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HomeMy WebLinkAboutPAAC Packet 01-04-18.doc Public Art Advisory Committee Thursday, January 4, 2018 3:30 PM Lobby Conference Room 410 E Washington St AGENDA Call to order Introduction of new committee member Vero Rose Election of Officers for 2018 Public discussion of any item not on the agenda Consideration of minutes of the November 2, 2017 meeting Review project proposals for City Hall Lobby Stairwell Art Project 3:45 - Tim Adams 4:10 - Isabel Barbuzza 4:35 - Vako Darjania Committee announcements or Committee reports Staff reports Adjournment If you will need disability-related accommodations in order to participate in this program/event, please contact Marcia Bollinger, Neighborhood and Development Services at 319-356-5237 or marcia-bollinger@iowa-city.org. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs. MINUTES PUBLIC ART ADVISORY COMMITTEE November 2, 2017 – 3:30 PM LOBBY CONFERENCE ROOM – CITY HALL MEMBERS PRESENT: Ron Knoche, Erin Fitzgerald, John Engelbrecht, Tam Bodkin Bryk, Sayuri Sasaki Hemann, Kumi Morris (for Juli Seydell Johnson) NOT PRESENT: Wendy Brown STAFF PRESENT: Marcia Bollinger, Aubrey Nekvinda PUBLIC PRESENT: Kay Colangelo PUBLIC DISCUSSION OF ANY ITEM NOT ON THE AGENDA: There was no public discussion of items not on the agenda. CONSIDERATION OF MINUTES OF THE APRIL 6TH, 2017 MEETING Knoche moved to approve the August 16th minutes. Bryk seconded the motion. Motion passed unanimously. REVIEW OF SUBMISSIONS FOR THE PUBLIC ART MATCHING GRANT Bollinger asked the committee how much of $8,000 allocated for matching funds they are willing to allocate for this period. Bollinger stated that there is $7,600 being requested not including Art for Peace which had a flexible budget. Bollinger stated that she has spoken to Fatima Saeed (of Art for Peace) and Saeed approximates that she will need $600 to fund her project. Bollinger stated that the matching grant fund has been advertised as having two deadlines. Sasaki Hemann stated that in the past, when there has been a proposal that has a project starting after or during the second deadline, they have encouraged them to apply during the second round of applications. Bryk stated that some people, knowing that there were two deadlines, held off and did not apply during the first round of applications. Morris asked if the funds were typically split in half. Bollinger stated that that had been their decision the last two years. Art for Peace -- Fatima Saeed Saeed introduced herself to the committee and stated that she is a Sudanese American and has lived in Iowa for 15 years. Saeed graduated from Kirkwood Community College majoring in Interior Design. Before she came to the United States she went to school for Interior Design and Painting. Saeed works with organizations such as UNICEF to complete her projects. She has held several workshops in Iowa City and in Sudan. Saeed used symbols of peace in the artwork, to bring the community together and have conversations about peace. Bollinger asked Saeed how she would use the funds if she was awarded them by the committee. Saeed stated that she would use the funds to purchase supplies for her workshops including a projector and sound system. Sasaki Hemann asked if Art for Peace was an ongoing project or single event. Saeed stated that she has several ideas, one is honoring the people who work for the city. Tentative locations for the event include Old Brick Church and Robert E. Lee Recreation Center. PRELIMINARY Tree- Cycled Learning — Ann Valentine, Kirkwood Community College This project was created by a statistics professor at Kirkwood. His premise is that Kirkwood Community College can use an outdoor classroom situated on their campus to teach important mathematical theoretical concepts such as the Divine Ratio and Golden Geometry. Valentine stated that the point of the tree is that it is a volumetric histogram. The college has committed to site development. Valentine stated that the location of the outdoor classroom is a well-traveled area. Valentine stated that the outdoor classroom would be a 12’X12’ space and the college would provide benches around the area. Valentine stated that the classroom could be used by faculty from a variety of disciplines. The material for this project will be salvaged recycled material. The artist for this project (Meggann Fischer) is a graduate of Kirkwood Community College, and an arborist. Bryk asked how the project will move forward if they are not awarded funding from PAAC. Valentine stated that if they do not receive funding from PAAC, they will have to explore other funding options such as Johnson County Community Foundation and Kirkwood Foundation. In response to Bollinger’s email, asking if the outdoor classroom could be moved to a location that is visible from the street, Valentine stated that there is one