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Agendas and Minutes

Public Arts Advisory Committee (View All)

Public Arts Commission Regular Meeting

Agenda
Friday, March 16, 2018

ASHLAND PUBLIC ARTS COMMISSION

MINUTES
March 16, 2018

CALL TO ORDER:
Commissioners: Friend, Garrington, Newman, Bussell, Fuhrmark

Commissioners Present:		Staff Present:
Dana Bussell Sandra Friend Thomas Fuhrmark Margaret Garrington Richard Newman		Bill Molnar, Community Development Director Fotini Kaufman, Assistant Planner

Absent Members:		Council Liaison:
		Councilor Seffinger

INTRODUCTIONS
Assistant Planner Fotini Kaufman introduced herself as the Public Art’s Commission interim staff liaison. Bill Molnar, the community development director introduced himself and provided background on the role of the Community Development Department and Ms. Kaufman’s background in art history and social policy.

APPROVAL OF MINUTES:
Commissioner Bussell noted a correction to fund amounts in the minutes of February 16, 2018. Under Citizen Issues, Watershed Art, the amounts in parentheses were $3,500 and $1,000 instead of $3,000 and $1,500.

Commissioners Garrington/Newman m/s to approve the minutes from February 16, 2018, as amended.
Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed.

Commission comment expressed concern that draft minutes were posted to the website and requested only approved minutes be posted in the future. Mr. Molnar explained a new policy where draft minutes were posted online and replaced once approved with any changes. The word “Draft” should be included in the minutes. The Commission was comfortable with the new process as long as they were noted as draft minutes.

PUBLIC FORUM - None

COMMISSION ITEMS NOT ON AGENDA
Public Art Brochure
Barry and Kathryn Thalden provided an update on the Public Art Brochure. They were printed last year and the Chamber of Commerce distributed 2,000. Brochure content shared information on public art and directed people to the City website. There were 2,500 remaining for this year. Now was the time to start on next year’s brochure. Chair Friend thought the design was workable and was interested in any feedback from the Chamber. Mr. Thalden wanted direction on updating the brochure. Commissioner Fuhrmark suggested fewer photos and more focus on the brochure as a guide.

Mural at Guanajuato
Denise Baxter would travel to Guanajuato to paint a mural with help from Guanajuato art students. The artist who painted the mural on the Calle Guanajuato will serve as an advisor to Ms. Baxter and her team. The murals are part of the celebration of Ashland and Guanajuato being sister cities for fifty years. Ms. Baxter showed a copy of her design and explained the concept was a Day in Ashland from sunrise to sunset, moving South to North throughout Ashland. The title was “Culture meets Nature.” Chair Friend wanted to know how the mural would be publicized in Ashland. Commissioner Fuhrmark responded it would be advertised in the Daily Tidings. Commissioner Garrington suggested publishing several photos of the process.

COUNCIL REPORT
Councilor Stefani Seffinger provided an update on filling the two vacant council positions. Council had narrowed down the candidates for Position #3. Council Position #6 would be filled later in April. Candidates not considered for Position #3 will have the option to apply for Position #6. Position #3 was up for reelection 2020 and Position #6, 2018. The Interim City Administrator John Karns would retire in March. The City hired a firm to assist in the selection process to fill the position. The recall of three Parks Commissioners did not pass. A quorum would remain intact for the purchase of some land currently under consideration. Council liaison assignments will shift due to the new council members.

DISCUSSION ITEMS
Update on the Gateway Island and Theater Corridor art pieces
Mr. Molnar checked in with Public Works Superintendent Mike Morrison regarding the Gateway Island and Theater Corridor art projects. They would know the schedule for lighting “Threshold” at the Gateway Island later this week. The Theater Corridor art piece was going through a building permit review. The building official reviewed the project and had provided feedback to the architect or structural engineer. Additional information was needed regarding liability for live load. The footings were located in an area where there was storm drainage. It needed a workaround currently underway. Everything was moving forward.

