Minutes
Public Art Commission
August 6, 2003
Regular Meeting Minutes
Siskiyou Room, 51 Winburn Way 8:30 a.m.
Attendance
Commissioners Bayard, Jorgensen, Demele, Todd, Krigel, Benson, Jackson (Council liaison), Seltzer (staff liaison) were present.
Absent
Dvora, Krigel
Call to Order
Bayard
called the meeting to order at 8:35 a.m.Approval of minutes.
Minutes for the July 16 meeting were approved.
Agenda Items
Committee Reports
Funding (Demele, Todd, Jackson, Benson)
The following notes are from Bayard
:Main focus of discussion was around list of potential giving institutions that Ron compiled, and the possibility of approaching Council about the T.O.T tax and redistribution of a portion of those funds to the "cultural development" through public art. Because many foundations look at comprehensive plans to base their giving on, the necessity for us to continue developing that plan was made clear. It's possible that someone like the Carpenter Foundation would be in favor of granting money to hire someone to help us solidify that plan. We also talked about the possibility of setting up a trust fund for people to make contributions to.
Bruce will call: Sabra Hoffman (formerly of the Carpenter Found.), to ask about the feasibility of that grant and who to talk to currently at the Foundation; and Mary Gardiner of the Schneider Museum to inquire as to their funding sources. Hoffman said the focus of the Carpenter Foundation is human services and that the proposal from the PAC would need to very good. Hoffman is no longer at the Carpenter Foundation, her replacement if Polly Williams.
The following notes are from Demele
:Before seeking funding support for the arts, local communities usually engage in a public process to determine the needs and wishes of both creators and consumers of art in the community. This process can take several months and usually involves an arts professional and public input. Part of the comprehensive plan frequently involves a survey of existing public facilities, spaces, existing works, groups and programs with recommendations of future support for elements of the arts such as visual, sculptural, dance, theatre, music, etc. The end result is a comprehensive plan for the development and support of local arts activity. In Ashland the commission has accomplished an inventory of local art currently in public spaces, and some in private places. The commission has determined through an internal planning process that the first priority of work would be the creation of a public art plan element and begin its implementation before completing a comprehensive plan. This element helps determine needs and specific plans for showing, acquiring, and commissioning public art pieces for Ashland. This plan also addresses the issues of funding future projects and programs of public art.
There are many potential sources for funding the Arts in Ashland and specifically, activities generated by the newly created Public Arts Commission. Public decisions made by the City Council will determine the future direction of funding Arts activities. For example:
Foundation giving
Oregon Arts Giving
Autzen
Berni
Lamb
Meyer Memorial Trust
Naumes
Spirit Mountain
Ashland Arts Giving
Braemer
Carpenter
Collins
Cow Creek
Ford Family
Jackson
Jeld-Wen
McKenzie River
Oregon Community
PGE
Rosenburg
Templeton
Tucker
Ashland Foundations
Sharkey
Smullen
Tektronix
Thorndike
Tucker
Policy and Procedures (Dvora, Krigel, Bayard, Seltzer)
Notes from Bayard.
Notes from Arnie and Kip on the draft document were discussed and new notes created on language and concepts of the Art in Public Places document. We also discussed the merits of two documents on artists agreements, one drafted by Paul Nolte and an actual agreement from RACC (Portland). We thought the one from Portland covered most of the issues that were brought up in Paul's document, and was also much more inclusive of other concerns such as maintenance and insurance. It also honored the artist and artist's work in a way that would be more likely to encourage participation in AIPP programs.
Sharon is to edit RACC (Portland) document to Ashland-appropriate language. Arnie to supply info to Bruce on selection panel considerations. Bruce to incorporate changes on AIPP document and continue distilling info from other cities.
Gateway Art (Benson, Seltzer)
City Council, at their regular meeting on August 5, approved the request of the PAC to designate four place holders for public art in the Gateway area of Siskiyou Boulevard including:
1) The large circular earth filled space in the triangular portion of the median plaza.
2) The plant filled space in the bump out on the corner of Gresham and East Main street.
3) The vertical surface of the retaining wall in front of the Library.
4) The "Welcome to Ashland" sign facing the fire station (#40 on this drawing). (Note, the sign is private property and PAC will be speaking directly with the owners.)
Calle Art (Dvora, Seltzer)
Notes from Dvora
Next steps for the Calle project:
Receiving final drawings from Steve Gies of Parks Dept.
Meeting with Jim Young regarding the $3,000 of funding available
Drafting a call for artists
We considered 3 possible scenarios for the display:
1. Rotating Gallery: downside is the amount of annual administration and
installation efforts it would take to call for artists and mount a new show each
year or two years. Benefit is that the city doesn't need to fund the purchase
of the artwork and more artists can be displayed.
2. Permanent Installation of Public Art
3. A combination of permanent and rotating artworks: A permanent medallion
and artwork set into the garden zone. 2 rotating artworks in the walkway zone
(wall niche and pedestal).
Other (Jorgensen)
Jorgensen has been gathering information on murals in other cities.