location that would be feasible but stated that it would require significantly more site preparation. Fitzgerald asked if there would be student involvement in creating this piece. Valentine stated that the honors society at the college is currently working to fundraise for the project and students will be involved in selecting and siting the artifacts on the tree. Engelbrecht asked when the project will be completed. Valentine stated that they are aiming to complete the project for the 2018/2019 school year. This Art is Garbage! — Vero Rose Smith/Allison Heady Bollinger stated that she and Smith have met with Mark Rummel, who oversee the parking ramps, to discuss the logistics of this project. Smith stated that the project has to do with waste, wastefulness, and how to address an ever-changing climate at the hands of humankind. This project will be located in Tower Parking Ramp. Smith stated they plan to suspend crocheted and braided ‘plarn’ (made of plastic bags) over the parking ramp. The colors of the piece are used to demonstrate the 4.3 pounds of garbage, which is how much waste the average human produces per day. Smith and Heady want to activate the space with four performances between the months of March and November. Smith stated that these performances will be produced with Justin Comer, a local composer and the organizer of a group called “I Hear, I See” (a group of composers who perform in Iowa City with no charge to the public). Smith stated that the four performances will take place the pit of the parking ramp, creating an experimental sound. Engelbrecht asked where this art piece would be visible from. Heady stated that they plan to locate their piece in the part of the ramp which is most heavily used, and that the ramp’s elevators have windows that look out into where the piece will be located. Sasaki asked how a passer-by would understand the purpose of the piece. Heady stated that they have considered locating signage either in the elevator or on the sidewalk leading into the parking ramp. Bryk asked how Smith and Heady plan to ensure that this art piece, uses garbage as its primary material, will not just become more garbage. Heady stated that ‘plarn’ can be used to make mats for the homeless and that they are in contact with Jen Jordan, the Recycling Coordinator, and are working on a solution for the items in their piece that may not be able to be repurposed. Fitzgerald asked how the ‘plarn’ will be secured inside the parking ramp. Smith stated that they will use bike chains to secure the piece, which will not require them to change the ramp structurally. Bryk asked if they are planning to use a single color for each strand of plarn, Smith stated that if they have the resources to do so they will. Fitzgerald asked how they are planning to advertise for the performances. Smith stated that Comer has a strong following for his performances through “I Hear, I See” and also has a radio show he could use to advertise for the performances. Smith stated that the Downtown District has expressed interest in this project and may also help in the marketing process. Dazzle Crawl -- PS1/ John Engelbrecht Engelbrecht stated that PS1 was contacted by Hancher to do a collaboration. This project stemmed from the residency program Hancher is putting on when Taylor Mac, a trans performance artist, comes to town in April with his costume designer, Machine Dazzle. Taylor Mac just won a MacArthur Grant for a 24-hour performance representing 24 decades of pop music starting at the founding of the country and ending in 2016. Mac will perform an abridged version of this show at Hancher in April. This project would be a stand-alone gallery walk in which local artists will work with business owners and the Iowa City Downtown District as well as the Flyover Fashion event. There would be various forms of art located at the 24 sites throughout Iowa City. Engelbrecht hopes to expand this project outside of the downtown area. Engelbrecht stated that he is primarily interested in getting the blessing of this committee and using the committee to spread the word about this event. Engelbrecht stated that, to be transparent, Hancher will most likely be willing to fund the entire project if the committee does not award PS1 funding. Morris asked if all 24 sites will be in Iowa City, Engelbrecht stated that they would be. Fitzgerald asked if the artists would be submitting original pieces for this project. Engelbrecht stated that the UI Special Collections will work with the artists to create authentic period pieces. Some artists may not need to create a new piece as they may have work that fits in with the overall piece. Bollinger stated that since Engelbrecht and Sasaki Hemann are both associated with PS1 they will both need to recuse themselves when the committee discusses allocating funds. Engelbrecht concluded by stating that he is