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Minutes 04-25-06MINUTES OF THE CITY OF BOYNTON BEACH ARTS COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, APRIL 25, 2006 IN THE LIBRARY PROGRAM ROOM, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA AT 6:30 P.M. Present: Richard Beau Lieu, Vice Chair Debby Coles-Dobay, Chair Barbara Lentz Nubia Richman Suzette Urs Absent: Cheryl Arflin Angela Budano I. Call to Order Wilfred Hawkins, City Representative Chair Coles-Dobay called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. II. Roll Call of Members The roll was called and a quorum was present. Chair Coles-Dobay verified the information on the Board list and made additions and deletions to it. She provided this information to the Recording Secretary who will see the City Clerk's office makes the appropriate changes. Also, the calendar of meetings should be changed to reflect the new meeting place for this board, which is the Library Program Room. III. Agenda Approval There were no additions, deletions, or changes to the agenda, which was approved by consensus. IV. Approval of Minutes Chair Coles-Dobay referred to a change that should be made on page 6 of the March 28, 2006 minutes, second to last paragraph. The second and third sentences combine two ideas and should be deleted. There were no other changes to the minutes, which were approved as amended by consensus. V. Business Items A. Announcements Arts Commission Board Member Appointments Chair Coles Dobay declared the following board members had been reappointed: Cheryl Arflin, Richard Beau Lieu, Angela Budano, Barbara Lentz, Nubia Richman, and Suzette Urs. There are two openings for alternate board members at this time. Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2006 Posting on Web Site Chair Coles-Dobay announced the Arts Commission was now on the City's Web site. There were references to the ordinances for the Arts Commission and Art in Public Places. The Web address is www Boynton-beach.org. The Call to Artist forms for the Eternal Flame project can be found there as well. It was felt this was a great way to explain the workings of the Arts Commission to the public. Public Art Administrator Position Mr. Hawkins declared the City was actively advertising for this position, locally, nationally, and in trade magazines and it was hoped this would attract some candidates. It was Mr. Hawkins' intent to fill this position in the next 90 days. The selection process will consist of structured interviews with specific written questions related to the job description prepared in advance and asked of each candidate. The interviewees are scored on their answers to these questions and their response to a written exercise, which they submit before the interview. The interview committee will consist of Mr. Hawkins, Craig Clark, Interim Library Director, a representative from the Human Resources Department, and two people from the Arts Commission. The date for the interviews will depend on availability of the panel members. Mr. Hawkins and the Human Resources Department perform an initial screening for completeness and qualifications. The remaining applications will be refined to a final slate of 5 interviewees. When the scores are tabulated and the interviews concluded, Mr. Hawkins and the Human Resources Department would make the final decision. Chair Coles-Dobay announced that she could not sit on the interview committee since she was applying for the position herself. The board decided to wait until the full board was present to select the two representatives. Vice Chair Beau Lieu offered to sit on the panel. B. Representative from Legacy Fine Arts & Productions — Review Bringing to Boynton Beach Chair Coles-Dobay explained the Legacy Fine Arts & Productions is an organization that will put on events in partnership with paid advertisers. They set up tents, man them, sell the goods, and generally take care of everything. They ask, however, to have 2K -3K people in foot traffic so they can recoup their expenses. They will be coming to a board meeting to make a presentation. Potential sites were discussed. The Woman's Club would be a nice venue, but the parking is inadequate. Intracoastal Park and Oceanfront Park are other possibilities. The event would be put on in season (November through April) in the coming year. Ms. Lentz asked how many people came to the last CRA Art & Jazz show. C. Development Projects Review of the projects in the City that are subject to Public Art Chair Coles-Dobay mentioned the Hemingway Square project was still in the works, but there was another point person involved. They still planned to have art in their project. 