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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-10-21 CAC APPROVED Meeting MinutesNewport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes Wednesday, November 10, 2021 Regular Meeting – 4:30 PM Newport Beach Central Library 1000 Avocado Avenue Newport Beach, CA 92660 I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 5:06 P.M. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Arlene Greer, Chair Marie Little, Vice Chair Maureen Flanagan, Secretary Wayan Kaufman, Commissioner Barbara George, Commissioner Meghan McNulty, Commissioner Commissioners Absent: Leonard Simon, Commissioner Staff Present: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director Camille Escareal-Garcia, Cultural Arts Assistant III. PRESENTATION 1. 2021 STUDENT ART EXHIBITION AWARD CEREMONY - Presentation of awards to the winners of the 2021 Student Art Exhibition in the Friends Meeting Room. IV. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC V. PUBLIC COMMENT None. VI. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of Minutes of the October 14, 2021, City Arts Commission Meeting 2. Draft of 10/14/2021 Minutes Chair Greer called for revisions to the minutes. Vice Chair Little requested that Handwritten Page 12 (page 9 in draft) be edited to change “Vice Chair Lee” to “Vice Chair Little.” Motion made by Secretary Flanagan, seconded by Vice Chair Little, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve the October 14, 2021, meeting minutes as amended. AYES: Greer, Little, Kaufman, Flanagan, George, McNulty NOES: None Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 2 ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Simon B. Consent Calendar Items 3. Financial Report – Review of financial information Library Services Director Tim Hetherton reported that other than a few expenditures for the Student Art Exhibition and routine maintenance there was no change from his October report. No funds have been expended yet for the Sculpture Garden Phase VII or Cultural Arts Grants. Ample funds of approximately $42,000 remain for future programming in the Fiscal Year (FY). 4. 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 reported the final concert of the year at Marina Park was successful with 250 attendees. Works by Newport Beach Arts Foundation (NBAF) member Sunny Kim are on display at the Central Library Gallery. The Cultural Arts Grants applications will be disseminated at the end of November. The selections for the Sculpture Exhibition will go before Council in February 2022. Chair Greer confirmed that the calendar was updated. Motion made by Secretary Flanagan, seconded by Commissioner George, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve the Consent Calendar as submitted by City staff with revisions to the minutes. AYES: Greer, Little, Kaufman, Flanagan, George, McNulty NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Simon VII. CURRENT BUSINESS A. Items for Review and Possible Action 5. Sculpture Exhibition Phase VII Selection Process and Public Survey Discussion – Nicholas Thurkettle of Arts OC will provide an overview of the selection process and public survey, and answer questions regarding Phase VII of the Sculpture Exhibition. Library Services Director Hetherton introduced Nicholas Thurkettle of Arts OC. Nicholas Thurkettle of Arts OC greeted the City Arts Commission (CAC). In response to Chair Greer’s question about the call for artists, Mr. Thurkettle said that interesting work was coming in and that they were continuing to promote the call. He Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 3 thought the interest was consistent with the last round, which everyone was pleased with and turned out well. In response to Chair Greer’s inquiry about entrants from abroad, Mr. Thurkettle explained he had not seen any yet. The language of the call was stricter and stated that the works must be present in the United States at the time of submission to be considered due to honorarium limitations. In response to Chair Greer’s inquiry about access to the works, Mr. Thurkettle said that he believed that everyone should have access with their login information. He offered to resend the email with the login information should anyone need it. Chair Greer requested that he send the information to her again. Mr. Thurkettle said that he would put the link in the chat and that he could resend the information. He shared his screen with the CAC and provided a step-by-step explanation of the voting process on Slideroom.com, which is the website that Arts OC uses for sculpture artist applications and review. CAC members will only have access to the parts of the site necessary for review of the works. Currently 10 artists have completed the submission process, but in the past over 50% of submissions have come within the final 48 hours. He completes an initial review of the works when they are submitted and then places them in “pending” status for review by the CAC. The application process has been