hopeful that this is the type of event that PAAC will support either with money or word of mouth. Engelbrecht stated that he has spoken with Thomas Agran, of the Downtown District, and they are supportive of this project. IC Dance PIN: A Community Project (The NELKEN Line) – Nora Garda Garda told the committee she is excited that this dance performance is being considered public art by PAAC. Garda said that her interest in this project stemmed from her belief that performers and dancers should be willing to go out into the community rather than asking the community to come to them. Garda stated that she found this concept online, and that it is a project that has occurred all over the world. Garda explained that it is a series of four simple dance moves that can be performed while walking. Her idea is to introduce this dance to the community of Iowa City using several dance leaders and community involvement. Garda stated that she plans to record the event with videos and photographs. Sasaki Hemann asked Garda if she had a studio in mind for their dance practices, Garda stated that they did and that it costs $25/hour. Garda stated that community members can learn the dances online but the two months prior to the event will be used to rehearse. Garda stated that she hopes to be able to pay dancers or the groups involved, as they are usually asked to work for free. Bollinger asked the committee how they wanted to split the $8,000 between the two application periods. The committee decided to split the funds in half, allotting $4,000 for the fall and $4,000 for the spring. Sasaki and Engelbrecht excused themselves from the room and the committee discussed the proposals for the Public Art Matching Grant. Morris asked if there was a deadline that the work must be completed by. Knoche stated that they must be used in the fiscal year. Fitzgerald asked how that applied to the Kirkwood Community College project. Knoche stated that it appeared that they would have their project complete by August 2018. Bollinger stated that it is possible to carry the funds forward, if necessary. Regarding the Art for Peace project, Fitzgerald stated that she would be comfortable allocating $250, but due to the lack of concrete events could not justify allocating more. Bollinger stated that she had spoken to Saeed about giving the committee specifics on how the funding would be used. Bollinger mentioned the idea of Saeed coming back and reapplying for the March deadline. Knoche stated that he agrees that Saeed should apply for the March Deadline. Fitzgerald again stated that she would be willing to allocate a small amount of funds for Saeed’s supplies, stating that it may motivate her to come back with a more complete application to get more funding. Knoche stated that Saeed was the only one who did not indicate a specific dollar amount or have a budget for her project and stated he would be comfortable holding back $200 for Saeed to be awarded in the spring should she reapply. It was agreed to not fund Art for Peace but to encourage Saeed to come back to the committee in March with a more detailed and complete application listing specific events and including a budget for her project. Colangelo asked the committee if any funds that were not allocated this fiscal year could be carried over to the next year. Bollinger and Knoche both stated that the funds could be carried over. Colangelo stated that as a citizen, she was wondering why the committee would spend money on a project they were not excited about and asked if that could be due to a fear of the funds not carrying over. Fitzgerald stated that they are not spending money on projects they aren’t excited about, but are attempting to spread the money throughout various projects to ensure that citizens will have a better chance of being excited about one. Colangelo asked if the goal of the committee is to support artists or to create art for the community to consume. Fitzgerald stated that the two go hand-in-hand and that funding art projects keeps artists in the community. Regarding Tree-Cycled Learning, Fitzgerald stated that she supports this project but wishes the piece could be more visible to the public. Bryk mentioned that the artist for this piece has proposed a project to the committee before and Bryk stated that she considers her to be a very capable artist. Bryk stated that they are asking for a large amount of money. Knoche and Fitzgerald agreed and stated they would both be comfortable allocating $1,000 to the project. It was agreed to fund $1,000 of the requested $2,000 to Tree-Cycled Learning. Regarding This Art is Garbage! Fitzgerald stated that she does not feel comfortable awarding this project the full $1,600 requested stating that she worries what the community reaction to the piece will be. Both Knoche and Fitzgerald agreed that they enjoyed the performance element of the piece but do not like the idea of using ‘plarn’. Knoche stated that the budget for this project does not add up. Fitzgerald stated that she would be comfortable allocating the project a small amount of funding but agreed that their budget was not accurate. Fitzgerald asked what the spray paint that is mentioned in the budget will be used for. Fitzgerald stated that if they plan to put spray paint on the plastic it would most likely not be able to be recycled afterwards. Bryk seconded this idea and stated that toxic paint would not be able to be recycled but non-toxic would not be durable enough for the project. Bollinger stated that there appears to be enough doubt in the project that they should ask the artists to come back with a new proposal in the spring. The committee thought perhaps more appealing presentation of recycled materials would be a better project. Bollinger stated that the idea of this piece is for it to not be attractive, but to raise awareness. Bryk stated that she would then vote against the piece for that reason. The committee stated that they enjoyed the performance portion of this piece but the art portion needs to be redesigned. Morris mentioned that she has seen pieces like this before, and that even the artists admitted that ‘plarn’ is not their own original idea. The committee decided to not fund this project, but to encourage them to come back with a more visually appealing, original idea with an accurate budget. Regarding the Dazzle Crawl, Bollinger stated that she has researched Taylor Mac and was very impressed by his costuming and performances. Morris stated that it appeared Hancher is willing to fully fund this project so the committee may just want to give a small amount of funding simply to be supportive of the project. Knoche stated that $500 would be an appropriate amount to allocate for this project. The committee concurred, and decided to award $500 of the requested $2,000 to the Dazzle Crawl project. Regarding the IC Dance PIN, Bryk stated that she was not in support of the project. Knoche stated that their budget does not add up. Fitzgerald asked whether people could watch the video at home and join in with the dancing or if they would have to go to the practices to participate. Knoche stated that he believed you could participate without going to the practices. Bryk stated that the application needed to be cleaned up. Fitzgerald stated that she enjoyed that the idea was original. Morris stated that she liked the interactive portion of the project. Fitzgerald stated that she would be comfortable allocating $200 for the practice studio. Bollinger mentioned that they were also asking for funds to purchase a speaker system to use for the event. Knoche stated that he would be comfortable funding them with $500. Bollinger stated that they would have to approach Garda and confirm that she could still put the event on with that amount of funding. Bryk again stated that she was not in support of funding the project and mentioned the inaccurate application. Fitzgerald stated that she is comfortable funding the project with a small amount of money. Knoche noted that the weather may not be ideal for this project considering the date they selected but stated that he likes the concept. Fitzgerald stated that she thought $500 would be an appropriate amount to allocate to them. The committee decided to award the IC Dance PIN $500 of the $2,000 requested. Knoche proposed the allocation of the matching grant be as follows. Art for Peace -- $0 of the flexible amount requested was awarded Tree-Cycled Learning -- $1,000 of the $2,000 requested was awarded This Art is Garbage! -- $0 of the $1,600 requested was awarded Dazzle Crawl -- $500 of the $2,000 requested was awarded IC Dance PIN -- $500 of the $2,000 requested was awarded Motion passed three to one. Bryk opposing. After the discussion, Bollinger stated that perhaps the committee should consider requiring that half of the matching amount be a cash match, and not just an in-kind match. REVIEW OF RFQ SUBMISSIONS FOR CITY HALL LOBBY STAIRWELL ART PROJECT Sasaki Hemann returned to the meeting. Englebrecht needed to leave early. The committee began discussing the RFQ submissions for City Hall lobby artwork. Knoche asked if the committee had required the artist have a tie to Iowa for this project. Bollinger stated that the Request for Qualifications include a statement that there would be a preference given to artists with a tie to Iowa. The committee decided to go through each artist’s RFQ individually and score them on a scale of one to three, then add up the total and determine the three artists with the most votes. Regarding Sue Hettansperger, Sasaki Hemann stated that this artist’s work is not minimalist, like the art the committee had in mind for this project. Regarding Ioan Marcu, Bollinger stated that he was very interested in the project