HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-13-22 CAC Meeting Minutes APPROVEDNewport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 13, 2022 Regular Meeting – 5:00 PM Newport Beach Public Library – Friends Room 1000 Avocado Avenue Newport Beach, CA 92660 I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 5:08 P.M. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Arlene Greer, Chair Maureen Flanagan, Secretary Leonard Simon, Commissioner Barbara George, Commissioner Meghan McNulty, Commissioner Commissioners Absent: Marie Little, Vice Chair (excused) Wayan Kaufman, Commissioner (excused)
Staff Present: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director Camille Escareal-Garcia, Cultural Arts Assistant
III. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS Laura Curran made a public comment to the City Arts Commission (CAC) about the Native Plant Identification App. The plant palette for the Civic Center Park is primarily coastal natives, which was achieved through the efforts of several people and citizens. The app
has a native plant tour of Civic Center Park. As they move forward with the Sculpture Exhibition, she hoped to find more ways to discuss the plants and habitat as part of the exhibition. Several years ago, they spoke with Library Services Director Hetherton about
doing more tours and presentations with the California Native Plant Society Orange County Chapter at the Library, but plans were interrupted by COVID. She thanked the CAC for its service and interest.
Chair Greer thanked Ms. Curran and others for their work and the app. Ms. Curran suggested that the CAC should include information on the app in its materials. Jim Mosher, Newport Beach resident, stated that he read the minutes from December 9, 2021, and noticed that Craig Gray was misspelled as Craig “Grey” multiple times. Chair Greer asked Cultural Arts Assistant Camille Escareal-Garcia to note the change for the minutes. She closed the public comment.
Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 13, 2021
Page 2 V. CONSENT CALENDAR
A. Approval of Minutes of the December 9, 2021, City Arts Commission Meeting 1. Draft of 12/09/2021 Minutes Chair Greer called for revisions to the minutes, but the other Commissioners had none. She requested the following revisions: o Page 2 (Handwritten page 5), Paragraph 2: change “Sandra Kim” to “Sunny Kim”
o Page 6, (Handwritten page 9), Paragraph 2: Chair Greer requested more clarification that she was speaking about the sculpture Asteray by Nicole Beck. o Page 12 (Handwritten page 15), Paragraph 8: Chair Greer requested clarity that she was referencing sculpture Man & Woman of Steel by Steven L. Rieman not Chairman of the Board.
o Page 14 (Handwritten page 17): Strike the sentence “Chair Greer said that 2 replicas are not a mass production.” o Note from public: Craig Gray misspelled as Craig Grey multiple times throughout
minutes. Motion made by Secretary Flanagan, seconded by Commissioner Simon, and carried (5-0-0-2) to approve the December 9, 2021, meeting minutes as amended. AYES: Greer, Flanagan, Simon, George, McNulty NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Little, Kaufman B. Consent Calendar Items 2. Financial Report – Review of financial information
Library Services Director Tim Hetherton reported that there are ample funds to pay for the Newport Beach Art Exhibition in May and to fund a June concert. They will be able to handle art maintenance through the end of the fiscal year, pay for transcription of the
minutes, and applications are coming in for City Grants. In response to Chair Greer’s question about a June concert, Library Services Director
Hetherton stated that the $30,000 in programming would handle the June concert. The July, August, and September concerts would be paid out of the next fiscal year. 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 reported a new gallery exhibition of Roxanne Sexauer. There have been positive comments and the CAC is encouraged to view the exhibition. Paperwork and applications have been disseminated and publicized for the Cultural Arts
Grants. A few applications have already been submitted.
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Page 3 Chair Greer stated that it would have been nice to have a program for children with
Roxanne Sexauer and hoped that it would be possible while the exhibition was up. Without COVID, something could have been planned, as Ms. Sexauer’s application indicated she was willing to participate in programming. She called for a Motion. Motion made by Commissioner Simon, seconded by Commissioner McNulty, and carried (5-0-0-2) to approve the Consent Calendar as submitted by City staff with revisions to the minutes. AYES: Greer, Flanagan, Simon, George, McNulty NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None
ABSENT: Little, Kaufman VI. CURRENT BUSINESS
A. Items for Review and Possible Action 4. Review of Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park Public Online Survey Results, Phase VII – The Newport Beach City Arts Commission will review the result of the public online survey for Phase VII of the Sculpture
Exhibition in Civic Center Park. Ten sculptures and three alternates will be
recommended to City Council at their regular meeting on February 8, 2022. Pending Council approval, the selected works will be exhibited in Civic Center
Park for a two-year period. Library Services Director Hetherton introduced Rick Stein, Arts OC Executive Director and Nicholas Thurkettle, Arts OC Program Coordinator to lead the discussion. Richard Stein, Arts OC President & CEO, explained they were the consultants for Phase VII of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park. At the December CAC meeting they presented the submissions received from artists and had a discussion. Twenty-five works
were advanced to the public survey. The survey opened December 10, 2021, and closed January 10, 2022. He explained that Mr. Thurkettle would explain the voting process and the selections.