simplified and Arts OC hopes that results in increased artist participation. He demonstrated and explained the tools Commissioners will use to vote and explained he would respond to any context related questions the Commissioners had. The call for artists has been promoted heavily, including a notice in Sculpture Magazine, and will continue to be promoted until the deadline. Each Phase has had more entrants than the previous one over the past few cycles. There were 56 eligible submissions for Phase VI. He called for questions on how to use Slideroom.com, but there were none. In the past the CAC would hold a meeting where all the works would be presented in a slideshow for basic review before the public poll. All 56 eligible submissions were in the public poll held on SparkOC.com. He read the rules for the public poll in the previous phases and noted that it had been a nonbinding advisory poll. In Phase VII, the public poll will choose the slate of 10 recommended selections for final approval by City Council. The CAC and a curatorial panel will determine which of the eligible submissions will be placed in the public poll using its selection criteria—artistic merit, durability, practicality, and site appropriateness. The CAC must consider things like the goals of the exhibition while evaluating artwork. He expected to learn from the new process as they moved forward and stressed that they needed to pass along enough works into the public poll for the public to feel they really participated in a meaningful way. He hoped that by December they will have determined the pieces to be included in the public poll. After the public makes its 10 selections they would move to the final portion of the process, which is negotiation with the artists, ensure that the honorarium works, and consult with the installation service to ensure the work can be installed. Through that process they may discover that certain works are no longer available or are unsuitable. Therefore, there are a number of scenarios under which the public’s 10 selected works might not end up being the 10 displayed works. He was not sure if the CAC was bound to the public poll if it needed to select a replacement for a work. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 4 Chair Greer thanked Mr. Thurkettle for the information. Mr. Thurkettle explained they had run several polls on SparkOC.com for the Newport Beach Sculpture Exhibition and other arts related events. They have implemented a number of security measures and review standards which will be applied to the public poll. They can capture zip codes, limit votes from a single IP address, and require valid email addresses. Following the completion of the poll there will be a manual review for any suspicious data. He explained how ArtsOC had found votes that violated the rules for a poster competition. These security measures will ensure that the public poll yields an honest assessment of the community’s voice. Chair Greer stated the security measures sounded great. Mr. Thurkettle stated that the public poll would be disseminated by the City, the CAC, and Arts OC’s social media and email lists. In past phases there have been around 1,000 votes cast and they hope for increased participation this phase. Commissioner Kaufman stated that the target audience for participation was Newport Beach residents. She asked if there would be language on SparkOC.com discouraging people without a Newport Beach zip code from participating. Mr. Thurkettle explained that it was required to submit a zip code to vote. In the past only Orange County residents were eligible, but the language could be narrowed. Commissioner Kaufman discussed the matter with a member of the City Council who thought that only Newport Beach residents should vote since it was funded by Newport Beach tax dollars. Chair Greer said that they wanted to engage the residents of the City and asked for Library Services Director Hetherton’s thoughts. Library Services Director Hetherton thought that if there was a way to limit votes to Newport Beach they should do so. It would be wrong to put a call out to the entire County but then only count Newport Beach votes. Chair Greer stated that the CAC wanted to engage Newport Beach’s 87,000 residents. Mr. Thurkettle said that the language was relatively easy to change and that they would add a filter to restrict the votes to Newport Beach zip codes. It could be done as soon as a decision was made. Secretary Flanagan inquired if the email blast could target Newport Beach zip codes. Mr. Thurkettle explained it could not as he did not think the list included the necessary data. They could include in the text of the email blast that the voting was open to Newport Beach residents only. He promised to investigate other ideas on how to target Newport Beach residents specifically. Chair Greer suggested they advertise in The Navigator. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 5 Library Services Director Hetherton stated that The Navigator was a good print resource. In response to questions, he explained that it could be received by getting on the mailing list or by picking up copies at the Library. The CAC could also use the Library email list of 19,000 subscribers. Mr. Thurkettle said they could craft a press release and send it to media outlets that service the community. Chair Greer suggested contacting the Newport Independent, the Los Angeles Times, and the Orange County Register. The Daily Pilot is available in the City administrative offices as well. Council members have advised her that The Daily Pilot and the newspapers should be included. Mr. Thurkettle stated they would work on a Public Relations (PR) strategy. Chair Greer said the CAC looked forward to hearing more about how they would engage the public. Additionally, she tried to log in and was unable to, so she requested Mr. Thurkettle resend the information. Mr. Thurkettle agreed to resend the information the next day. Commissioners will use their City email addresses to login. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Thurkettle for his help. Mr. Thurkettle explained that the Sculpture Exhibition was one of his favorite things to work on at Arts OC. Chair Greer said that Benjamin Victor submitted pieces in the past and should be invited to enter Phase VI as many Commissioners were sorry they could not include his piece in Phase IV. Mr. Thurkettle said he would be happy to reach out to Benjamin Victor and that he should have already received an invitation through their list of prior artist submittals. The list continues to grow, and artists appreciate being remembered. In response to Chair Greer mentioning several specific artists, Mr. Thurkettle stated that he would check and make sure they had been notified. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Thurkettle and called for questions. Secretary Flanagan thought it was great that the new Commissioners got to hear Mr. Thurkettle’s presentation. Mr. Thurkettle thanked the CAC and stated how much he enjoyed working on the project. Chair Greer said that people love kinetic sculptures, and they were a popular part of the call. Mr. Thurkettle advised that Steven Rieman was preparing his application. Chair Greer noted appreciation for the kinetic sculpture in Phase IV. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 6 Mr. Thurkettle believed the piece was Getting your Bearings by David Boyer. He stated that he would make sure Commissioners receive their login credentials. The judging period is shorter this year, so he suggested that they start reviewing works as soon as possible. Chair Greer stated the CAC’s approval of Slideroom.com Mr. Thurkettle said that it was extremely helpful. He thanked the CAC. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Thurkettle and his team. Commissioner George inquired about the guidelines for sculptures submitted to the exhibition. Library Services Director Hetherton explained that there are four criteria. A short sculpture would not be considered site appropriate. Chair Greer suggested that in the future they create additional artist guidelines and hold an open house for artists to visit the City, meet the CAC, and walk the Sculpture Garden. Some artists have no idea what is in the Sculpture Garden or what Newport Beach is looking for, which is a shortcoming. The artists should be engaged. Vice Chair Little said that there are posted guidelines and that Arts OC does a good job making them clear. Chair Greer thought the sculpture Marble Shooter was the smallest piece they ever had in the Sculpture Garden and that many people love it. She called for further comments and questions, but there were none. She stressed to Library Services Director Hetherton that the CAC really wants to engage the 87,000 residents of the City. Vice Chair Little said that they need to get the public to take the time to look at the pieces and vote. She thought the last poll did not have enough participation. Commissioner Kaufman thought it was important not to overwhelm the public with too many pieces. The public should be able to review the pieces and vote quickly, but thoughtfully. Vice Chair Little agreed and said that it was the CAC’s job to limit the number included in the poll. Commissioner McNulty voiced enthusiasm for the process and hoped they could get more people to participate. In response to Chair Greer’s question about reaching out to artists from previous phases, Library Services Director Hetherton explained that all artists that have worked with the City are on the mailing list if they have opted in. Commissioner McNulty asked if there were art galleries in Newport Beach. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 7 Chair Greer listed SCAPE Gallery in Corona del Mar, Ethos Contemporary Art Gallery, and Lahaina Galleries. She suggested that Library Services Director Hetherton send an email to the Chamber of Commerce, Speak Up Newport, Balboa Island Museum, and the Corona del Mar Chamber of Commerce. Commissioner George inquired if the Balboa Island Museum carried the City’s fliers or information. Chair Greer explained that they did not; the City sends out the Navigator and the rack cards within the City itself at the Community Centers, Marina Park, and at the Libraries. There are many business organizations in town that might be interested and have large memberships, like the Yacht Club. Commissioner Kaufman suggested a financial incentive for voting, such as an entry to win $100. Chair Greer suggested getting the schools involved and perhaps giving community service credit for taking the survey. Commissioner George thought that idea might work in the high schools. Library Services Director Hetherton said that he did not know how that program would be managed. Chair Greer said they had a chance to build ideas for the future. Commissioner Kaufman suggested posting about the public poll on the app Nextdoor. The downside to using other mailing lists is that they could target nonresidents. Chair Greer suggested using banners throughout Newport Beach to advertise the public poll. Commissioner George suggested advertising in the Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Patch. Chair Greer reminded Commissioners that they could each post on Nextdoor. Secretary Flanagan agreed with the idea of a raffle entry for voting in the public poll. Commissioner George suggested advertising in the community announcements at local movie theatres. Chair Greer noted that the Newport Beach Film Festival had a lot of public participation and suggested organizing a committee if there was time. Library Services Director Hetherton said that the public survey will take place after December 9. Chair Greer said that the City Council would vote on Phase VII in early February. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 8 Library Services Director Hetherton explained that staff reports are due about three weeks prior to City Council meetings. The City Council meeting was February 8, so the reports would be due in mid-January. Chair Greer asked if the CAC would meet in Council Chambers in December. Cultural Arts Assistant Camille Escareal-Garcia explained that she would schedule it with the City, but that reservations were not open for December yet. Chair Greer anticipated members of the public attending the December meeting. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia said that for special events or meetings she tried to reserve the Council Chambers. Chair Greer called for further questions, but there were none, so she closed the item. 6. Revision of the Timeline for the Cultural Arts Grants Completion Reports – Staff requests that the City Arts Commission approve a timeline for Fiscal Year 2021-2022 Cultural Arts Grants and approve a revised due date for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Grant Completion Reports. Library Services Director Hetherton explained that the item was previously discussed by the CAC in October, but staff reviewed the contracts and noted that the due date for the Completion Reports was actually February 11, 2022. The date does not affect the amount of time the CAC has to review the applications. The CAC will have from February 11 to March 2 for its review. The Council will see it in March and the check presentation can still be held in May. The grantees are already aware of the date. Chair Greer asked if the CAC wanted to move forward with the staff’s recommendation and called for a Motion. Motion made by Commissioner George, seconded by Secretary Flanagan, and carried (6- 0-0-1) to approve the timeline for Fiscal Year 2021–2022 Cultural Arts Grants and approve the revised due date of February 11, 2022, for the 2019–2020 and 2020–2021 Grant Completion Reports. AYES: Greer, Little, Kaufman, Flanagan, George, McNulty NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Simon 7. Assignment of Ad Hoc Subcommittees – Chair Greer will appoint ad hoc subcommittees. Chair Greer explained that aside from Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary there are four Commissioners and five ad hoc subcommittees. All Commissioners will participate in the Summer Concert Series on the Green and the Sculpture Exhibition Phase VII. There are also two liaison appointments open, one for the Newport Beach Arts Foundation (NBAF) and a new appointment to Historical Resources. That committee generally meets on the same day as the CAC, so she or Library Services Director Hetherton will advise the liaison Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 9 if they need to attend. There could be additional ad hoc subcommittees added as needed, including one for the Student Art Exhibition. If the next Student Art Exhibition will take place during the school year, the ad hoc subcommittee would have to meet in the spring. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia thought that timeline was sufficient. Chair Greer explained that they would also hold off on appointing the Sculpture Garden Photo Contest ad hoc subcommittee. Library Services Director Hetherton stated the next Photo Contest would cover Phases V and VI or VI and VII. Chair Greer asked if it was acceptable to appoint additional ad hoc subcommittees in January. Library Services Director Hetherton stated it was acceptable, otherwise, the ad hoc subcommittees would sit inactive until needed. Chair Greer said that the Newport Beach Art Exhibition was a popular committee choice. She suggested that next year the entire CAC could serve on the selection committee. To make that feasible, the planning of the Exhibition could be separated from the selection of the artwork. She announced the following ad hoc subcommittee/liaison assignments: • All commissioners will participate in the Sculpture Exhibition Phase VII Selection • All commissioners will participate in the selection of bands for the Summer Concert Series on the Civic Center Green • All commissioners will have no less than three (3) projects/volunteer roles in Fiscal Year 2021-2022. • Art in Public Spaces Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioners Meghan McNulty, Arlene Greer, and Marie Little • Cultural Arts Grants Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioners Wayan Kaufman, Leonard Simon, and Arlene Greer • Newport Beach Art Exhibition Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioners Maureen Flanagan, Arlene Greer, and Marie Little • Performing Arts on the Balboa Peninsula Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioners Barbara George, Arlene Greer, and Marie Little • Newport Beach Arts Foundation (NBAF) Liaison – Commissioners Maureen Flanagan, Arlene Greer, and Marie Little • Historical Resources Liaison – Commissioners Barbara George, Meghan McNulty, and Arlene Greer Commissioner George asked for clarification on the Historical Resources Liaison appointment. Chair Greer explained that it was once a month on Thursdays and that she only needed to attend when there was a matter involving the CAC. Library Services Director Hetherton stated the committee met in the morning. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 10 Chair Greer noted that Commissioner McNulty was listed as an alternate liaison. Commissioner McNulty said she was interest in the committee. Chair Greer asked if everyone was pleased with their assignments and instructed Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia to disseminate the information. She thanked everyone for their input and closed the item. B. Monthly Reports 8. Newport Beach Arts Foundation Liaison Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioners Arlene Greer and Maureen Flanagan Secretary Flanagan reported the NBAF met on October 19 and discussed holding an event, the Art Advocate of the Year, in April 2022. They plan to revive their Meet the Artist program and have requested CAC attendance. The NBAF requested that they participate in the selection of pieces in the Sculpture Garden, however, they were not aware the process had changed for Phase VII. Chair Greer explained they had discussed a plaque program in the Sculpture Garden. For $5,000, one could sponsor a piece with a plaque for two years. The CAC is looking into expanding the terms of rotation of artwork to three years for the next phase. Secretary Flanagan said the NBAF initially discussed a display wall. Chair Greer stated that there were two schools of thought and that some wanted a donor wall and others wanted plaques. Library Services Director Hetherton thought that was the purview of the NBAF, not the CAC. Chair Greer suggested Commissioners email her with ideas that she could pass along to the Foundation. Because the Sculpture Garden is a City exhibition, and the program is managed by Arts OC, a plaque or a display wall would have to be collaborative with the CAC to some extent. She suggested meeting with Library Services Director Hetherton. Library Services Director Hetherton said that there would need to be a detailed proposal. Chair Greer agreed and said the City would want a business plan. Chair Greer stated that the NBAF needed to find $50,000 to support the honorariums by July 2022. Currently they have less than $20,000 as they just provided $20,000 for Phase VI. Phase VI was also supported by CAC programming funds, which they cannot rely on for the future. Library Services Director Hetherton clarified that the $20,000 provided by the NBAF was for Phase VII. Chair Greer agreed and apologized for the error. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes November 10, 2021 Page 11 Library Services Director Hetherton noted that they would need similar funds in Phase VIII. Chair Greer said that grants are usually available and that it would be helpful if the NBAF had a grants person. If any Commissioners know grant writers, they should reach out and encourage them to join the NBAF. VIII. CITY ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON-DISCUSSION ITEM) • Announcements: None. • Future Agenda: ° Discussion of fundraising ideas and events for NBAF. IX. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS None. ADJOURNMENT – 6:22 P.M. Approved by: Arlene Greer