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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-10-2019 - CAC - Approved MinutesNewport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, October 10, 2019 Regular Meeting – 5:00 PM Newport Beach Civic Center Council Chambers 100 Civic Center Drive Newport Beach, CA 92660 I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 5:08 P.M. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Arlene Greer, Chair Marie Little, Vice Chair (arrived at 5:12 p.m.) Michelle Bendetti, Secretary Maureen Flanagan, Commissioner Wayan Kaufman, Commissioner Ritch LeGrand, Commissioner Commissioners Absent: Miriam Baker, Commissioner Staff Present: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director Carol Jacobs, Assistant City Manager Francine Jacome, Administrative Support Technician III. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS Pat Jorgensen, Newport Beach Arts Foundation, reported Art in the Park was a success. Upcoming Arts Foundation meetings will focus on review of Art in the Park, increasing membership, and 2020 programs and budgets. V. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of Minutes of the September 12, 2019 City Arts Commission Special Meeting 1. Draft of 09/12/2019 Minutes Chair Greer requested her written notes regarding Item VI.A.4 presented during the September 12 meeting be appended to the Minutes. In the second paragraph of her notes, the reference to Phase V should be 2020 rather than 2019. Motion made by Commissioner Flanagan, seconded by Commissioner LeGrand, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve the Minutes of the September 12, 2019 City Arts Commission special meeting as amended. AYES: Greer, Little, Bendetti, Flanagan, Kaufman, LeGrand NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Baker Newport Beach City Arts Commission Regular Meeting Minutes October 10, 2019 Page 2 B. Consent Calendar Items 2. Financial Report – Review of financial information Library Services Director Tim Hetherton reported the budget is in good shape. The next major expenditure will be expenses for the 2020 Art Exhibition, and $32,000 should be sufficient to cover expenses. The expenses shown in the Sculpture Garden budget are artist honoraria for a previous phase. Because of City accounting procedures and the timing of Sculpture Garden phases, the expenses appear in the current year. Motion made by Commissioner Bendetti, seconded by Chair Greer, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve the Financial Report. AYES: Greer, Little, Bendetti, Flanagan, Kaufman, LeGrand NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Baker 3. Cultural Arts Activities – Monthly review of cultural arts activities from the Library Administrative Office for upcoming Library and City arts events and services Library Services Director Hetherton advised that Marketing Specialist Katherine Mielke has created a map of public art and placed it on the Cultural Arts website. Three Phase III sculptures have been de-installed from the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park. Approximately 3,000 people attended the Flashback Heart Attack concert. Staff continues to work with Bret Price to restore Metalfor, but Mr. Price wants the site for the piece determined before restoration occurs. Motion made by Vice Chair Little, seconded by Chair Greer, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve the Consent Calendar. AYES: Greer, Little, Bendetti, Flanagan, Kaufman, LeGrand NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Baker VI. CURRENT BUSINESS A. Items for Review and Possible Action Chair Greer announced Item VI.A.7 will be heard first. 4. Cultural Arts Grants 2019/20 – Staff recommends that the City Arts Commission review the grant applications and approve the recipients for recommendation to City Council for FY 2019/20 Cultural Arts Grants in Newport Beach City Arts Commission Regular Meeting Minutes October 10, 2019 Page 3 accordance with City Council Policy I-10 – Financial Support for Culture and the Arts. In response to Commissioner LeGrand's inquiries, Chair Greer explained that $4,000 could be retained and used subsequently for an unexpected program. Library Services Director Hetherton clarified that $40,000 was budgeted for Cultural Arts for the entire fiscal year. Potential applicants have suggested the City Arts Commission award grants at the beginning of the fiscal year to fund programs scheduled for the fall of the year. The only component of the application process that cannot be changed is the total amount of funding. Commissioner LeGrand supported retaining some funds with the caveat that