Nicholas Thurkettle, Arts OC Program Coordinator, thanked Mr. Stein, the CAC, and the residents of Newport Beach for their participation in the survey. This year the public played
a more significant role in determining the selections. The 25 works approved at the December CAC meeting were presented online. Participants could vote for their three favorite works. There were several security measures that a voter needed to complete to ensure the votes were valid and cast by Newport Beach residents. Once the votes were in, they were reviewed and validated. A total of 1,084 votes were cast by 390 individual vote attempts. That was almost exactly the turnout for Phase VI, but as the votes were limited by area, Arts OC was pleased with the outcome. He explained that they checked the zip codes and IP addresses of voters and ended up with 985 votes from 346 different users. He showed the CAC a breakdown of the survey results in order. The top ten sculptures with the highest number of votes were shown, followed by the next four sculptures. Mr. Thurkettle stressed that the results of the online poll really came down to
individual voters and suggested that should be part of the messaging going forward to further engage the community. Craig Gray’s A Novel Idea was the sculpture with the
Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 13, 2021
Page 4 highest number of votes from the public. The titles of the books can be customized as
well. The jury did not rank the piece initially because it did not meet the letter of the exhibition requirements, but after their monthly CAC meeting in January, decided to include it in the survey. Second with the public and first with the jury was Stephen Landis’
Got Juice. Tyler Burton’s The Archaeology of the Everyday was 3rd with the public and the jury. Mr. Thurkettle noted that Mr. Burton is a California artist. David by Miggy Buck was 4th with the public and tied for 3rd with the jury. Joe Forrest Sackett’s Eve—which nearly made it into Phase VI—was 5th with the public
and 17th with the jury. Marguerite Elliot’s Where Have All the Birds Gone? tied for 5th with the public and was
2nd with the jury. Cross-Section by Tim DeShong was 7th with the public and tied for 6th with the jury.
Prey by Mr. and Mrs. Ferguson was 8th with the public and tied for 6th with the jury. Kirk Seese’s Pluma Sculptura (a.k.a. “The Feather”) came in 9th with the public. The jury did not initially score the sculpture because it is a series of works based on
design principles with unique color schemes attached to each one. Pathway Parabola by Greg Mueller was 10th with the public and tied for 14th with the jury.
To the Moon by Alex G came in 11th with the public and tied for 14th with the jury. Mr. Thurkettle noted that only one vote separated 10th and 11th place. Jaydon Sterling-Randall’s Integration came in 12th with the public and tied for 9th with the jury. He is also a Southern California artist.
Hoodoos by Joan Benefiel tied for 13th in the public vote and tied for 9th with the jury. Calling the Four Winds by Dennis-Redmoon Darkeem was the other piece tied for 13th
with the public and tied for 20th with the jury. As both Hoodoos and Calling the Four Winds tied with the public vote, Mr. Thurkettle listed them in order by their jury score but noted that was open for discussion. He continued to read off the public’s votes for spots 15
through 25 and noted their jury positions. Mr. Stein suggested that since there were two works tied for the 13th spot, they both should be included in the final selection, bringing the total number of alternates to four. The works tied for 13th were Joan Benefiel’s
Hoodoos and Dennis-Redmoon Darkeem’s Calling the Four Winds. Chair Greer asked for Secretary Flanagan’s comments on the tie. Secretary Flanagan thought it was amazing how close the jury was to the public’s top ten. If she had to choose between the two pieces for the 13th spot, she would pick Calling the
Four Winds.
Commissioner McNulty stated her preference for Hoodoos.
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Page 5 Commissioner George agreed with Commissioner McNulty and thought Hoodoos had a
beach feel and that the color would be pretty outside. Commissioner Simon liked Mr. Stein’s suggestion to submit four alternates because of the tie. He noted that could be a new precedent for future phases, but he did like both works. Since Hoodoos came in 9th in jury ranking, he would place it 13 with Calling the Four Winds 14th. Commissioner McNulty asked about Calling the Four Winds and what the four symbols on it represented. Chair Greer believed those totems represented nature.
