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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/13/2013 - City Arts Commission - 01 Draft Minutes City of Newport Beach Newport Beach City Arts Commission Thursday, May 9, 2013 – 5:00pm Central Library Friends Meeting Room Convened at 5:02pm 1) Call Meeting to Order Chairperson Smith called the meeting to order. 2) Roll Call Commissioners Present: Robert Smith, Chair Carole Boller, Secretary Arlene Greer Gilbert Lasky Caroline Logan Commissioners Absent: Rita Goldberg, Vice Chair Chris Trela Staff Present: Councilperson Nancy Gardner Library Services Director Cynthia Cowell Library Services Manager Tim Hetherton Public Present: Jim Mosher, resident 3) Public Comments Nancy Gardner announced that there will be an article in the Orange County Register (OCR) about art in Newport Beach. She was not sure what the message was going to be in this article. The OCR initially picked up on this subject due to funding allocation and Councilperson Gardner’s comment that the City does not know where all of their paintings are located. The City is working on getting all of the City artwork archived. Robert Smith reported that he appreciated Jana Barbier giving him a tour of the art storage facility located in the Central Library last week, and stated that she had spent a lot of time and energy organizing and cleaning it. Library Services Director Cynthia Cowell stated that all artwork from the City Yard has been moved into the art storage room so it is not as organized as it was when Chair Smith saw it. All of the items will eventually be wrapped and tagged. Jim Mosher submitted two pages of written comments and commented on improvements to the format of the minutes from the April 11 meeting. He suggested revisions to the Form for Review and Consideration of Art. He also mentioned the decisions on public art with reference to the Bunny sculpture at the Civic Center. He commented on the adoption of the City Council Policy I-13 and other agenda items as noted in his typed comments. 4) Approval of Minutes It was moved, seconded and passed (Commissioner Greer/Commissioner Boller) to approve the April 11, 2013 Minutes by replacing the wording in the minutes under Item C.9. as follows: “Commissioner Logan reported that the subcommittee was working on updating the City’s policies and procedures for acquiring art as well as creating a comprehensive application form 2 for all City art acquisitions. The committee is also moving ahead with the master plan for potential art site selections.” Motion carried. 5) Current Business A. Consent Calendar 1. Cultural Arts Activities – Noted. 2. Correspondence and Press – Noted. B. Items for Review and Possible Action – 1. Presentation on Balboa Theater by Balboa Theater Foundation President Craig Smith. A PowerPoint presentation of the Balboa Theater renovation plans was given by Balboa Theatre Foundation President Craig Smith. He thanked the Arts Commission for inviting him to the meeting toprovide an update on the Balboa Theater. The theatre was built in 1927 and is a Newport Beach historic landmark building. Two years ago the Foundation hired Architect John Sergio Fisher to complete the redesign of this theatre. It will include 300 seats, two side balconies located on both the right and left with a small balcony in the middle. The seats will be retractable and will fold up under the balcony to provide a more open venue for dinner events and corporate meetings. The seats are very comfortable, high quality and quiet. The roof deck will be made available for fundraising, weddings, meetings and cultural events. A series of arts programs starting at the elementary school level will be implemented into the programming at the theatre. Seventeen possible contractors were screened and narrowed rowed down to five. A request for proposal was sent out to two firms a month ago asking for their best and final proposal on the cost of construction. The date to begin construction is September 3, 2013 and construction is planned to last for approximately one year. A question and answer period followed Craig Smith’s presentation and provided clarification on the jurisdiction of the Arts Commission in relation to this center. Also discussed were budgeting, facility use, construction prices, parking and timing issues. The City Arts Commission thanked Mr. Smith for his presentation. A new interactive website will be launched in a month or so and will include updates on this project. 2. Accept Revisions for Form for Review and Consideration of Art – Commissioner Caroline Logan presented the following: Commissioner Caroline Logan reported that the Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee was working on updating the City’s policies and procedures for acquiring art as well as creating a comprehensive application form for all City art acquisitions. The Committee is moving ahead with the master plan for potential art site selections. This committee completed an extensive review of all existing Cultural Arts City Policy Documents including I-9, I-10, I-11 and I-13, and made recommendations to I-11 to include City Policies and Procedures for considering the acceptance of art through not only donations but also through potential purchase, loan, commission or exhibition. The committee designed a new Art Application for Art to be considered by the City. This application form will be posted on the City website for City Forms as well as the For Artists Only Web page. 3 Along with major permanent art, the Master Plan Committee has been investigating programs some other cities have for displaying art (art on loan) with the potential for permanent City ownership as well as for the purpose of providing public art to the City through sculpture exhibits or loans. Whether loaned, exhibited, purchased or commissioned, it has been suggested to the Committee that the early pieces of art will be located where they will have the greatest exposure and impact. Another objective of the Master Plan Committee has been to find, organize and catalogue art which the City already owns. The committee wishes to thank Jana Barbier, City Art Coordinator, for the masterful job she has done working on this. The Commissioners also thanked Jana and Cynthia for their contributions to the City and Commission team. The form was revised at this meeting and it was agreed to show it in PDF format online. The revisions on the policy I-11 will need to go to the City Attorney’s office before presented to the City Council. Staff and Commissioner Logan were thanked for their efforts on this item. It was moved, seconded and passed (Commissioner Boller/Commissioner Greer) to approve the revisions as presented on the Form for Review and Consideration of Art. Motion carried. C. Monthly Reports – 1. Art in Public Spaces/Historical Preservation Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Chair Robert Smith reported that a patron of the arts is interested in funding, in full or in part, the sculpture Uprooted II that has been installed at City Hall. The steps would be that once a donor is recognized, the Form for Review and Consideration of Art would need to be completed by the donor. The City Arts Commission would then accept or decline the offer, and if accepted would forward to the City Council for final approval. This would provide open disclosure for all involved and a tracking measure in place. For example, the Uprooted II sculpture is on loan and under contract for loan to the City for one year. If the City Arts Commission would like to recommend that this piece be purchased then the loan cost would be deducted from the total amount from the purchaser. At that point, and after the City Council approves the acceptance of the piece, negotiations would be between the artist and the purchaser. The City would own the piece through the donation of the purchaser. Chair Smith noted that it would be better to discuss this further as it may need to be explored in more detail. The McFadden sculpture process was discussed. Even though policy I-11 completely covers this aspect of donations for accepting artwork, it is not clear how the process would work if you had several smaller donations to go toward one piece. Staff will clarify this procedure through the City as it may currently be set up through the Finance Department to accept smaller contributions from various donors toward one large piece. Staff will report back at the June 13 meeting. 2. Fine Arts Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Boller reported that the art exhibition was very successful and she thanked everyone involved. A total of $4,870 was used of the total $5,000 budget. The committee came up with several ideas for next year. Commissioner Greer noted that a year ago staff met with Mark and Janet Hilbert to discuss the details on the exhibition of a portion of their art collection which is now displayed at the Central Library. Staff was thanked for their support and vision in making this exhibition possible. Sometime at the end of the summer or beginning of the fall, a reception will be held thanking the Hilberts for the loan of their artwork. 4 3. Performing Arts Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Lasky reported that everything is in place for the summer concert series. 4. Museum Tour Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Nothing new to report. 5. Arts Foundation Liaison Ad Hoc Subcommittee – Commissioner Greer reported that the Foundation met on April 16 and that current funds on deposit are approximately $16,021.00. The proceeds from the Newport Beach Arts exhibition and sales are in the process of being divided and distributed with thirty percent going to the Arts Foundation and seventy percent going back to the artists. The Arts Foundation was thanked for their assistance and support over this past year. The Foundation gave a few helpful suggestions for the next art exhibition and sale in category distinctions. Per the Arts Foundation’s request Commissioner Greer gave a presentation of Uprooted II using the same material that was used at the City Council meeting. The Foundation offered their help on anything needed in this area. Art InThe Park is scheduled for October 12th at the Civic Center Green. The Foundation asked for the City Arts Commissioners’ support in this event. Commissioner Greer asked the Foundation that any suggestions or input on their next gallery event be sent to her via email and she will provide it to the Arts Foundation at their next meeting scheduled on May 21 at 6:00 p. m. 6. Publicity Ad Hoc Committee – Nothing new to report. 7. Budget Ad Hoc Committee – Commissioner Lasky reported that there have been no changes to the budget which is currently on track for the end of this fiscal year. 8. Cultural Arts Grant Ad Hoc Committee – Nothing new to report. 9. Master Plan Ad Hoc Committee for Visual & Public Art Installations – Commissioner Logan reported that the committee is currently prioritizing placement of performing art venues in the city and investigating programs that other cities have in place for displaying their art on loaned, exhibited, commissioned, or purchased pieces. Staff was thanked for categorizing and organizing the art in the new storage area. Revisions to I-11 will need to be reviewed by the City Attorney’s office and then will be brought back to the City Arts Commission for review. 6) City Arts Commission Announcements or Matters Which Members Would Like Placed on a Future Agenda for Discussion, Action or Report (Non-Discussion Item) – Commissioner Boller asked if some of the sketches from the Civic Center could be obtained from the architect. Staff has reported that they will make contact with the architects and report back on this request. Commissioners Logan and Boller are working with the City Police Department on creating visual mark ups, icons or fine art that tells a story of safety for their use in public media. Staff reported that Jana Barbier has resigned effective today. Chair Smith would like to add a budget review to the June agenda. He asked each Commissioner that is chairing a sub-committee to be prepared to discuss what is working well and any changes that they may have that would affect the budget for the next Fiscal Year 2013/2014. Chair Smith will notify the two Commissioners who are absent at this meeting to be prepared also. Staff has formulated wish lists to the Friends of the Library and NBPL Foundation. One of the items requested in the NBPL Foundation list is a subscription to an arts-related database. 7) Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items – Nothing reported. 5 8) Adjournment – 6:30 p.m. Submitted by: _________________________________________________ Chair Signature for Approval of Minutes