it could be spent prior to the end of the fiscal year. Commissioner Kaufman summarized the applications submitted for Cultural Arts Grants. The subcommittee recommends approval of Cultural Arts Grants as follows: Balboa Island Improvement Association $2,500 Baroque Music Festival $4,000 Chuck Jones Center for Creativity $2,000 Kontrapunktus $2,000 Laguna Playhouse $5,000 Newport Beach Film Festival $5,000 Newport Elementary School Foundation $500 Pacific Symphony $5,000 Philharmonic Society of Orange County $5,000 South Coast Repertory $5,000 Total $36,000 Chair Greer noted six of the recommended recipients propose programs for grades K-6 and two propose programs for twelfth graders. Jim Mosher indicated the City Arts Commission may not have any flexibility to modify or withdraw contracts once the City and the recipients have signed the contracts. He inquired about the marketing of Cultural Arts Grants as many of the applicants are the same year after year. He questioned whether proposed programs duplicate programs offered by schools. The City Council's contribution to the Newport Beach Film Festival should be a factor in Commissioners' decision to award a grant to the Newport Beach Film Festival. Pat Jorgensen related that there is little funding for arts programs in schools and appreciated the City Arts Commission's focus on programs in schools. Chair Greer reported each recipient is required to submit a detailed completion report in order to apply for subsequent Cultural Arts Grants. The applicants do not charge admission for the programs. If approved, the Cultural Arts Grant for the Newport Beach Film Festival will fund a free educational seminar about the film industry. While some applicants have very large annual budgets, those applicants typically allocate a small portion of funding to outreach programs. Cultural Arts Grants can support outreach programs for students. Commissioner Kaufman explained that, based on her experience Newport Beach City Arts Commission Regular Meeting Minutes October 10, 2019 Page 4 with the Art Masters' Program, the Newport Elementary School Foundation's program is not the type of arts program the City Arts Commission seeks. The subcommittee prioritized the quality of programming over the applicant's annual budget. Commissioner Bendetti shared her positive experiences related to Kontrapunktus concerts and Balboa Island Improvement Association's use of prior Cultural Arts Grants. Laguna Playhouse's production of I Never Saw Another Butterfly is timely and appropriate for students. Commissioner Flanagan advised that she considered the people served by the proposed programming and preferred to fund programs that could reach larger audiences. Motion made by Vice Chair Little, seconded by Commissioner Bendetti, and carried (6-0- 0-1) to recommend the City Council approve Cultural Arts Grants as recommended by the Cultural Arts Grants/Youth Programming Ad Hoc Subcommittee. AYES: Greer, Little, Bendetti, Flanagan, Kaufman, LeGrand NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Baker 5. Review of Banner Locations – Staff provides an overview of banner locations, policies, and procedures. Library Services Director Hetherton related that banners are governed by City Council Policy L-16. The City Council could direct Public Works staff to identify additional locations to display banners. Because City Arts Commission events are well attended and the analysis of potential locations is complex, advocating for additional banner locations may not be worth the effort. Vice Chair Little explained that she mentioned the issue to Mayor Dixon based on comments from the community expressing their lack of awareness of events. Mayor Dixon requested Vice Chair Little raise the issue during a City Arts Commission meeting. Library Services Director Hetherton advised that members of the public can subscribe to email notifications from the Library and the City or follow City departments on social media to learn of City events. He could speak with the City Manager about bringing the issue before the Council. Jim Mosher understood Council Policy L-16 applied to banners requested by third parties and may not apply to City events. 