Mr. Thurkettle stated he would pull up the slide and look for additional information.
In response to Chair Greer’s question about if the CAC would break any rules by selecting four alternates, Library Services Director Hetherton said that they were not, as the artists only receive an honorarium if they are selected for the exhibition. Director Hetherton stated
it would be smart to have four alternates given COVID travel concerns. If the three alternates were exhausted, it would have to come back to the CAC to select another alternate. He mentioned that artists like being selected as alternates as well. Chair Greer said that she was inclined to select five alternates because two of the selections were originally ineligible. She asked if the artists were aware of the public vote and process and if the works would be available in time for installation. Mr. Stein explained that they had not contacted the artists yet. They would do so following the meeting to advise them where they are in the process. If there is any issue that arises it will be considered.
Chair Greer thought it was wise to have more alternates than normal both due to COVID and the two previously ineligible selections. She indicated that she preferred Hoodoos.
Mr. Thurkettle read the description of Calling the Four Winds to the CAC.
Commissioner McNulty noted the description did not include anything about the symbolism of the sculptures. Mr. Thurkettle noted that the form may have cut off the artist’s description. In response to Chair Greer’s request, Mr. Thurkettle also read the description of Hoodoos. Commissioner Simon asked if the two artists that were deemed ineligible were ever advised that they were ineligible. Mr. Thurkettle said it is standard practice to reach out to the artist upon review of the work
and let them know their piece is ineligible. Some artists opt to revise or resubmit a different work and others ask the work to be judged on its own merits. Both artists kept their works in under that condition.
Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 13, 2021
Page 6 Chair Greer asked if Pluma Sculptura (a.k.a. “The Feather”) could be produced in time for
the Phase VII installation in June. Mr. Thurkettle said that they did not have that information at this moment in time. Mr. Stein said that they would determine if the work would be available after the completion of the CAC meeting. They check on every work to make sure it is still available. Mr. Stein said that he would not refer to the pieces A Novel Idea or Pluma Sculptura (a.k.a. “The
Feather”) as ineligible any longer since the CAC determined they should be in the public poll. Chair Greer agreed with that assessment and called for the public comment.
Jim Mosher, Newport Beach resident, was surprised by the degree to which the public and the jury agreed. He preferred Hoodoos, but also felt that it was correct to include an
additional alternate. Mr. Mosher noted that for A Novel Idea, each piece that Mr. Gray produced is different in spite of their similarities. He referred to Slides 7 and 8 of the PowerPoint slideshow provided by Arts OC to illustrate his point. He was a little dissatisfied
with the advertising for the survey and had to search the City and Library website for the information. In the next phase, he would like to see advertising throughout the survey period and not just in the last week. In the future, he suggested a modified voting system where people could state how they feel about each piece rather than just selecting three. Chair Greer closed the public comment and brought the discussion back to the CAC. Mr. Stein said that the CAC should recommend the top ten sculptures as voted by the public to City Council for selection and that the next four would be recommended as alternates.
Library Services Director Hetherton agreed that was the best course of action. Artist Title Votes Rank
Gray, Craig A Novel Idea 85 1 Landis, Stephen Got Juice 70 2
Burton, Tyler Archaeology of the Everyday, The 67 3 Buck, Miggy David 63 4 Sackett, Joe Forrest Eve 56 5 (tied for 5th) Elliot, Marguerite Where Have All the Birds Gone? 56 6 (tied for 5th) DeShong, Tim Cross-Section 51 7 Ferguson, Lisa & Robert Prey 48 8 Seese, Kirk Pluma Sculptura (a.k.a. "The Feather") 43 9 Mueller, Greg Pathway Parabola 40 10 G, Alex To the Moon 39 Alternate
Sterling-Randall, Jaydon Integration 37 Alternate Darkeem, Dennis-Redmoon Calling the Four Winds 34 Alternate Benefiel, Joan Hoodoos 34 Alternate Motion made by Chair Greer, seconded by Commissioner Simon, and carried (5-0-0-2) to select the ten sculptures and four alternates listed above for recommendation to City Council.
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Page 7
AYES: Greer, Simon, Flanagan, George, McNulty NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Little, Kaufman Mr. Stein stated they would contact the artists and continue to communicate with the CAC. They look forward to presenting the works to the City Council on February 8, 2022. Chair Greer thanked Arts OC and the two professional curators who served on the jury for the Phase VII selection.
5. De-installation of Roger Heitzman’s Cosmo Staff recommends that the City Arts Commission approve the removal of Roger Heitzman’s sculpture, Cosmo, from Civic Center Park.
Chair Greer introduced the item and called for the report from Library Services Director Hetherton.
Library Services Director Hetherton explained that Mr. Heitzman received an offer of purchase from the City of Palmdale for his sculpture Cosmo, which is currently on display in the exhibition. Based on the potential sale, he has requested an early de-installation. Library Services Director Hetherton pointed out that sometimes it is a struggle to make a living as an artist and the opportunity to have a piece placed in a civic area is great. The work’s exhibition will only be truncated by two months and would represent good public relations with the art community. The sale of the work could inspire artists to submit in the future. He thought it would be good for the CAC to approve the request.
Chair Greer agreed and asked for Mr. Stein’s opinion. Mr. Stein agreed with Library Services Director Hetherton, as he felt that having a sale
stem from a sculpture being a part of the Newport Beach Sculpture Exhibition is a feather in the cap for promoting artist submissions. He noted that two months is not much of a sacrifice for the good will with the artist.
Chair Greer stated that it was a short-term sacrifice for the City to gain the long-term potential of having more artists submit work. She called for CAC comment. Secretary Flanagan supported the artist in selling their work. Commissioner McNulty supported the request. Commissioner George also supported the idea. Commissioner Simon noted his love of kinetic sculptures and thought the work was
particularly nice. He supported the removal of the work so it could be sold. Chair Greer appreciated that the piece would remain in California. She called for the
public comment.
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Page 8 Jim Mosher, Newport Beach resident, agreed with Library Services Director Hetherton’s
logic on approving the request. However, he thought it was important to keep the exhibition an exhibit and not an art marketplace. He hoped that current and future artists understood that they were making a commitment to the City for two years. Chair Greer instructed Mr. Stein to take Mr. Mosher’s comment into consideration in the future. She closed the public comment and called for a Motion. Motion made by Commissioner Simon, seconded by Secretary Flanagan, and carried (5-0-0-2) to approve the early removal of Roger Heitzman’s sculpture, Cosmo, from Civic Center Park.
AYES: Greer, Flanagan, Simon, George, McNulty NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None
ABSENT: Little, Kaufman 6. 2022 Concerts on the Green
The City Arts Commission will review bands for consideration of the 2022 Summer Concerts on the Civic Center Green series. Library Services Director Hetherton reported they started to receive submissions for the 2022 concerts during the 2021 concerts, which speaks to the popularity of the series. He commended Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia’s work in preparing the CAC’s materials. He was impressed by the talent and thought it would be a tough decision for the CAC to select only four. The CAC could start by discussing the goals they have for the series. He stated that it is important to have the conversations in public so that the public understood the process.
Chair Greer explained that this was the first time the CAC would discuss the concert series without a committee. She was impressed with the number of acts that submitted and agreed with the staff recommendation that variety should be a priority and that they
should try to reach their already cultivated audience. Chair Greer felt they need two rock and roll bands and mentioned the possibility of a surf band. Singer and songwriter Shelley Rusk, who performed at the 2021 Concert at Marina Park, was the first soloist
they have ever had performed for a concert and that she was very popular. She hoped they would continue to consider solo artists for the concert series. Chair Greer also mentioned that they have never had a country band and hoped that they would in the future. Secretary Flanagan agreed that, while she is not a fan of country music herself, they should consider a country band for the concert series this year. She listened to most of the artists and felt that there were some solo musicians she enjoyed. Secretary Flanagan also mentioned that the CAC needed to determine which age groups they want to target and supported the use a surf band for an event.
Commissioner McNulty thought the concerts should be themed and thought country music would draw a younger crowd. She also liked Electric Boots and felt a 1980’s cover band would be popular. She also liked the surf music idea.
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Page 9 Commissioner George thought a Beatles tribute band would be wonderful. She also
liked groups that had a broader range like United Heroes since they encompass three decades of music. She agreed that country music would be good as it would engage many people in the City. She appreciated the Rayford Brothers who play swing, blues, and surf music. She also mentioned that Latin groups could also be a nice change of pace and would bring some diversity amongst the bands. Chair Greer asked if this year would be the 50th anniversary of The Beatles. Library Services Director Hetherton stated that Disney+ did the recut of the Let it Be film and there is a surge of interest in The Beatles, but noted the decision was up to the CAC.
Chair Greer was in favor of a Beatles cover band as well. She noted that the topic of selecting bands for the current meeting was for discussion only and that the CAC would
not vote on artists that evening. She asked that each Commissioner send in their top five picks to Library Services Director Hetherton for compilation to assist in the next meeting.
Library Services Director Hetherton agreed to let Vice Chair Little and Commissioner Kaufman know to send in their choices. He reminded the CAC not to collaborate with each other. Chair Greer emphasized that the picks should be sent directly to Library Services Director Hetherton. She mentioned that the last time they had a Beatles cover band the performance was well received. Library Services Director Hetherton confirmed that both Beatles cover bands, Paperback Writer and Britain’s Finest, were included on the list for 2022 concerts.
Chair Greer said that Britain’s Finest was amazing and played the Civic Center Green about five years prior.
Library Services Director Hetherton said that the performance was like a Las Vegas show.
Chair Greer said it was very professional. Commissioner Simon said that it was not easy to choose as there were so many bands. Secretary Flanagan stated there were 62 bands. Commissioner Simon narrowed it down to roughly 14 bands including singer Shelley Rusk as his top picks, as he felt Ms. Rusk’s performance was so terrific that he would like to see her back. Rather than five submissions, Commissioner Simon suggested ten so that they could see whether there was overlap.
Chair Greer said that might help to shorten the list. She further suggested that Commissioners rank the bands by preference from 1 to 10.
Commissioner Simon said that his selections were all over the board. He thought they would have a real problem narrowing it down to four choices.
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Page 10
Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia noted there were a lot of options and that performers from their 2021 series, Shelley Rusk, The Sully Band, and Santanaways all reached out and expressed interest in playing again. She did not know if the CAC would be interested in repeating performers so soon but wanted to let them know it was an option. Chair Greer noted that The Sully Band had previously offered a free concert. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia stated that was not discussed in their email exchange, but The Sully Band did say that they had a wonderful time and wanted to return.
Commissioner Simon remembered them saying that they would be open to offering a free concert.
Chair Greer said her choices were Electric Boots, the Fabulous Nomads, Satin Dolls, and Britain’s Finest. In regard to country music, she liked Urban Legend and a few
others. Desperado is not on the list, but they played before, and everyone loved them. Secretary Flanagan confirmed that there is an Eagles band on the list and that they were good. Chair Greer said that she would give them a second listen. Commissioner Simon suggested she listen to Catch a Wave, the Beach Boys band. Chair Greer also liked the idea of doing something Elvis and wondered what type of audience that would cultivate. She also liked the Rayford Brothers and Mark Easterday.
For classic rock, she liked Electric Vinyl and Fabulous Nomads. She instructed staff to reach out to Vice Chair Little and Commissioner Kaufman for their top ten band choices. Vice Chair Little found Shelley Rusk last year and that was a wonderful concert.
Secretary Flanagan suggested discussing whether the CAC wanted to invite bands back and if so, wondered if they should limit the number of repeated performances.
Chair Greer said that they had brought Tijuana Dogs back already. One year they provided two concerts or maybe it was two concerts over two years, but they were very popular and put on a great show. Secretary Flanagan asked if the band had returned in the same year or another year. Chair Greer explained that she would have to look for that information. Last year’s concerts were DSB, Santanaways, and Shelley Rusk. In 2019 they had two Tijuana Dogs concerts, The Springsteen Experience, and Desperado. There were concerts in 2019 and 2021, but not 2020. Chair Greer listed bands who have performed from 2014
to 2020 such as The Side Deal, a country cover band called The Smith Band, Queen Nation Flashback Heart Attack, a Neil Diamond tribute band, Stone Soul, Britain’s Finest, Hollywood Stones, Rumors, and All-American Boys Chorus. They have also had
a Symphony on the Green twice. The concerts have been popular with large audiences.
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Page 11 She offered to provide a copy of the list to anyone who needed it. She called for further
CAC comments. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia reminded the CAC that there were recordings of the past concerts on the City website. If Commissioners want to review specific concerts, she can provide them with links. Chair Greer thanked her for that reminder and called for the public comment. Jim Mosher, Newport Beach resident, commended Chair Greer for having the entire CAC participate in the concert selections. He suggested publicizing the fact that the CAC was making the selections at their next meeting for public input. He personally preferred
classic music and reminded the CAC that the Symphony on the Green was well attended and may have been the most attended concert at the time it was held. He understood the Symphony was over the budget for this concert series.