2 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2006 Mr. Hawkins stated the next project that had submitted an application was Parc Central on the east side of Lawrence Road just south of Hypoluxo Road. They were recently approved for annexation into the City. They intend to do a multi -family housing complex, attached condo style. Their art application talks about a very large fountain feature at the entranceway to the project. It would be like a roundabout where it would be possible to drive around it. The entranceway to the project would be on either side of it. People could walk up and access it or drive around it without gaining access to the complex. The developer was interested in the assistance of the Arts Commission. They also talked about making the fountain feature more artistic, with more character and less like the usual Mediterranean -style fountain. Mr. Hawkins indicated there were three other projects before the Commission at the same time as Parc Central. The Commission asked each of them if they intended to have art and they all said yes. It seemed the development community was willing to incorporate art. Most of them saw such things as gates and fountains as a way to meet the art requirement, and the board agreed gates could be art. To get the developers to think beyond this would be a matter of education. The City had gone back retroactively to ask those with projects pending to fill out art applications, and there seemed to be willingness to do so. Ms. Urs drew a comparison between the new fire station on Federal Highway and the new fire station in Riviera Beach, saying the one in Riviera Beach was art. The one in Boynton Beach was a fire station. Mr. Hawkins said the City itself had to begin incorporating art in its buildings and was beginning to do so. For example, the City definitely wanted to do something at the Library, inside or outside. This would be another way to set an example for the community. Chair Coles-Dobay asked about Tuscan Villas, and Mr. Hawkins remarked the Commission had asked them for their interest in art, but they had not yet filled out an application. The Commerce Bank was another project with a possible interest in doing a mural. Ms. Urs asked about Yachtsman's Cove and Mr. Hawkins will follow up to ascertain their intent. He commented the developers have six months from the time they make application to pull permits and things take time. Ms. Urs responded the developer for Yachtsman's Cove related to her that his idea for art was a bigger fountain and trees, but really special ornamental trees. Mr. Hawkins reiterated that the board could discuss ways to educate the development community beyond enhancing aesthetic design, fountains, and so on. He felt the Arts Commission should give the development community something to work with. Chair Coles-Dobay suggested it might be a good idea to put together a portfolio to be on hand at Planning & Zoning — fountain or water elements, statutes, mosaics, trellis treatments, gate treatments, functional art and so on. She suggested the members send her some images to begin the portfolio. Ms. Urs referred to a map like the Raiders of the Lost Ark map, on which a "bubble" could be placed with a developer's name and picture of their artwork. Seeing what other developers were doing could be a spur to competition between developers. She asked if there could be any developer for whom a "bubble" could be filled out today. Mr. Hawkins said when projects first came before the TRC (Technical Review Committee), there would be an opportunity for solidifying the developer's intent in regard to art. The members thought getting "on the map" would be a great public relations tool. Ms. Urs spoke of the value of anticipation and how it 3 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2006 often surpassed the reality. They could get a lot more mileage out of art that was coming than art that was already there. Mr. Hawkins thought some visuals would help most of all for guidance when it came to public art and the developers. Vice Chair Beau Lieu spoke of a source book published by The Guild that covered public art. He felt all the necessary illustrations could be copied from that book. Mr. Hawkins wanted to make sure this book was available in the Library. Vice Chair Beau Lieu mentioned that Ms. Dennison had purchased some copies of the source book last year. The Guild sends them out to galleries and municipalities. D. Eternal Flame Call to Artists Review applications for application criteria Review judging criteria for the panel Set a date to have panel judge the artists Chair Coles-Dobay presented 8 applications from artists. The members examined the applications for applicability to the stated criteria. The selection panel was to be made up of 5 members. After discussion, it was determined the selection panel would be: 1 member from the Arts Commission; 1 member from the Recreation & Parks Department; Commissioner Ensler, and 2 members from the Veterans Commission. The deadline for applications was April 19. The selection panel will meet and judge the applicants on May 15 in the Recreation & Parks Conference Room from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Chair Coles-Dobay asked for a volunteer for the selection panel and Vice Chair Beau Lieu volunteered to serve on the panel. The first step is qualifying the artist and the second is qualifying the project. The selection panel will meet twice for this purpose. Vice Chair Beau Lieu distributed a sample of a scoring grid for use in evaluating the applications. The members determined whether the artists were 18 years of age or older, and whether they had the requisite two of five listed criteria. The rest of the scoring was to be done by the selection panel. With the exception of one applicant, who did not enclose an artist's concept, the artists met the criteria to be included in the judging. It was noted that one artist did not supply an application, but the Call to Artists did not specify that the application form had to be returned. The board members were very impressed with the quality of the submissions, noting a large amount of diversity in materials. The disqualified individual will be receiving a letter of rejection. Chair Coles-Dobay declared they would be qualifying three artists to work for a short period of time with a landscape architect. Then, the three artists would submit an actual maquette with a timeline, project budget, and so forth. After discussion, it was determined the artists would each be given $500 to produce the maquette, which would not be deducted from the final award amount. This amount will vary from project to project. Chair Coles-Dobay commented the board had to agree on a new scoring grid for the Eternal Flame project. The scoring grid used for the Carolyn Sims Memorial could not be used for this. In this project, a person does not have to be a resident of Palm Beach County, for example. Using the sample grid for scoring, the board started with the section entitled, 'Assign one point 0 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2006 for each attribute." According to Vice Chair Beau Lieu, this item was just more of the section. The real critical item was the last one, "Assign points 1-5 for each category," relating to the artistic merit of the project. Chair Coles-Dobay will handle putting the criteria in a grid that Vice Chair Beau Lieu will distribute to the other judges. The panel members will be advised that the applicants have been pre -qualified and that the judging would be confined to the sections to which points are assigned. A letter will be sent to all artists notifying them they have been qualified, pending judging in May. E. CRA & Art Promenade — What recommendations can we make for Art on The Promenade? Chair Coles-Dobay announced there would be a ribbon -cutting event for The Promenade, Two Georges and the Marina on Friday, April 28, 2006, starting at 1:00 p.m., followed by a barbecue. Chair Coles-Dobay had talked to Ms. Vivian Brooks in the past about art on The Promenade, but nothing had come of that conversation so far. She sought ideas from the board. Ms. Urs thought there were already pedestals set in place for art, as part of the plans, according to the former CRA Director Doug Hutchinson. Mr. Hawkins was not at all sure that was the case, although there was space. Chair Coles-Dobay thought the May Arts & Jazz festival would probably be held at The Promenade. Ms. Lentz suggested taking digital pictures of The Promenade and floating a piece of artwork on the photograph so the idea could be more easily visualized. The other members agreed. Vice Chair Beau Lieu interjected that all the artwork shown in the sourcebook published by The Guild was accompanied by the name and address of the artist. It was agreed these names and addresses should be included in the Call to Artists database. He thought someone from the CRA should look at the sourcebook to get some ideas. Chair Coles-Dobay felt this board should contribute some information, ideas and suggestions. Vice Chair Beau Lieu suggested the members drive down to The Promenade and get an idea of the physical layout of the space and come prepared to discuss this at the board's next meeting in May. He will bring in the two sourcebooks he has and combined with the impressions received by the members on their visits, some ideas could be chosen from the sourcebook. If the board sees something it really likes, it could contact the artist and take it from there. Ms. Lentz wondered why they would not have to do a Call to Artists for that. According to Mr. Hawkins, it depended on whether they were talking about permanent or rotating art. Mr. Hawkins believed people were looking to the Arts Commission to give them ideas for specific projects and that was what they should do. They should come forth to show people how to make Art in Public Places happen. Marina Fall Festival The CRA had purchased some dock space at the Marina and Chair Coles-Dobay thought the Arts Commission could contribute some ideas to make this a special event. Ms. Lentz commented again that if the CRA purchased the restaurant pad, some art could be put there. 5 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2006 Jazz & Arts Event — What can the Arts Commission recommend to the CRA to elevate the event from the Art perspective? Chair Coles-Dobay suggested the members think about ideas for this event. Ms. Lentz had a booth at the Jazz & Arts Event and did very well, partly because there were so few other artists. Chair Coles-Dobay mentioned Nestor Torres, who played at a recent Jazz & Arts event. She asked how the art part of the event could be elevated to match someone of his international reputation. Chair Coles-Dobay wondered if the Arts Commission could qualify the different categories of artists. The idea of having art demonstrations or a hands-on project like sculpture was suggested. Vice Chair Beau Lieu commented that during season, there were so many art venues, the artists had a large selection of places in which to apply their talents. It was difficult to get them to come to a place that did not have a reputation and could not guarantee a certain amount of foot traffic. Chair Coles-Dobay thought artists might have to be offered "a deal" to get them here to build more traffic. Mr. Hawkins suggested trying to cultivate small, emerging artists from such places as the arts school in West Palm Beach. Mr. Hawkins also suggested the use of cultural art would be appropriate. For example, as a complement to someone like Nestor Torres, the jazz flutist, Latin art could be featured. Vice Chair Beau Lieu suggested inviting some of the various artist guilds, which have many retired artists among their membership. There were several art organizations such as Women in the Visual Arts also. Ms. Lentz does a lot of trunk shows and noted they were a venue for many young, aspiring artists. During events, Ms. Lentz saw people walking around taking the cards of all the exhibitors, with a view to inviting them to another event later. Avenue of the Arts Mr. Hawkins mentioned the area around the flag on City Hall grounds as being a great place for art, and one that was never used. Vice Chair Beau Lieu envisioned a dozen pieces of art starting at the steps of City Hall, going down Seacrest to the Library, over to the Children's Museum, the Old High School, and down to Ocean Avenue. There did not have to be a theme. The Arts Commission could supply $1K to the artists for lending their work, mounting it, transporting it, and so forth. The pieces would be on loan for a period of one year and at the end of that time, could either be purchased, left on loan for a longer period, or sold. If the artist wished, the pieces could be marked with a price, with no delivery until the end of the year, and this would definitely be an incentive to participate. Vice Chair Beau Lieu felt some artists could be targeted and a Call to Artists could go out as well. Ms. Lentz suggested putting a plaque on the artwork with the artists name on it and a price if applicable. Vice Chair Beau Lieu felt the Avenue of the Arts could be modeled after the River Walk in Fort Lauderdale. They approach artists known to do quality work for sculptures that would go outdoors. They pay a fee for the installation and put out a brochure listing the piece and its price. The pieces are also listed on a Web site. Their organization takes 10% of the selling price if the piece sells. If it sells during the year, the piece is left in place until the end of the contracted time or the artist can sell it and replace it with a similar piece. Ms. Lentz suggested a percentage of the fee go to meet a local need of some kind, since people like to buy things when they know a portion of the proceeds will be donated. Mr. Hawkins C.1 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida April 25, 2006 commented if they partnered with the Children's Museum, a certain portion of the proceeds could be used to help fund the Museum. The money could also be used to fund more art. It was felt this would help put Boynton Beach on the map and would definitely be a draw for persons interested in culture. Mr. Hawkins viewed the Avenue of the Arts as a component of economic development, something that would bring more people with disposable income to Boynton Beach. It would also be a way to make the City a destination/attraction. The local artists, the local businesses, and the residents would all benefit by this. The media would also help to generate interest in what was going on in Boynton Beach when the time came. Vice Chair Beaulieu commented about the Peachtree area in Atlanta where there were galleries, restaurants, kids sketching, and people strolling along the streets, attracted by the art. A target date was set for November 4-5. It was felt a Jazz & Art event would be a good way to open the Avenue of the Arts. The board needed to tour the area first to see what would be appropriate for each space. Vice Chair Beau Lieu suggested targeting some local artists and inviting them to a get-together for a walk-through of the area. Then, the artists could go back to their studios to see what they might have that would be appropriate. It could also be the subject of a meeting and the board could go from place to place as a group. Mr. Hawkins will investigate the availability of a G.I.S. map of the streets to help identify the location of the art pieces. Vice Chair Beau Lieu suggested the members come up with a few names and numbers of artists who were known to do quality work of this nature and either bring them to the May meeting or E-mail the information to himself or Chair Coles-Dobay. The City could then write to the individuals and invite them to participate in the program. The issue of insuring the pieces was raised. Mr. Hawkins responded the artist would have to hold the City harmless. The pieces would be secured as much as possible; however, it would have to be understood the artists were exhibiting their pieces at their own risk. Mr. Hawkins mentioned it would be necessary to investigate ownership of the rights-of-way on which they wanted to place the pieces. A brief discussion ensued about the characteristics of the art pieces. It was felt the type of art would have to be sculptures that were 3-D, large enough to see driving by, and weatherproof. Mr. Hawkins declared an art tour on the trolley would be a way to promote art and the trolley. Vice Chair Beau Lieu mentioned that Ms. Gloria Waldman, who used to own the Artcetera Gallery in Delray Beach, mentioned the possibility of art tours in Boynton Beach and her interest in becoming involved in them. Adjournment The meeting was duly adjourned at 8:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (042506) 7