Loading...
Minutes 06-30-09 MINUTES OF THE BOYNTON BEACH ARTS COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2009, AT 6:30 P.M. AT FIRE STATION #2, 2615 WOOLBRIGHT ROAD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA PRESENT: Barbara Ready, Chair Anderson Slocombe, Vice Chair Christine Moeller Nubia Richman Sherie Tengbergen ABSENT: Barbara Lentz Halena Wolf Dana Cook, Alternate Donn Davenport, Alternate I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order at 6:36 p.m. II. ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS Self-introductions were made. Ms. Coles-Dobay reported she had received telephone calls from Messrs. Davenport and Cook advising they would not be attending the meeting. Mr. Davenport was out of town on vacation, and Mr. Cook would be interviewing for employment. III. AGENDA APPROVAL Motion Ms. Richman moved to accept the agenda as presented. Ms. Moeller seconded the motion that passed unanimously. IV. APPROVE MEETING MINUTES A. Approval of May 26, 2009 Minutes The following changes were requested: 1 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 ?Page 4, X.A.: Change Image to Imagine. ?Page 5, C.1., third line, change $2,500 to $1,500. ?Page 8, last paragraph, change the following sentence: "The theme was supposed to be eco art, but there was not a lot of information available on it." to "The theme was supposed to be eco art, but at that time there were not a lot of artists known that participate in eco or environmental art." Motion Ms. Moeller moved to accept the minutes as corrected. Ms. Tengbergen seconded the motion that passed unanimously. (Mr. Slocombe arrived at 6:39 p.m.) V. ANNOUNCEMENTS Ms. Coles-Dobay announced she had attended the "Americans for the Arts" conference last week at which 40 of the best public art pieces in the nation were recognized. The pieces were chosen from more than 300 entries across the country. Photographs and descriptions of the pieces would be included on a CD-ROM entitled "Americans for the Arts' 2009 Year in Review." Ms. Coles-Dobay had ordered a copy of the CD-ROM and suggested it be presented at the next meeting. A member of the Delray Arts Board had attended the conference, and Ms. Coles-Dobay suggested the Delray Arts Board be invited to next month's Arts Commission meeting. After viewing the CD-ROM, the business of the Arts Commission would follow. Ms. Coles-Dobay suggested the meeting be conducted at the Library Program room and commence at 6:30 p.m. There was consensus to invite the Delray Arts Board to the July 28, 2009 meeting. Ms. Coles would contact the members of the Delray Arts Board to determine whether they would accept the invitation. Ms. Coles-Dobay distributed a handout pertaining to "Roundtable #2," which she had facilitated with Mary Jo Aagerstoun of the South Florida Environmental Art Project. The handouts pertained to eco art, a form of environmental art. The response to the 2 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 Roundtable had been positive and had included discussions on incorporating eco art into public art projects. VI. PUBLIC ART PROJECTS A. Arts Connection The Board had previously decided there would be no Arts Connection programs for July, August or September, 2009. Subsequent program dates were scheduled for October 19, November 16 and December 21, 2009. The Artists of Palm Beach County had previously hosted an opening reception for their visual artwork exhibit at the Library on June 15,2009. They would also like to host a closing reception at the Library on November 16, 2009, which would also include a literary presentation. Ms. Coles-Dobay had previously discussed with the Artavox Committee the type of venue to have for a celebration of artists in the County and whether additional educational programs should be considered to prepare artists for public art projects. She would be scheduling another meeting with the Committee to discuss this further. The Board had previously discussed conducting a visual art interactive workshop with demonstrations being provided by various artists. The purpose of the program should focus on how to entertain, educate and inform the public about artists, the process of public art and the value of public art to the City of Boynton Beach. It was believed venues other than the Library might be more suitable for Arts Connection program demonstrations. Other suggestions for the monthly programs included: ?Providing guidelines on the manner in which artists prepared and submitted their work. ?Selecting a panel to speak to artists and offer suggestions that would help the artists provide presentations. It was believed presentations should have a target audience. If a program were offered exhibiting artwork created by children at the City's Art Center, the Art in Public Places (AIPP) program could help facilitate a summer camp program, and draw an even larger audience. As summer camp concluded in July and school commenced in August, it was suggested the exhibit be held in early September. Another issue was attracting more people to the programs. Ms. Coles-Dobay would send information on the programs to the newspapers and post the events on the 3 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 website and in the Library. It was noted BBTV only broadcasted to Comcast subscribers within the City limits, and it was not known how many subscribers even viewed BBTV. It was suggested flyers announcing the events be included quarterly with the water bills. Ms. Coles-Dobay pointed out to do so would require the programs to be scheduled well in advance. Chair Ready suggested working with the seniors at the Senior Center. The seniors' artwork could then be displayed at the Library on Monday nights or at the Senior Center. It was also suggested a photographer take photographs of the seniors creating the artwork, and the photographs could be displayed as well. Ms. Tengbergen agreed to assume the lead with the senior activities. Ms. Richman agreed to visit the various communities to provide a presentation informing the public about the Art Connections program and the Arts Commission. Ms. Coles-Dobay would provide Ms. Richman with a list of the community associations and the dates of their meetings. She would also furnish a slide presentation on the Art in Public Places program which included a narrative. It was suggested the presentation be interactive and 20 minutes in duration, with questions and answers to follow. Another suggestion included showcasing video productions by youngsters and the manner in which the videos should be presented to an audience. It was suggested Carlton Cartwright be contacted. Mr. Cartwright, a photographer and Director of the Children's Coalition, had worked with at-risk youth through video programs. Ms. Coles- Dobay noted a service provider with the City's Youth Violence Prevention Program instructed participants in the art of video production, and this could be explored as well. Another suggestion was to exhibit the works of Joyce Bruck, who had produced a series of photographic subjects in which she provided a tour of her voyages around the world. It could also be of interest to artists to learn what prompted Ms. Bruck to take a particular photograph. Further information would be provided by Ms. Coles-Dobay. It was suggested parameters be set for the selection of holiday ornaments. The ornaments could be exhibited at an Arts Connection program, and the audience could assist in the selection. A program possibility for Thanksgiving or Christmas featuring eco art would include "Canstruction" (www.canstruction.org), a competition in which sculptures are created using non-perishable cans of food, and prizes are awarded for the best design. Upon the conclusion of the competition, the cans are distributed to local food banks. An inquiry was made as to the Graffiti Art project. Ms. Coles-Dobay advised that the CRA Board had not approved a request for funding based on budget constraints. 4 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 However, Stacey Robinson, Director of the Youth Violence Prevention Program, had expressed an interest in Graffiti Art and had recently discovered monies in her budget to help fund the project. Brenda Oakes, of Palm Beach County, had indicated the County sought participation on some level, either in-kind or funding, by the City or the CRA to move the project forward. It had been suggested in-kind contributions could be made by the Art in Public Places (AIPP) program, on behalf of the City, for the Graffiti Art program. Chair Ready had been instrumental in promoting the Graffiti Art project and brought it to the attention of Lisa Bright, CRA Executive Director. Ms. Bright had established a Community Committee for the Heart of Boynton, and the input received from the community had been provided by the Committee to the CRA Board. If the project were to move forward, it was suggested a video documentary be made by the participants in the Youth Violence Prevention Program. Chair Ready noted the City of West Palm Beach had allocated $1 million to its Youth Violence Prevention Program and had assigned 10 employees to the Program. The City of Boynton Beach employed two individuals for its Youth Violence Prevention Program while serving three times as many children and with half the funding. The Graffiti Art program was designed to teach youth, especially those involved in tagging or negative graffiti, how to funnel creativity into positive art. Once the youths were enrolled in the program, the graffiti artists could explore a theme or concept which could be developed by working with the youth. Once the concept was formulated, the work could be showcased to the community. A program could also be developed to pursue careers in the art profession. VII. VISION PLAN PROGRAMS AND EVENT A.Avenue of the Arts 2008/09 (information emailed 6/15/09) Chair Ready noted she currently serves on the Community Committee. The Committee had recently taken a trolley tour of the CRA district to consider the purchase of artwork to be included in the Seacrest Boulevard beautification project. The CRA had received federal funding for this project. The Community Committee had selected "Butterfly Mandela" as the appropriate artwork, and it was intended the piece be placed in Heritage Park in the Heart of Boynton. The Community Committee had requested the Board's endorsement of the purchase and placement of the artwork. A comment was made that the sculpture was not painted on the back and as such, the material could deteriorate more rapidly. Chair Ready requested a motion to approve the Committee's selection of the "Butterfly Mandela" and for its placement in Heritage Park. 5 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 Motion Ms. Moeller moved to approve the Committee's selection of the "Butterfly Mandela" and their idea of putting it in Heritage Park. Mr. Slocombe seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained that the purchase of artwork displayed on the Avenue of the Arts was not mandatory, especially in light of the current budget constraints. At the last meeting the Board had agreed to purchase "Sirena" and "The Family," and to initiate a call to artists for "Sailfish." The Board had requested Ms. Coles-Dobay obtain additional information from the artists and to negotiate pricing. The artists had responded and provided a great deal of information on their artwork, including pricing and why they believed their work should be considered. In