6. Public Forum for the Arts – Staff presents background and discussion of a public forum for City arts. Library Services Director Hetherton indicated public forums have been held in the past. Some were well attended, and some were not. A 2014 community forum regarding an Arts Master Plan garnered community complaints about the narrow scope of discussion. Programming funding could be used to hire a facilitator. A forum would be an opportunity to educate the public about City Arts Commission programming. Staff could identify one Newport Beach City Arts Commission Regular Meeting Minutes October 10, 2019 Page 5 or more facilitators and present information to the City Arts Commission. The City Arts Commission or a subcommittee could determine whether to hold a public forum. Information from the forum could inform the General Plan Update or be integrated into it. Commissioner Kaufman departed the meeting at 6:34 p.m. 7. Date for 2020 Newport Beach Art Exhibition – Determine a date for the 2020 Newport Beach Art Exhibition. Library Services Director Hetherton indicated possible dates for the Art Exhibition are June 13, 20, and 27. Chair Greer proposed scheduling the Art Exhibition on June 20, 2020 from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. with the awards ceremony at 4:30 p.m. The community has enjoyed the scheduling of the Art Exhibition and Concert on the Green during the Father's Day weekend. Motion made by Commissioner Flanagan, seconded by Vice Chair Little, and carried (6-0-0-1) to schedule the Newport Beach Art Exhibition on June 20, 2020. AYES: Greer, Little, Bendetti, Flanagan, Kaufman, LeGrand NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Baker B. Monthly Reports 8. Art in Public Places Library Gallery Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Arlene Greer, Commissioner Miriam Baker Chair Greer indicated no applications have been submitted. Glimpses of the Past is the current exhibit at Central Library. 9. Cultural Arts Grants/Youth Programming Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Wayan Kaufman, Commissioner Arlene Greer See Item VI.A.4 10. Metalfor Relocation Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Arlene Greer, Commissioner Miriam Baker, Commissioner Ritch LeGrand Chair Greer advised that the subcommittee will meet when a contractor has been identified to restore Metalfor. 11. Newport Beach Art Exhibition Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Arlene Greer, Commissioner Marie Little, Commissioner Maureen Flanagan See Item VI.A.7 Newport Beach City Arts Commission Regular Meeting Minutes October 10, 2019 Page 6 12. Newport Beach Arts Foundation Liaison Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Maureen Flanagan, Commissioner Arlene Greer, Commissioner Marie Little See Item IV 13. Performing Arts for Balboa Peninsula Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Marie Little, Commissioner Michelle Bendetti, Commissioner Ritch LeGrand Vice Chair Little reported the September 29 concert at Marina Park was a success. Members of the Newport Beach Arts Foundation and the City Council attended the concert. Residents of Balboa Peninsula are looking forward to additional programs. 14. Performing Arts for Concerts on the Green Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Michelle Bendetti, Commissioner Arlene Greer, Commissioner Wayan Kaufman Commissioner Bendetti related that attendance for all concerts equaled or surpassed attendance in prior years. In the next several months, the subcommittee will discuss bands for the 2020 season. 15. Publicity Liaison Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Arlene Greer, Commissioner Marie Little, Commissioner Michelle Bendetti None 16. Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park Phases IV and V Development Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Arlene Greer, Commissioner Marie Little Chair Greer indicated the subcommittee is developing a proposal for the potential acquisition of Burnt Matchstick. An appraisal of the piece will be prepared and submitted to staff. The subcommittee will consult with the Arts Foundation regarding funding for the acquisition. Backhausdance is interested in participating in the opening of Phase V of the Sculpture Garden or other events in the Sculpture Garden. An member of the community has expressed interest in leading a native plant tour of the Sculpture Garden. Commissioner Bendetti departed the meeting at 6:43 p.m. VII. CITY ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON-DISCUSSION ITEM) Commissioner LeGrand requested an update regarding the State Parks grant. Chair Greer requested agenda items for acquisition of Burnt Matchstick, restoration of Metalfor, and Backhausdance and plant tour proposals for the Sculpture Garden. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Regular Meeting Minutes October 10, 2019 Page 7 VIII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Jim Mosher requested the City Arts Commission review Peter Walker Partners' plan and vision for art at the Civic Center. IX. ADJOURNMENT – 6:57 P.M. Chair Greer adjourned the meeting at 6:57 p.m. Approved by: