mr. Spence seconded. All approved. Page 3 of 15  Ms. Rublein volunteered to be on the subcommittee. Mr. Philipsen said he attended a Main Street conference in Richmond recently and saw a lot of public art content. Ms. Ramsey suggested looking at Virginia Beach’s art scene, as well. Ms. Skrabala said she recently heard the Virginia Beach arts coordinator speak during a webinar and will share its presentation with group. Ms. Ramsey asked about a timeline for the plan and Mr. Currie said he would aim to have an outline in September with final review in October. b. Community Appreciation Day Mr. Currie said he was waiting for a quote from the fencing company (Hercules) and did not have any other updates at this time. Ms. Ramsey asked about the height of the fence and Mr. Currie said it would be about 6 feet. Mr. Currie said he would also like to have some local artists present. Mr. Spence asked if there was a schedule for the event yet and Mr. Currie said there were no set hours at this time, but he would work on this. Ms. Skrabala said she could send an email with shift sign ups. V. Staff Updates a. Budget Ms. Skrabala reported on the projected budget for FY23. She said FY22’s money came from tourism resiliency funds and moving forward, it would be 1% of the CIP. She said unused funds would carry over into the next year and the funds would then be replenished to match the 1%. She said FY23’s budget is projected to be $337,834. Mr. Caracci asked if the rule of spending 10% before having to get City Council approval was per year or per project and Ms. Skrabala said it would be for the year, but she would check with finance to be sure. b. Silver Hand Meadery Ms. Skrabala reported that she has been in communication with Councilman Caleb Rogers about the WPAC’s involvement with the Meadery’s mural unveiling. She said she discussed with staff and Mr. Currie and all agreed that the WPAC should have a presence at the event, but should not be organizing it. VI. Mural Program at Midtown Row a. RFQ Submission Review The WPAC discussed the mural submissions. There were 8 designs for wall #1 and 9 designs for wall #2. Each member picked their top designs for each wall. After discussion, the wall #1 finalists were Denille Francis, Suzy Lindow, and Sally St. Rose. The finalists for wall #2 were Silas Baker, Phillip Merritt, and Coleman Geiger. Mr. Dent expressed concern over making sure both walls are complimentary of each other and do not contrast. Mr. Currie said staff needs to confirm Coleman Geiger’s connection to Virginia as the artists are supposed to be Virginia-based. Page 4 of 15  Ms. Skrabala said she would collect any follow-up questions from the WPAC and connect with the artists to get these answered before the June meeting. b. Artist Curation – Branded Arts This topic was tabled. VII. Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for June 27, 2022, at 3:30 pm in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VIII. Adjournment Ms. Rublein made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Mr. Currie seconded. All approved and the meeting ended at 5:15 pm. _______________________________________________ Sarah Balascio, Secretary Page 5 of 15 The Williamsburg Public Art Council met at 3:30 pm, Monday, June 27, 2022, in room 127 at the Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. WPAC members present: Robert Currie (Chairperson), Patricia Rublein (Vice-Chairperson), Sarah Balascio (Secretary), Barbara Ramsey, Scott Spence, Harold Philipsen, Chris Caracci, Pat Dent, Conor Sokolowsky (virtual) Staff members present: Joanna Skrabala (Tourism Development Specialist) Others present: I. Call to Order Mr. Currie called the meeting to order at 3:32 pm. II. Electronic Participation Request a. Consideration and Approval of Remote Participation Request from WPAC Member Conor Sokolowsky Mr. Philipsen made a motion to approve Mr. Sokolowsky’s request and Ms. Ramsey seconded. All approved. III. Staff Updates a. Silver Hand Meadery Ms. Skrabala reported that the performance agreement with Silver Hand Meadery/Midtown Row had been signed and the funds were being processed. She said the Meadery contacted her about a ribbon cutting date and had suggested Friday, August 19, or Saturday, August 20. All agreed that the morning of August 19 would work best. Ms. Skrabala said she would follow up with the Meadery. IV. Election of FY23 Officers Ms. Skrabala said she spoke with Mr. Currie and Ms. Rublein and both had expressed interest in serving another year as Chair and Vice Chair. Due to Ms. Balascio’s departure, Ms. Skrabala said they would need to elect a new Secretary for FY23 and Mr. Spence volunteered for this role. Mr. Caracci asked if officers were allowed to participate