Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout1-12-23 CAC Meeting Approved Minutes Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, January 12, 2023 Regular Meeting – 5:00 PM 100 Civic Center Drive Newport Beach, CA 92660 I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 5:01 p.m. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Arlene Greer, Chair Maureen Flanagan, Vice Chair Leonard Simon, Secretary (left at 6:00 p.m.) Marie Little, Commissioner Wayan Kaufman, Commissioner Barbara George, Commissioner Commissioners Absent: Meghan McNulty, Commissioner (excused) Staff Present: Melissa Hartson, Library Services Director Camille Escareal-Garcia, Cultural Arts Assistant Staff Absent: Guests: Richard Stein, Arts Orange County Nicholas Thurkettle, Arts Orange County III. PRESENTATION A. 2022 Student Art Exhibition Award Ceremony Chair Greer introduced Commissioner George, Chair of the Student Art Exhibition Committee, and Secretary Simon, Vice Chair of the Committee, and requested they present the awards. Commissioner George thanked everyone for coming and stated it was an honor and privilege to review and judge the children’s artwork. She encouraged all to go to the Central Library to see the artwork. The CAC hoped to see new and repeat submissions next year. She thanked all participants. Pre-K through 3rd Grade • 1st Prize - Josephine Bergougnan, Snuggling Puppies • 2nd Prize - Dean Brown, The American Flag • 3rd Prize - Shirley Gu, I Love Beach • Honorable Mention - Deborah Jung, Chameleons with Their Favorite Books Secretary Simon stated it was difficult to judge the Pre-K through 3rd Grade entries because there were more than half of the 183 total entries from that group. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 2 4th Grade - 7th Grade • 1st Prize - Milana Dederich, Running Wild • 2nd Prize - Berkley Jacobsen, A Girl’s Best Friend • 3rd Prize - Sara Shaw, Pink Player • Honorable Mention – Claire Hong, Sunset’s Plumeria 8th Grade - 12th Grade • 1st Prize - Marina Zive, Untitled • 2nd Prize - Reese Holladay, Rwanda • 3rd Prize - Hannah Lieberman, Bangers n’ Mash • Honorable Mention – Kiara Cortez, You(re) Picasso Commissioner George thanked all participants again, encouraged future participation, and the CAC took a group photograph with the winners. Chair Greer congratulated the winners and encouraged everyone go to the Library to see the Exhibition. She called meeting back to order. IV. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC V. PUBLIC COMMENTS None. VI. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Approval of Minutes of the December 8, 2022, City Arts Commission Meeting 1. Draft of 12/08/2022 Minutes Chair Greer called for comments/revisions to the minutes and heard none. Motion made by Secretary Leonard Simon, seconded by Chair Greer, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve the December 8, 2022, meeting minutes as presented. AYES: Kaufman, Little, Simon, Flanagan, George, Greer NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: McNulty B. Consent Calendar Items 2. Financial Report – Review of financial information Library Services Director Melissa Hartson reported there was not much movement and the budget remained stable. They purchased materials for the Student Art Exhibition in December. Nothing else posted other than some funds for Professional Services. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 3 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 Hartson reported that the Sculpture Exhibition Phase VIII Online Survey was opened to the public in mid-December and closed this past week. Helen Polins-Jones works were up in the Central Library Lobby Gallery but had been removed. The Student Art Exhibition exhibit is up on the second floor of the Central Library through Friday, February 10, 2023. She encouraged all to view the exhibition. Chair Greer called for the public comment on the Consent Calendar but there was none. Motion made by Vice Chair Flanagan, seconded by Secretary Simon, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve the Consent Calendar. AYES: Greer, Flanagan, Simon, Little, George, Kaufman NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: McNulty VII. CURRENT BUSINESS A. Items for Review and Possible Action 4. Review of Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park Public Online Survey Results, Phase VIII Chair Greer stated that the City Arts Commission (CAC) would review the results of the public online survey for Phase VIII of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park and select 10 sculptures and three alternates for approval by City Council at their regular meeting on February 14, 2023. Pending approval, the selected works would be exhibited in Civic Center Park for a two-year period. She introduced Richard Stein. Richard Stein, President and CEO of Arts Orange County (Arts OC), thanked the CAC and stated it was a pleasure to present the results of the public survey. Mr. Stein introduced Nicholas Thurkettle to provide the presentation. Nicholas Thurkettle of Arts OC enjoyed watching the awards for the Student Art Exhibition and hoped that in 10 years in the future, one of the student artists would contribute their own art to the Sculpture Exhibition. The purpose of the item was for the CAC to make 10 recommended selections and several alternate pieces for installation. The call for artists suggested that there would be three alternates, but in the past the Commission had recommended four. He reviewed the public poll process to-date. Only residents of Newport Beach were eligible to vote. The upgraded polling software automatically shuffled the entries for every visitor, so no one saw works in the same order. The 10 official selections were subject to vote by City Council. When sculptures reached recommended selection status, they underwent a thorough review process. The installation consultant, Joe Lewis, would work with artists to ensure the work was available and eligible according to entry guidelines, in an installation-ready state, and see that was the work delivered properly. There was difficulty in the past with artists Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 4 attempting to make substitutions, which was not allowed under the call rules. Once the works were confirmed as available, eligible, and installable under terms of the Honorarium, they would be recommended to City Council for final approval. In nearly every cycle, at least 1 alternate ended up being installed in the park either because of the eligibility review or because the work was damaged in delivery and was no longer exhibitable. The final vote would come from the City Council. Mr. Thurkettle explained that Arts OC spent the last 48 hours after the public poll closed auditing the results of the survey. He reviewed the security measures for the CAC’s information. They received 726 total votes from 264 entries, as participants could vote for up to 3. There were 1,084 votes in Phase VII and 1,091 in Phase VI. There was a drop in participation this cycle. He was unsure of what factors caused the drop but was happy to see people invested in the Exhibition. Arts OC vetted the eligibility and tried to err on the side of allowing votes unless they had strong concerns over its integrity. One vote could and did make a difference in the survey. He provided an example of a potential trigger that would cause a red flag. Arts OC ended up with a validated total of 253 out of 264. He displayed slides of the raw results and noted that every work received votes. He reviewed the 33 works quickly and noted that the spreadsheet included the Jury Average Score, Jury Ranking, Number of Public Votes, and Public Ranking. The works were rated by number of votes received from the public as follows: • Tulip the Rockfish by Peter Hazel (63 votes, tied for first place) • Pearl Infinity by Plamen Yordanov (63 votes, tied for first place) • Efram by James Burnes (54 votes) • Be Kind by Matthew Hoffman (46 votes) • The Memory of Sailing by Zan Knecht (31 votes) • Kissing Bench by Matt Cartwright (29 votes) • The Goddess Sol by Jackie Braitman (28 votes) • Newport Glider by Ilya Idelchick (sub. by Naomi Nussbaum) (27 votes) • Confluence #102 by Catherine Daley (26 votes) • Inchoate by Luke Achterberg (24 votes, tied for tenth place) • One Another by Maxwell Carraher (24 votes, tied for tenth place) • Got Juice by Steven Landis (Work was an official selection in Phase VII and was not exhibited as it was damaged in transit. 23 votes, twelfth place in public ranking, first place with the jury) • The Seagull Has Landed by David Holz (22 votes, tied for thirteenth place) • Metal Tree by Pontus Willfors (22 votes, tied for thirteenth place) Mr. Thurkettle paused to explain that it might be advantageous to select 4 alternates instead of 3 due to the ties. The list continued as follows:  The White Queen by Cheryl Tall (19 votes)  One World by Lynne Streeter (19 votes)  Why by Ron Whitacre (18 votes)  Miseria Justorum by Bilhenry Walker (16 votes)  Directions by Rachel Slick (16 votes)  Umbel Series: A Feast of Flowers by Jeni Ward (15 votes)  Balthazar the Bulldog by Patricia Vader (14 votes)  Cosmic Tan by Sergey Gornushkin (14 votes) Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 5  Lockdown by David Tanych (14 votes)  Magnify by Kirk Seese (13 votes)  Invertadude by Carrie Fischer (11 votes)  Namaste by Robert Jordan (11 votes)  PALMZILLA by Heather Langle (8 votes)  Date Dial by Melanie Piech (8 votes)  Divergent (with I) by Andrew Light (6 votes)  Fish in the Sky by Adrian Susnea Litman (5 votes)  Alexander the Great by Andy Marquez (5 votes)  Seasons by Norman Moore (4 votes)  ROGUE by Billy Criswell (4 votes) Mr. Thurkettle explained he would cycle back through the top 14, and then start the discussion about alternates. There was a clear cut off from the two-way tie for thirteenth with 22 votes for both Metal Tree and The Seagull has Landed, followed by The White Queen with 19 votes. It was very tight between the top contenders. There was diversity in the top 3 works in both style and subject matter. With the tie at tenth place one work would become a recommended selection and the other would end up as an alternate. Stephen Landis, Got Juice, was number 1 with the jury, and was one vote out of the tie for tenth place. He invited Chair Greer to conduct a discussion about the public’s results. Chair Greer asked for public comment. Jim Mosher, Newport Beach resident, stated he had little time to think about his comments. With respect to the decline in participation he noted that the poll was conducted December 10 thru January 10. He stated that it was not an opportune time to get the public's attention, as City Hall was not open during at least one of the weeks to publicize the survey. He asked if the CAC recalled the time of year when the previous polls were held. Mr. Stein said they'd been on same schedule for past three years. Mr. Mosher noted there was no overwhelming favorite as no work got more than 63 votes, which was less than 10% of people agreeing on any one work. He did not recall in previous phases if any sculptures had been more popular with an overwhelming majority of the vote. Third, and most important, he stated that the poll itself was not the final result - if one asked another 700 people to take the poll, they would get a slightly different voting. Usually, polls are said to be accurate plus or minus some percent. He suggested that there was some discretion in the results since the difference between 23 votes and 24 votes was not significant in terms of polling. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Mosher and called for other public comments but heard none. Mr. Thurkettle wanted to clarify that 702 votes did not represent 702 people. It was 253 people who had the opportunity to make up to three selections. The 702 votes were the result of 253 people. So, 63 votes would represent roughly a quarter of the poll participants. He did not think any of that bears on Mr. Mosher’s excellent observations, but he wanted to provide clarification. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 6 Chair Greer felt strongly about including Got Juice and Ron Whitacre's work, Why, as she felt it was a unique piece that would stand out from previous works that have exhibited in the Garden. Commissioner George concurred with Chair Greer. In the last round, Got Juice was the top choice for Phase VII, and because of no fault of anyone it wasn't able to be part of the last phase. She felt it should get special priority since it was already chosen as a top choice. The jury from Phase VII agreed on that and she wanted Got Juice not to miss its opportunity, Vice Chair Flanagan agreed with Commissioner George. She also liked Ron Whitacre’s piece, but he had exhibited in the Sculpture Garden before, so she was not as inclined to include it in Phase VIII. She stressed that Got Juice should be included. Secretary Simon was puzzled by jury ranking versus public ranking. Some were quite similar, if not the same, but some were really out in left field. He asked a rhetorical question whether the CAC should take the public ranking over the jury ranking. For example, Matthew Hoffman‘s Be Kind had a public ranking of 4 and jury ranking of 24. That was an aberration and aberrations should be thrown out. Commission Little agreed that Got Juice should be selected. She also agreed with Chair Greer about Ron Whitacre's piece, Why, and would like to see it selected. She also agreed with Secretary Simon’s thought about the jury versus public ranking. Commissioner Kaufman felt there was enough diversity in subject matter and materials within top 14. She felt comfortable working with the top 14 and shuffling them around. To Secretary Simon's point, Be Kind and Kissing Bench had large variances, and so she was open to shifting those down to alternates and potentially moving up Got Juice into a top spot. Chair Greer asked if the photos could be viewed in a grid to show all 14 works. She stated there was a general majority consensus within the CAC regarding Got Juice, and Ron Whitacre’s Why. Chair Greer said to shift down a sculpture from the top 10 and push Got Juice up. Mr. Thurkettle and Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia displayed the photos. Chair Greer wanted to make sure Got Juice was in the top 10 and that Ron Whitacre’s sculpture was as close to being included as possible. Mr. Thurkettle confirmed Got Juice scored number 1 in the public poll in Phase VII. Chair Greer confirmed that if they left Kissing Bench in and included Got Juice, they would not be able to include The White Queen, One World, and Why. Mr. Thurkettle said that was correct. Chair Greer called for strong feelings on the three that would be left out. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 7 Chair Greer called for a vote on moving down the Kissing Bench and including Got Juice. She called for a Motion to include Got Juice in top 10. Motion made by Chair Greer, seconded by Vice Chair Flanagan, and carried (6-0-0-1) to approve Got Juice being moved into top 10. AYES: Greer, Flanagan, Simon, Little, George, Kaufman NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: McNulty Mr. Thurkettle asked if Kissing Bench would be an alternate. Commissioner Kaufman requested clarification on the alternate list. Chair Greer said if they moved Kissing Bench down the list would change and end at Metal Tree. She requested Mr. Thurkettle move Kissing Bench down. The top 10 needed to be shuffled to include Got Juice. Mr. Thurkettle asked how far down Kissing Bench goes and asked for clarification if it should be placed into alternate status or removed completely. Chair Greer asked if there was consensus to add it to the top 10. Mr. Thurkettle asked if Chair Greer was referring to Got Juice and if Kissing Bench was being removed from the top 10 to an alternate or out of consideration completely. Chair Greer thought it needed to be in the top 10. Mr. Thurkettle said anything below the top 10 that was still part of the 14 was an alternate. Chair Greer asked if the consensus was to move Kissing Bench out and put Got Juice in. She thought that might not be a good idea. Commissioner Kaufman thought it would be simpler to look at everything above the line as a top 10 or an alternate. Chair Greer instructed Arts OC to move Got Juice to the top 10. Mr. Thurkettle explained he could not edit the document in real time but would move Got Juice into the top 10 recommended selections. Chair Greer explained it was a problem because there were two works tied with 24 votes to keep in the top 10. Mr. Thurkettle explained the recommended selections did not need to be presented as ranked. Vice Chair Flanagan said she thinks that's better. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 8 Chair Greer agreed. Mr. Thurkettle said that currently the four alternates would be Metal Tree, The Seagull Has Landed, Kissing Bench, and then either Inchoate or One Another since they were tied in the public vote. Commissioner Little asked if the CAC was bound to include all top selections from the public. Mr. Thurkettle said that as the exhibition evolved, they had gone back and forth on the primacy of the public voice. In the past it was underlined very strongly that the public voice was advisory only and public poll would actually proceed the Arts Commission jury vote. The current process was first instituted in the previous cycle, Phase VII, and had the jury serve as a curatorial panel so that the public voice would have stronger emphasis on the process. The language in the call for artists was not binding on the CAC to strictly obey the public poll results. The intent was to give the public a stronger voice in the process. Commissioner Little said she was hoping for a yes or no answer. Mr. Thurkettle said the CAC had the burden of freedom poll. Chair Greer said Secretary Simon was leaving in one minute. Secretary Simon said there might be aberrations in the vote. From the top down, Be Kind, which was 4th place in the public ranking was 24th place in the jury ranking. Memory of Sailing similarly, public ranked it 5th, jury ranked it 15th. Kissing Bench, public ranked it 6th while the jury ranked it 17th. One Another, public ranked it 10th (tied for 10th) but the jury ranked it 15th. Commissioner Simon proposed that if the CAC removed those sculptures, the order would be different. He suggested to continue along the line of eliminating those that are so far away from where the jury was to get closer to a consensus between what public saw and what jury saw. Library Services Director Hartson reminded the Commissioners that public ranking was a priority to City Council and that the CAC needed to have very good reasons for providing an alternative list than the results of the public ranking. Secretary Simon asked if public ranking is higher a ranking than jury ranking. Library Services Director Hartson said she thought public was Council-driven and did not think there was strong justification for such changes. Chair Greer said Council did vote in the recommendation for Got Juice in Phase VII Chair Greer thanked and then excused Secretary Simon. Chair Greer agreed that Got Juice should stay in top 10 and asked if there were other changes. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 9 Mr. Thurkettle suggested that 13 to 15 total sculptures (10 recommended and 3-5 alternate selections) be chosen to crystalize the discussion. Chair Greer asked the Commissioners for recommendations. Commissioner Kaufman was not comfortable moving the cut-off line. Commissioner Little wished Why remained as a selection. She said it was not a great idea to shuffle the order. She agreed it was a valid justification to have Got Juice in the top 10 recommended for installation. She felt they should revisit the conversation regarding public rankings and jury rankings with City Council in the future. Chair Greer agreed with that. She suggested to move Got Juice into top 10 and suggested to have a fifth alternate. Mr. Thurkettle said moving Got Juice up two spots would make it a recommended selection. Chair Greer asked if Commissioner George agreed with that since she felt strongly about the Ron Whitacre work. Richard Stein said moving Got Juice up established Inchoate, One Another, Seagull Has Landed, and Metal Tree as four alternates before moving Kissing Bench down. Chair Greer asked for comments on moving Got Juice up to tenth place and Kissing Bench staying where it is was. Commissioner George said she felt strongly about Got Juice since it was ranked number one by the jury number and the public last time. Got Juice was unable to install in Phase VII due to no fault of the artist. She did not want the artist to feel disenfranchised when they submitted a beautiful piece. She agreed that that would be a happy medium to bring Got Juice into the top 10. Chair Greer clarified that the order would be: • Tulip the Rockfish by Peter Hazel (63 votes) • Pearl Infinity by Plamen Yordanov (63 votes) • Efram by James Burnes (54 votes) • Be Kind by Matthew Hoffman (46 votes) • The Memory of Sailing by Zan Knecht (31 votes) • Kissing Bench by Matt Cartwright (29 votes) • The Goddess Sol by Jackie Braitman (28 votes) • Newport Glider by Ilya Idelchick (27 votes) • Confluence #102 by Catherine Daley (26 votes) • Got Juice by Steven Landis (23 votes) The alternates would be: • Inchoate by Luke Achterberg Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 10 • One Another by Maxwell Carraher • The Seagull Has Landed by David Holz • Metal Tree by Pontus Willfors Chair Greer called for public comment. Mr. Mosher acknowledged that Mr. Thurkettle was correct about the popularity of the top works. Two of the four alternates are tied, and they need to choose which is the first alternate and which is the second alternate. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Mosher for his public comment. Chair Greer said that they would need to do the same thing for The Seagull Has Landed and Metal Tree because they are tied for 22nd, if they decided on having four alternates. Mr. Thurkettle stated he does not know if they have a rigid process in place for selecting alternates. He said it would be useful to rank them but probably not binding to do so. He said that Mr. Mosher pointed out that both Inchoate and One Another received 24 votes in the poll. The jury had ranked Inchoate higher than One Another and said that could be the determining factor if the CAC wanted to rank alternates. Chair Greer said if that is done then Inchoate would become first alternate. She said then they did not need to worry about the other two, The Seagull Has Landed and Metal Tree, so there was consistency. Mr. Thurkettle confirmed that would be the order and that using that same factor would mean The Seagull Has Landed would become the third alternate. Chair Greer said there should be consistency and that would change the order of Metal Tree to where Seagull is if it is the fourth alternate based on the jury. Mr. Thurkettle made a correction that The Seagull Has Landed had the higher jury vote. Chair Greer confirmed that they would simply reorder and slot in Got Juice starting with number 10: • Got Juice by Steven Landis • Inchoate by Luke Achterberg • One Another by Maxwell Carraher • The Seagull Has Landed by David Holz • Metal Tree by Pontus Willfors Mr. Thurkettle agreed. Motion made by Chair Greer, seconded by Commissioner George, and carried (5-0-0-2) to approve Number 10 Got Juice, Number 11 Inchoate, Number 12 One Another, Number 13 The Seagull Has Landed, and 14 would be Metal Tree. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 11 AYES: Greer, Flanagan, Little, George, Kaufman NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: McNulty, Simon Chair Greer asked if there is anything else that needs to be covered. Mr. Stein thanked the CAC for a useful discussion and review. He stated they will speak with all artists to ensure they're all available and prepare them for the final presentation at the February 14 City Council meeting. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Stein and Mr. Thurkettle for all their hard work. She suggested having the poll next year at time more convenient for people to respond. Mr. Stein recommend the whole process begin earlier to avoid having a public poll during a holiday period. Chair Greer said for Phase VI they were able to do start earlier in the summer because they had the state grant. Chair Greer stated, off the record, that her and Vice Chair Flanagan attended the Foundation meeting last night and mentioned starting in July when new Fiscal Year starts. Mr. Stein stated the possibility of softening the role of the public poll in decision making, giving the CAC more flexibility in making final recommendations. Chair Greer agreed and said the CAC is ultimately responsible for the aesthetic look of Sculpture Garden and that should remain consistent through all phases. Mr. Stein stated that generally the jury and the public were fairly in sync with the top ranked, with a few exceptions that either the jury or public liked better, and that argument can be made to the City Council if you choose to go in that direction. Chair Greer thanked Mr. Stein and Mr. Thurkettle and asked them to keep us informed of programming and changes. 5. 2023 Concerts on the Green and Marina Park Concert Chair Greer stated that staff recommends the CAC review different music genres for consideration of the summer 2023 Concerts on the Green series and the fall Marina Park Concert. Library Services Director Hartson stated they have a considerable number of bands that expressed interest in performing for this upcoming season for Concerts on the Green and Marina Park. The packet shows groups that have performed over the last couple of years. Since the list is large, she recommended the Commission have a study session before the February meeting to consider genres and review bands. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 12 Chair Greer requested a study session before the February meeting to review bands and hear from public with our bands. Library Services Director Hartson stated they would look into scheduling a study session. Chair Greer asked if there needed a Motion to have study session before the February CAC meeting to discuss bands. Library Services Director Hartson asked Mr. Mosher if a Motion to call a study session was needed. Mr. Mosher made no verbal response. Library Services Director Hartson thanked Mr. Mosher for his expertise. Chair Greer stated that all Commissioners in attendance agreed to have study session. Chair Greer reminded the CAC that former City Manager, Homer Bludau, attended a meeting in fall 2022 and asked the Commission to consider having the Marine 1/1 Foundation band perform in the 2023 Summer Concert Series on the Green. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia clarified she would reach out to Mr. Bludau to see the band’s availability. Chair Greer stated it would be wonderful to have the Marine 1/1 Foundation band perform. The CAC would look for three bands and one alternate, for a total of four. Chair Greer wanted to review the bands that performed in the past and to return to a previous decision in 2022 to not have bands that have performed in the past two years. Bands in 2022 • Mark Wood and Parrot Head Band (Jimmy Buffet tribute) • Catch a Wave (surf band) • Billy Nation (Billy Joel tribute) • Young Guns (country band) • Britain's Finest (Beatles tribute) • Stone Soul (Motown tribute) at Marina Park Bands in 2021 • Sully Band (R&B band) • Don't Stop Believing (Journey tribute) • SantanaWays (Santana tribute) • Shelley Rusk (Singer/songwriter) at Marina Park Bands in 2020 • No concert season due to the pandemic. Bands in 2019 Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 13 • Side Deal (Rock, country, and alternative cover band) • The Smith Band (Modern country rock) • Queen Nation (Queen tribute) • Flashback Heart Attack ('80s music) • Neil Diamond and Jason Lohrke at Marina Park Bands in 2018 • Matt Mouser and Tijuana Dogs (Frank Sinatra tribute) • The Springsteen Experience (Bruce Springsteen tribute • Tijuana Dogs (Rock, Jazz, and Country cover) • Desperado (Eagles tribute) • Southland Sings in Peninsula Park (live opera and musical theatre). o Chair Greer noted that Peninsula Park not a good place to have concerts because it was very hard to hear music with waves crashing, so it was moved to Marina Park. Bands in 2017 • Flashback Heart Attack (80s cover band) • Pacific Symphony (Youth orchestra) • Tijuana Dogs (Rock/Dance/Party band) • Citrus College Night Shift (Classic Rock, R&B, and contemporary cover band) Bands in 2016 • Hollywood Stones (Rolling Stones tribute) • Rumours (Fleetwood Mac tribute) • Springsteen Experience (Bruce Springsteen tribute) Bands in 2015 • Stone Soul at Marina Park (Classic, Soul, Motown) • Sligo Rags (Celtic Bluegrass Fusion) • Kelly Rae Band (Country cover band) • Britain's Finest (Beatles tribute) Bands in 2014 • Hutchins Consort (Virtuoso violinist, Renaissance to Rock) • All-American Boys Chorus • Desperado (Eagles tribute) Commissioner Kaufman stated she did not have strong feelings about this, other than to not have repeating genres. Chair Greer said there were 135 entries this year. Chair Greer stated the genres for 2023: • Classic rock (classic, contemporary, and alternative rock) • Country (bluegrass and rockabilly) • Latin Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 14 • Classic pop, pop rock, and dance rock • R&B, soul, funk • Jazz, big band, swing • Disco • Folk, folk rock • Singer/songwriters • Multiple genres with brass, surf music, or classic mix Chair Greer asked if there were any genres that were suggested to be eliminated. Commissioner Kaufman felt that only the Beatles tribute bands should be eliminated at this point. She liked the comprehensive list of submissions. She suggested for future meetings, everyone to make a list of the genres they want and to consider currently popular movies and bands. Chair Greer suggested everyone to come back with their top five bands. She suggested having Elvis since the movie was popular and they never had Elvis perform in the past. She said Queen Nation had tremendous outreach; 7,500 people attended Queen Nation. She mentioned they could not find anything for Latin in the past couple of years, so that was an issue. She thought rock could be good, as well as surf music. Vice Chair Flanagan stated that for 2023 they should not have any of the surf bands or the Beatles bands due to recent performances in 2022, which would remove quite a few bands on the list. Chair Greer asked if there was more to eliminate. She stated that there was consensus to eliminate Britain's Finest, Neil Diamond, and surf bands. Commissioner Little asked about whether an Eagles tribute band had recently performed for the concert series. Chair Greer stated she did not think so. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia stated they had the Desperado (Eagles songs), Rumours (Fleetwood Mac songs) and Springsteen bands had not performed in a few years so they can be considered. Chair Greer stated SantanaWays had performed. Commissioner Little stated Tijuana Dogs had performed several times and they should not keep repeating certain bands just because they were liked. She said they needed to be more open minded and look at different groups within a genre. Chair Greer said Santana and Don't Stop Believing performed in the last few years so they should not choose them again too soon. She said Queen Nation performed in 2019, so that band is on the edge to perform this year. She stated that Tijuana Dogs, Desperado, and Springsteen all performed in 2018 so they could be considered again. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 15 Commissioner Little suggested they get some fresh bands to perform. She said maybe to take Tijuana Dogs off. Chair Greer stated that the Eagles were off. Vice Chair Flanagan asked how people felt about including country music this year. Chair Greer said she hadn't seen anything in the country genre that she would want. Vice Chair Flanagan stated she is not a country person. Chair Greer said they tried country with Young Guns last year and didn't see anything that moved her this year. Commissioner Kaufman stated they needed to keep the public in mind. She wondered how the public would feel about repeating something after four years if that's not stale. She also stated people are not going to every concert. Chair Greer suggested genres stayed in for now and they would talk more about it at the February meeting. Commissioner Kaufman suggested looking at what bands performed in surrounding cities during the past few couple of years and use that as a starting point because they were already vetted, and their popularity could be looked at. Chair Greer agreed that they should be looking at other cities due to competition with contracts. Chair Greer stated genres and research on other cities is a topic for the February meeting. Everyone had funding from federal government last year, so there were a lot of concerts that weren't done before. Commissioner George stated she regularly volunteers at Oasis Center and observed two local bands. She said it would be a great opportunity for bands in Newport Beach to address the community. She wanted to learn how to facilitate having them apply for an opportunity to be heard. Chair Greer said bands apply to the City online. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia said bands apply on the City's website under Concerts on the Green. She stated that any band, including prior bands, local bands, or generally any band that is not under that the age of 18, is included on the list. Chair Greer asked about Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, stated it was on the list again and everyone was excited. She asked to revisit the recommended bands from 2020. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia stated the 2020 band list included Don't Stop Believing, Yachty by Nature, Rumours, and Paperback Writer, which is a Beatles tribute. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 16 Chair Greer stated that they could check off the Beatles. Vice Chair Flanagan included Yachty by Nature to be eliminated. Chair Greer agreed. Chair Greer restated that Tom Petty should be considered. She asked if they were contracted and were lost because there were no concerts in 2020. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia stated she did not know, as that was right before she started working in the Cultural Arts department. Chair Greer stated that was a question she shouldn’t have asked in open forum, so she took the question back. She reminded everyone to have five band suggestions for the February meeting. She asked if someone would let Commission McNulty know that country was considered again and that some others were eliminated. She said it would be helpful if Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia would provide a list of eliminated bands based on minutes. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia said she would provide an updated list. Chair Greer called for public comment on bands. Mr. Mosher stated he liked Library Services Director Hartson's suggestion of picking four genres instead of specific bands. He said it would be even better if there was more audience there. He suggested to publicize that they were planning concerts for the coming year. He said it would be totally unscientific and not necessarily demonstrative of what the public in general wants, but at least it would be some input and some public reaction to go by. He said his long-range suggestion was to have bands apply on website, and to include a suggestion box at concerts for the public to leave suggestions. Chair Greer stated they are not eliminating other genres right now because it would take extensive review and not everyone has had opportunity to review all 135. She stated having a suggestion box at concerts and maybe online was a good idea. Commissioner George asked if they would continue to have face painting and balloon sculpting at concerts since it was very well received, and the children loved it. Chair Greer stated they will continue to have children's activities like face painting and balloon sculpting at concerts. She said the budget is $24,000 and that they were going to be looking for children's activities and food trucks like last year. She asked if staff are recommending that again. Library Services Director Hartson stated yes that it is noted at the bottom of the staff report. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 17 B. Monthly Reports 6. Newport Beach Art Exhibition Ad Hoc Sub Committee Chair Greer reported that the ad hoc subcommittee is meeting next week to talk about a few things with leadership. She said the call for entries for the Newport Beach Art Exhibition is on the website. She thanked the CAC for giving excellent input with entry guidelines and said everything looks great. She congratulated Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia on her work. Cultural Arts Assistant Escareal-Garcia stated the Library’s Marketing Specialist has a great eye for picking the right art pieces. She stated she sent out an e-blast to past participants and that they're working on marketing for that. Chair Greer said she expected all Commissioners to be involved with personally getting in touch with the artists from past years, but that the Newport Beach Art Exhibition Ad Hoc Subcommittee would need to discuss with staff in more detail at a later time so as not to be in violation with the Brown Act. Vice Chair Flanagan had nothing to add. 7. Newport Beach Arts Foundation Chair Greer reported the liaison is absent. She said that the Newport Beach Arts Foundation (NBAF) is discussing the possibility of holding an Art in the Park in 2023 and are looking within their foundation for people who are interested in chairing it. She stated that if any of the Commissioners knew someone interested in volunteering with the Foundation as a consultant or in a volunteer capacity, to please contact Carmen Smith and Pat Jorgensen at the Foundation. Vice Chair Flanagan had nothing to add. Chair Greer called for public comment on Monthly reports, but there were none. VIII. CITY ARTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCEMENTS OR MATTERS WHICH MEMBERS WOULD LIKE PLACED ON A FUTURE AGENDA FOR DISCUSSION, ACTION OR REPORT (NON-DISCUSSION ITEM) Chair Greer suggested that the Marine 1/1 Foundation band be added to the next agenda once details were provided by Mr. Bludau. She said she hoped by next agenda they'd know something more about the film Echo Park and the potential with the Newport Beach Arts Foundation. She said they will get back to Commissioner Little on that matter. • Announcements: None. • Future Agenda: None. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes January 12, 2023 Page 18 IX. PUBLIC COMMENTS ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS Chair Greer called for public comments and heard none. Chair Greer stated the next meeting is on February 9th. Chair Greer reminded the CAC that the recommendation for City Council for Phase VIII will be on the agenda for the February meeting. X. ADJOURNMENT – 6:56 p.m. Approved by: Arlene Greer