and had personally stopped by City Hall. Fitzgerald stated that she enjoyed the color of this piece. Fitzgerald questioned whether Marcu was going to create an original piece or use the pieces he had already created. Regarding Dado Motta Art, the committee decided not to select this artist. Regarding Victoria Primicias, the committee discussed the fact that the artist had no ties to Iowa. Regarding Tim Adams, Fitzgerald said his work in Cedar Rapids is well done. Regarding Robert Delgado, Bollinger stated that he created art for the walkway of Catlett dorm for University of Iowa. Fitzgerald asked if this artist was from Iowa. Sasaki said that no, he was not, and that his connection to Iowa was the work he did on Catlett dorm. Regarding Jonathan Berger, Morris stated she particularly enjoyed one of the pieces in his RFQ. Bollinger stated that he was a very diverse artist. Regarding Nataliya Scheib, Morris asked if she was from Iowa. It was determined that she is not. Fitzgerald stated that her pieces are hard to see in the format they are presented in. Bollinger stated that the artist does not mention how she will connect the piece with Iowa. Fitzgerald stated that Scheib’s skill level would fit the project. Regarding the Oxide Studio, Fitzgerald said his work is not very diverse. Regarding Isabel Barbuzza, Sasaki Hemann stated that she appreciated Barbuzza’s statement of interest and that she is very talented. Regarding Casey Whittier, Sasaki Hemann stated that she enjoys her work but she lacks an Iowa connection. Fitzgerald stated that she enjoys the material that Whittier uses to create her pieces, but she is concerned with the fact that the artist is repurposing artwork she has already completed for the project. Regarding Vako Darjania, Fitzgerald stated that she knows of him through the State Fair and has seen his work at Moss in Iowa City. Knoche stated that he enjoyed the piece he proposed to create for the City Hall lobby. Regarding Ariane Parkes-Perret, Fitzgerald stated that she was confused by this artist’s RFQ because she did not build the art pieces she submitted, she painted them. Sasaki worried that Parkes-Perret lacked the experience to execute this piece. The committee voted and the three artists with the highest scores were Stony Creek Landscapes (Tim Adams), Isabel Barbuzza, and Vako Darjania. Fitzgerald motioned that the top three finishers be awarded $250 to present their design to the committee. Morris seconded. Bryk told the committee she thought perhaps they should select the top four. Morris asked Bryk if it made a difference to her that the fourth finalist was not an Iowa resident. Bryk asked if all the other finalists were. Several members stated that yes, they were. Fitzgerald stated that she did not think it would be a bad thing to bring in a fourth. Bryk stated that because the fourth finalist was not an Iowa resident she did not think they should select them. Fitzgerald mentioned that she was in support of Delgado’s (the fourth finalist) work because he represents diversity. Bryk stated that she was in favor of the motion Fitzgerald proposed to select the top three finalists. Motion passed 6-0. Fitzgerald asked if one of the finalists dropped out of the process, could Delgado take their place. Bollinger stated that the artists will come back to the committee in January with their design COMMITTEE ANNOUNCEMENTS OR REPORTS: There were no committee announcements or reports. STAFF REPORTS: Bollinger updated the committee that both Engelbrecht’s and Sasaki Hemann’s terms are going to be up in December. Bollinger also mentioned that there is a gender balance requirement for boards and commissions and the committee’s male membership was low. Fitzgerald mentioned that she knows of an architect that moved to Iowa City recently who is interested in getting involved. His name is Steve Miller. Bollinger stated that they have had several architects on the committee before. Bollinger stated that November 14th is the deadline to apply to be a committee member and that the December meeting will be Engelbrecht’s and Sasaki Hemann’s last meeting. The Robert A. Lee STEAM mural ribbon cutting will be January 10th at 5:00 PM. Bollinger stated that the Prairie Box has been moved from its location in Blackhawk Mini Park. ADJOURNMENT: Knoche moved to adjourn. Morris seconded. Meeting adjourned 5:55 pm. Public Art Advisory Committee Attendance Record 2016 - 2017 Name Term Expires 9/15 11/3 1/5 2/5 3/2 4/6 7/6 8/16 9/7 10/2 Bodkin Bryk, Tam 01/01/19 O/E x X x O/E O/E x x x x Brown, Wendy 01/01/20 -- -- -- x x x x x x O/E Engelbrecht, John 01/01/18 X X X x x O/E x x x x Hemann, Sayuri Sasaki 01/01/18 X X X x O/E x O/E x O/E Erin Fitzgerald 01/01/20 -- -- -- -- x x x x x Knoche, Ron X X X x x x x x x Seydell- Johnson, Juli O/E x x x x x x x O/E Key: X = Present O = Absent O/E = Absent/Excused --- = Not a member