remotely, and Ms. Ramsey said they were. Ms. Ramsey made a motion to approve Robert Currie as Chair, Patricia Rublein as Vice Chair, and Scott Spence as Secretary for FY23 and Mr. Caracci seconded. All approved. Page 6 of 15 V. Community Appreciation Day Mr. Currie said Community Appreciation Day starts at 5:00 pm on the lawn at the Art Museum of Colonial Williamsburg and suggests volunteers arrive around 4:15 pm. Ms. Balascio said she sent the event information to area schools and art departments. Ms. Ramsey suggested also reaching out to the Silver Hand Meadery muralist and area high school students were who recently were awarded art scholarships. Ms. Ramsey said that public input should be collected in a conversational way with no active survey or poll. Mr. Dent agreed and said that people might be hesitant if there was an actual survey to take. Ms. Skrabala asked about signage for the WPAC tent and Mr. Currie said he could get a sign printed. Mr. Currie said he talked with the City and William & Mary about inclement weather. He said he would communicate via email if the event was canceled. Mr. Currie said the fencing and canvas grommets would be completed on Friday, July 1, and the canvas would be installed on Saturday, July 2. He said he would be put together a bulleted list for volunteer sign ups and send it to the group. Mural Program at Midtown Row a. Mural Finalists Discussion/Follow up Ms. Skrabala said she spoke with Hannah Warner (Midtown Row) to get feedback about the mural finalists. Ms. Balascio said there should be a common background color between the two walls so that they do not clash. Ms. Rublein agreed. Ms. Warner advised against using the blue background color that the Meadery used because she does not want it to be too similar. b. Artist Curation – Branded Arts Mr. Currie said he emailed Branded Arts about a baseline price for projects was told $50,000 with $100,000 as a mid-point. Mr. Currie said he was comfortable with the baseline price of $50,000 and Ms. Ramsey agreed. Ms. Skrabala asked if the company had worked in Virginia before as this would help the procurement process and Mr. Currie said he would ask. Mr. Spence asked about a timeframe and Mr. Currie said that would depend on the WPAC. He said the initial proposal would take 6 weeks to put together. Ms. Skrabala said she confirmed with Midtown Row that the metal structure on the proposed wall could be removed. She said it would have to go through the ARB for approval. Ms. Skrabala also said she is working on developing the contracts/performance agreements for both the artists and Midtown Row. Page 7 of 15  Mr. Caracci asked if discussing a space for public art could be added back to the agenda and Ms. Skrabala said that the City would first want a public art plan in place. She said the creation of a public art space could be a part of this plan. VI. Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for July 25, 2022, at 3:30 pm in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. VII. Adjournment Ms. Ramsey made a motion to adjourn, and Ms. Rublein seconded. The meeting adjourned at 5:05 pm. _______________________________________________ Sarah Balascio, Secretary Page 8 of 15 The Williamsburg Public Art Council met at 3:30 pm, Monday, July 18, 2022, in room 127 at the Stryker Center, 412 N Boundary Street, Williamsburg, Virginia. WPAC members present: Robert Currie (Chairperson), Patricia Rublein (Vice-Chairperson), Scott Spence (Secretary), Harold Philipsen (virtual), Chris Caracci, Pat Dent WPAC members absent: Barbara Ramsey, Conor Sokolowsky Staff members present: Joanna Skrabala (Tourism Development Specialist) Others present: Sarah Balascio I. Call to Order Mr. Currie called the meeting to order at 3:31 pm. Mr. Caracci made a motion to approve the remote participation request from WPAC Member Harold Philipsen. Mr. Dent seconded and all approved. II. Public Art Plan Mr. Currie thanked Ms. Rublein for working on a skeleton document for the public art plan. He said he met with Ms. Skrabala and Ms. Rublein to begin discussion and then wanted to wordsmith the document as a team. Ms. Rublein said much of the language was lifted from the City’s Ordinance and Resolution to create the WPAC. At this time, the group went over the mission, vision, values, and goals. Ms. Skrabala said she would make the revisions and re-send the document to the group. III. Next Meeting The next meeting is scheduled for July 25, 2022, at 3:30 pm in Room 127 at the Stryker Center. IV. Adjournment Mr. Dent made a motion to adjourn the meeting and Mr. Caracci seconded. All approved and the meeting ended at 5:54 pm. _______________________________________________ Scott Spence, Secretary Page 9 of 15  DRAFT WILLIAMSBURG PUBLIC ART COUNCIL Guide to Strategic Policy and Long-Term Planning ENABLING LEGISLATION On February 11, 2021, as an initiative of the Williamsburg City Council, the Williamsburg Public Arts Council (WPAC) was created to curate a public art program. WPAC is tasked to engage in a review process, funding strategies and planning for a public art program, and is enabled through City Ordinance #21-01. ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND The Williamsburg Public Art Council is organized to: • Advise the City Council on the acquisition, donation, commission and/or funding of public art • Advise on acceptance of gifts and loans of public art and any deaccession of public art from the City’s collection • Develop policies regarding determination of artist qualifications, criteria specific to site attribution, maintenance of public art • Develop a plan for the broad implementation of a robust public art program • Administer public art grant programs on behalf of the City Council • Solicit public art and donations to acquire public art according to the authorization of City Council • Provide an annual report to the City regarding WPAC activities, to include fund expenditures, grants issued, and status of awards, art inventory, maintenance and general status of the public art program WPAC members are engaged as a qualified advisory group for all program areas and types to include planning, design, artistic practice, public policy, and local government consult. STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS The planning process is being initiated following early WPAC discussions regarding review processes for proposals. Discussions of organizational vision were also held, and public opinion was sought through surveys and dialog with public art administrators in a wide demographic area. It is the intention of the WPAC that this plan shall serve as a working document and guide to support a Public Art Program for the City of Williamsburg that provides enrichment for the community and its visitors highlighting the beauty and unique character of the City, its culture and history and to promote community connection. EDITED 7/18/2022 Page 10 of 15  DRAFT STRATEGIC PLAN 2022-2025 MISSION To curate a program of public art that will further enhance an innovative and creative environment that celebrates the City’s past, present, and future, reflects the community’s identity, and enhances Williamsburg as a world-class tourist destination. VISION To sustain a program of engaging public art that speaks to the unique lifestyle and cultural vibrancy of the Williamsburg community. that is accessible, inclusive, engaging, and inspires pride and a sense of belonging within the community. VALUES • Public art increases economic vitality (Economy) • Public art is thought-provoking and inspires people to explore, connect, and pause within a physical space that speaks to the beauty and unique character of the City (Discovery) • Public art supports education and celebration of the City’s past, present and future through collaboration with local and regional community organizations (Educational) • Public art stimulates the mind and heart, broadens the imagination, communicates a wide range of creative ideas, and enhances a sense of belonging. (Inspirational) • Public art should be fully accessible and promote inclusivity and diversity GOALS I. Develop policies and processes that support a dynamic Public Art program that serves the community, its businesses, and its visitors. II. Identify suitable areas for public art, carefully evaluating the compatibility and environmental harmony of the art and its surroundings. III. Cultivate a thriving arts community that engages with policymakers, artists, and the public. IV. Employ public art to enhance placemaking, create impactful experiences, and contribute to community cohesion. EDITED 7/18/2022 Page 11 of 15  DRAFT I. Develop policies and processes that support a dynamic Public Art program that serves the community, its businesses, and its visitors. ACTION ITEMS • WPAC programs will express high expectations to enhance our community’s quality of life • Design an annual budget to support pre-determined public art projects to accomplish in a given year. • Decide on areas for solicitation of commissions • Communicate regularly with the City Council and other agencies to discuss impacts of a specific program. • Choose installations that celebrate Williamsburg’s past, present and future. • Determine appropriate plans for acquisition, maintenance, removal and receipt of gifts, engaging with trained staff as necessary • Consider periodic workshops to discuss project plans, accomplishments and principals II. Identify suitable areas for public