Minutes

Public Art Commission

January 16, 2009

Regular Meeting

Attendance:

Commissioners:  Markell, Bussell, Longshore, Wilkerson, Pugh, Wynkoop, Edson, Seltzer (staff liaison), Voisin (council liaison)

Absent:

None

Guest:

Alice Hardesty

Chair Markell called meeting to order at 8:20 a.m. and welcomed new council liaison, Carol Voisin.

Citizen Issues:

None

Minutes approved for November 2008 M/S Lonshore/Wilkerson

Peace Tiles

Edson gave an update on the subcommittee meeting with the Peace Tile organizers.  They have revised their initial installation proposal form a serpentine line to various sizes of rectangles with tiles mounted inside.  This will facilitate the removal of a section of the peace tiles should the need arise.  Seltzer reiterated that the proposed timeline and may be difficult to adhere to given the number of additional meetings that will occur during the CUP process.  Organizers remain hopeful the installation can occur on Mother’s Day but understand this may not be possible.

Seltzer will send a letter to the Historic Commission from the PAC inviting member to meet with the subcommittee to discuss the project in an informal setting.

Utility Box Project

Markell advised the PAC that Miller paint will donate all materials associated with the project and reminded the group of the $1500 grant from the Jackson County Cultural Trust to be used for the project.  Longshore and Edson provided photos and a map of the location of the utility boxes that have been approved by the Electric Utility Director Dick Wanderscheid.  PAC requested staff to send a letter to ODOT formally asking for permission to paint the box in front of Astro station (verbal approval has been received from ODOT through the Public Works department) and requests permission to paint the box in the island separating East Main from Lithia Way across from the totem pole.

PAC members will begin to draft guidelines for the Call for Artists for the project to be posted in April.

Meeting with Mayor

Markell advised the group that the Mayor is holding a brown bag lunch in the Siskiyou Room on Friday January 23 to meet with the Commission chairs.

Update on Planning Commission review of PAC memo re: 3-D signs

Bussell advised the group that the December meeting had been cancelled due to weather and the Planning Commission has it on their agenda for the January 28 meeting.  She will attend and invited other PAC members to attend.

Review Timeline/assignments

Seltzer reviewed the timeline with the PAC looking forward for five months.  The timeline is fluid and changes depending on how the projects are moving forward.

Staff Update
Seltzer reported the RFP for the Calle Guanajuato project was posted on December 12 and emailed to the arts organizations identified by Wynkoop and Bussell.  Edson suggested the RFP be sent to webspirit.

Seltzer explained that the rewrite to the Site Design and Use Standards requiring public art in development project of 10,000 square feet or larger was not approved by the Council.  Hardesty mentioned feels that the lack of approval was not due to lack of support for the idea but rather that the Council did not want to take on that project at this time.  Staff was contacted by Colin Swales who would like to speak about this project at an upcoming Public Art meeting.

Seltzer handed copies of the Public Art ordinance that was passed by the council on January 6, 2009.

Reports from Commission members

Longshore reported on her participation of the Aesthetic Advisory Committee working on the ODOT bridge enhancement/replacement at Exits 14 and 19.  She invited commissioners to send her any ideas prior to her next committee meeting on February 4.

Next Meeting Date

Friday, February 20, 2009 8:15 a.m.

Meeting adjourned 9:35 a.m.