Chair Greer thanked Mr. Mosher and noted that the Sunday Musicals at the Library were for lovers of classical music. The Pacific Symphony has been expensive and must be
requested a long time in advance with the City Council. If Commissioners or the public prefer classical music, the CAC is open to other suggestions that are within the budget. The list of 62 performers came from a public call for input on the concerts. Chair Greer asked Library Services Director Hetherton if she was correct about the list of performers coming from a public call and he confirmed that was true. Chair Greer asked staff to inform the public that the CAC would make a final decision on concerts in February. She asked if the agenda packet was included with the minutes and noted the information was contained in the Cultural Arts Activities Report. Library Services Director Hetherton explained that they would publicize the meeting on
the Library’s Cultural Arts mailing list. Chair Greer asked Mr. Mosher if he learned the information about the band selection
from the agenda packet. The agenda is published in advance and may be viewed by the public.
Mr. Mosher stated that the list of artists was on the City website but was hard to find. He referenced that the City website contained the agendas and noted that they were removed at some point after the meetings. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Mosher for the information. She called for further CAC comments or questions, but there were none. She requested that each Commissioner provide Library Services Director Hetherton with their top ten artists. At the next meeting the CAC will view clips and make their decision. She thanked staff and concluded the item.
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Page 12 B. Monthly Reports
7. Newport Beach Art Exhibition Ad Hoc Subcommittee Commissioners Arlene Greer, Marie Little, and Maureen Flanagan Chair Greer announced that the ad hoc subcommittee, comprised of CAC leadership, had met informally and are looking forward to May 14th. The call for artists is up and available on the Cultural Arts website at www.newportbeachca.gov/culturalarts. She encouraged Commissioners to reach out to artists and others and drive traffic to the website. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia reported that there were currently approximately 20 submittals. That includes approved works and works that still need to be reviewed. Chair Greer stated that the call for artists opened on December 1st. Typically they have
up to 360 works of art from 160 to 180 artists. Despite COVID the ad hoc subcommittee will continue to plan the event. Staff is seeking bids for rentals and catering. Last year’s curator, John Spiak, will return for this year’s exhibition. She showed the CAC copies of
the poster marketing the Art Exhibition, which will be placed around the City. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia stated the call for artists will close on April 22,
2022. Chair Greer asked Commissioners to reach out to artists locally and throughout California and encourage them to answer the call for submissions. She noted that it is sometimes difficult for artists who are not local to pick up their works at the end of the exhibition. Typically, up to 2,000 or more people attend the Newport Beach Art Exhibition. There is a lively program the day of with artists submitting their work by 10:30 a.m. The jury has from 10:30 until 12:00 p.m. to select the prize winners, with the Artist Awards given in City Council Chambers. There is a pavilion on the Green with catering, open bar, and live music.
Chair Greer asked Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia what phases of the Sculpture Exhibition would be on display at the time of the event. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia confirmed that Phases V and VI would be on display.
Chair Greer explained that Phase VII would not be installed until June. The Newport Beach Art Exhibition is free, but the art is available for purchase. This year the purchase
is directly between the artists and buyers whereas in the past they have handled the sales through the Foundation. Secretary Flanagan asked if the information on the poster was in .pdf form that could be emailed. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia indicated she would forward the information to the Commissioners. People on the Library’s cultural arts mailing list have received the information and entry guidelines already. Chair Greer said that she displays the posters at coffee shops and UCI and encouraged
Commissioners to disseminate them. There is a lot of art being made by local artists and they encourage artists from neighboring areas to enter. This year is the 56th Annual
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Page 13 Newport Beach Art Exhibition and is one of the CAC’s largest events. A rack card will be
available at all City buildings. Staff can provide Commissioners with additional rack cards to disseminate. There is a program provided on the day of the event as well, and those who contribute to the event would be listed as well as all participating artists. Typically, the Mayor presents the awards in the City Council Chambers. Staff is in the middle of planning the event and she is looking forward to artist participation and attendees. Anyone with questions could contact her or go to the City’s website. VII. CITY ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON-DISCUSSION ITEM)
• Announcements:
° Chair Greer announced that Lila Crespin, former president of the Newport
Beach Arts Foundation and a significant presence in the art community in Newport Beach, passed away suddenly over the holidays. She remembered Ms. Crespin’s many contributions to the arts and community and gave condolences to her family and the NBAF.
• Future Agenda:
° Potential discussion of a surf exhibition at the February 10, 2022, meeting.
Vice Chair Little may have a report on the topic, they are in the early planning stages.
° Utility box decoration discussion tabled pending additional information. VIII. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS None. ADJOURNMENT – 6:40 P.M.
Approved by: Arlene Greer