art, carefully evaluating the compatibility and environmental harmony of the art and its surroundings. ACTION ITEMS • Conduct a Site Mapping program to identify areas that are suited to creative Installations. • Adapt review processes to consider diverse types of installations: Ephemeral/non-Permanent. Works that fall apart or degrade Installations: Pre-designed for a specific site Applied: Murals/sculptures that are building-mounted, highly visible and large Integrated: Pavement/Building facades. Art made around a surface at hand Stand Alone: Sculpture/large structure. Site specific. Ex. Sculpture garden • Engage to best advantage the expertise of Art Council members in considering all installations • Art installations will be accessible to the general public EDITED 7/18/2022 Page 12 of 15  DRAFT III. Cultivate a thriving arts community that engages with policymakers, artists, and the public. ACTION ITEMS • Build a directory of artists to have a resource of potential creators in diverse fields of work keeping in mind inclusivity • Pursue open communication with William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg where partnership may be indicated • Program implementation will consider economic advancement opportunities • Program implementation will consider how a work speaks to who we are. • WPAC will establish policies to help determine qualifications, site attribution criteria, amount of financial investment and future maintenance needs. • Artists who respond to commissioned projects will consider that each viewer has a creative vision for expression of certain themes. Public art should enhance the way all citizens view Williamsburg and how we want others to see our community. IV. Employ public art to enhance placemaking, create impactful experiences, and contribute to community cohesion. ACTION ITEMS • Use public art to broaden the locality’s investment in education • Consider multiple art forms, to include places for vocal narrative EDITED 7/18/2022 Page 13 of 15 CAN Festival 2023 The CAN Foundation presents CAN Festival 2023, an art festival in partnership with municipalities, institutions, arts organizations, corporations, and patrons spanning Hampton Roads in an effort to promote regional collaboration in the arts. The festival will include large-scale murals and programs throughout the cities of Hampton Roads to activate, highlight, and unify the creative communities throughout the region. Festival Programming The festival programming will include (but will not be limited to) walking mural tours, musical events, pop-up galleries, independent maker events, panel discussions, creative summits, workshops, outdoor block parties, and openings at existing creative venues within the communities. In this way the festival will put a spotlight on the cultural breadth of each of the participating cities in Hampton Roads and strategically unify the arts culture across the region. There will be a calendar of events to include all of the cultural happenings taking place within the communities during the festival along with a guided tour to visit the murals and happenings during the festival. Goal: 5-10 murals per each city: Minimally 4 HR based/east coast artists per city: Cost $10,000 each Minimally 1 blue chip artist: Cost $50-100K Timeline: Full Commitments by Fall 2022 of all participating partners Curation and RFP process throughout winter and early spring Execution of the murals mid-late spring Festival to take place late spring, early summer Page 14 of 15 Meeting Date: 7/25/22 Staff Contact: Joanna Skrabala, Tourism Development Specialist Agenda Item Wording: Consideration and Approval of Mural Designs at Midtown Row Background Information: The Williamsburg Public Art Council posted an RFQ in April 2022 for mural designs in Midtown Row. The RFQ included two walls with two separate budgets. The theme for wall #1 was “community connections” with a max budget of $11,000 and the theme for wall #2 was “nature & beauty” with a max budget of $7,000. Wall #1 received 8 submissions and wall #2 received 9 submissions. The artists were required to be Virginia-based. At its May 23 meeting, the WPAC narrowed down the finalists to 3 for each wall (one was later disqualified for wall #2). Discussion continued at the June 27 meeting. The WPAC is slated to decide on winning designs at this July 25 meeting. Previous Action: None Staff Recommendation: Staff recommends that the WPAC award bid(s) to the artists selected. Sample Motion: I move that the Williamsburg Public Art Council award <artist name> in the amount of <artist budget> for wall #1 and <artist name> in the amount of <artist budget> for wall #2 pursuant to City Council Ordinance #21-01 and Resolution #21-03. Page 15 of 15