Watershed art piece
Councilor Seffinger explained the initial size of the art piece was too small for the site. They raised additional funding to accommodate the change in size. The artist, Cheryl Garcia, further explained the original was 2-foot by 3-foot. The new dimensions would increase the piece to 3-foot by 4-foot. The largest bird would now be 16-inches down to 9-inches for the smaller bird. The base was 40-inches and 8-inches in height. The birds would have an almost anodized finish. Councilor Seffinger noted the piece would be named “Elevation” and tie into the City’s effort for ecological awareness and preservation. She spoke with Paula Brown, the director of the Public Works Department to make them aware of the project. There was an effort to divide the trail and make it as user friendly as possible. She listed the donors and amounts contributed. There would be a celebration and video documentation of the process. The piece should be completed by late June. Councilor Seffinger did not think the change in size needed to go to Council for further approval.

Value of Public Art Presentation
The Commission discussed the outline of a presentation for groups to explain what the Public Arts Commission did and the potential of Public Art in the city. Commissioner Fuhrmark wanted to emphasize the commissioners, their commitment to putting art into the community, their reliance on the community and public input. Also, what it meant to have a Public Arts Commission in a town this size. Commissioner Bussell discussed copyright issues for images of the art pieces. Commissioner Fuhrmark noted the use of the images for education versus commercial enterprises. He wanted to ensure what the Commission did was transparent. Vignettes of the commissioners and video interviews would elaborate on their background. The videos were a good counterpoint to still images. Next steps were getting started on the video interviews.

Gateway Dedication

Commissioners Garrington/Bussell m/s to include “Threshold” at the Gateway site as part of the City’s Public Art Collection. Voice Vote: all AYES. Motion passed.

The Commission discussed aspects of the sculpture. How bright it was, design, and negative space. There were natural adjustments from the computer model to the actual piece and slight differences. Possibly the fabrication process and budget affected the alteration in design. Commission comment expressed concern on what would happen in the future if an art piece looked different from what was proposed and accepted.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony would be advertised in the newspaper. It would happen once the lighting was installed and the grass had grown. Chair Friend read an email from staff on the process for the dedication. Commissioner Newman suggested having the ceremony at dusk. Chair Friend would work with Ms. Kaufman on establishing a date. Staff would look into closing off the turn lane on Main Street for the ceremony. Commissioner Fuhrmark would help with the Evite and invitation.

Public Art Development Workshop
Chair Friend confirmed who was attending the workshop. There would be a gathering for commissioners and workshop panel members at Liquid Assets Friday, April 20, 2018, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. The room was already reserved. For the workshop, the Museum would provide logistics for the event. There would be a list of attendees for check-in. The Commission’s role will be providing general direction and distributing programs. Pastries and coffee would be provided. Commissioners Bussell and Garrington volunteered at the check-in table from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. The Commission would generate and hand out name tags. April 17, 2018, was the last day for reservations. Attendees would have the opportunity to mingle with vendors. A reminder email will go out early April with a link to register. The email would explain that a guest could contact the University Box Office and register over the phone. Commissioner Fuhrmark would help draft the email.

Commissioner Garrington mentioned the art piece, “Autumn Splendor” had a couple balls that had dropped down. Ms. Kaufman would contact the artist, Annette Julien regarding repair work.

Commissioners would make appointments with Commissioner Fuhrmark to do the video. Commissioner Fuhrmark would email the questions to the Commission for consideration prior to filming.

The Commission discussed removing duplicate email recipients when combining email lists for the workshop. Using Evite would avoid duplicate messages. They would forward their lists to Chair Friend who would compile a master list.

The Commission described what they were looking for in a new commissioner to Andrew Stallman who was interested in serving on the Commission. Mr. Stallman shared his background and inquired about the appointment process.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & INFORMATIONAL ITEMS:
Next meeting: April 20, 2018, at 8:00 a.m.

ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.

Submitted by,
Fotini Kaufman
Assistant Planner