many instances, the prices had been reduced. It was noted any recommendations by the Board would be brought before the City Commission for approval. Chair Ready inquired whether the Board was comfortable making any recommendation to the Commission. Ms. Coles-Dobay noted $22,000 remained in the current year's budget. Funds had already been expended on the base for the "Sea Horse Fountain" and towards the "Opus 14 Sea Turtle," as well as on-loan art and other programs. The question was raised as to whether there would be construction costs for "Sirena" and "The Family." Ms. Coles-Dobay responded affirmatively, indicating the pads would be changed out from year to year and lighting would be necessary as well. The costs for "The Family" were estimated at under $1,000. "Sirena" was intended to be a fountain, and the costs would be a great deal higher. In addition to being more cost effective, it was believed "the Family" also had universal appeal. As it appeared the Board favored "The Family," placement of the artwork was discussed. Suggestions included the Children's Schoolhouse Museum, the Art Center, Veterans' Park, Intracoastal Park playground and Jaycee Park. Motion Ms. Tengbergen moved to recommend the City take a look at buying "The Family." Ms. Richman seconded the motion that passed unanimously. Ms. Coles-Dobay suggested the Board visit Jaycee Park, the Art Center and the Children's Schoolhouse Museum in order to reach a consensus as to the placement of "The Family." 6 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 (Mr. Slocombe left the meeting at 8:03 p.m. and returned at 8:09 p.m.) B.Avenue of the Arts 2009/2010 (invite emailed 6/15/09) Ms. Coles-Dobay included a proposed call to artists with the meeting materials and requested the Board suggest eco or environmental artists to be approached. Suggestions were as follows: ?David Edgar, of Charlotte North Carolina, creates outdoor sculptures ("plastiquarium" creatures) from plastic bottles which could be mounted on pedestals. ?Christine Peloquin, of Mt. Dora, creates portraits from recycled paper, different fabrics, tablecloths and old velvet. ?Tricia Watts, of San Francisco and Amy Lipton, of New York City, are with Ecoartspace, an organization that creates opportunities for addressing environmental issues through visual arts. ?Hong Kong Willie, of the Florida Keys, creates eco art from recycled materials, thereby reducing the world's carbon footprint. ?Jackie Brookner creates site-specific, eco-friendly biosculptures. Ms. Coles-Dobay had met Ms. Brookner at the Americans for the Arts Conference and had knowledge of her projects in West Palm Beach and Broward County. ?Betsy Damon ("Keepers of the Waters" project) uses water reclamation as her medium, and is known by Ms. Coles-Dobay. ?Carey Chen (www.careychen.org.) of Singer Island, is a self-taught, internationally renowned marine-life painter who has donated funds to protect the environment and encourage art. ?Aida Fry creates eco art and paintings using recycled bottles. Ms. Coles-Dobay suggested the Board members visit www.greenmuseum.org which features a number of environmental artists and a good deal of information. C.Programs and Events (continued discussion) 7 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 It was anticipated the kinetic art exhibit would be held in November 2010 and the symposium the third week in January 2011. Ms. Coles-Dobay had contacted the editor and publisher of "Sculpture.com," an international publication. He appeared to be interested in the concept of a kinetic art symposium and in working with "Ralfonso," President of the Kinetic Art Association. The extent of the editor/publisher's commitment was not known at this time. It was suggested kinetic art symposium invitees include teachers and educators, as kinetic art involved math, science and technology. It had been previously suggested the symposium be held at the Intracoastal Park Clubhouse. Ralfonso and other kinetic art experts would be on hand to discuss the mechanics of kinetic art. Kinetic art pieces could be displayed both inside and outside of the building, and it was suggested security be considered during installation of the art. It would be determined whether pads would be installed and whether anchors would be utilized. Ralfonso had toured the area and met with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce. He suggested venues for the symposium include the Promenade or a hotel site. These venues would require the space be leased prior to the event. Another possible venue was the Renaissance Commons. Catering and entertainment for the symposium would require sponsorship dollars. (Ms. Moeller left the meeting at 8:24 p.m. and returned at 8:28 p.m.) It was noted a kinetic art symposium could attract artists, art-related businesses, speakers and the public internationally who would be able to tour the City during their stay. The tour would, in turn, showcase the amenities provided by the City as well as City facilities. Other projects to be considered for next year included the holiday ornament and an on- loan artwork program in which art would be displayed in empty storefront windows in and around Marina Village and Ocean Plaza. Workshops would be scheduled in order to further discuss the exhibit, symposium and other projects. On consensus, the next workshop was scheduled for Saturday, August 1, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. through 2:00 p.m. VIII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None 8 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida June 30, 2009 IX. FUTURE BUSINESS None X. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to discuss, the meeting properly adjourned at 8:34 p.m. n ~:! ~~ CJZ;Yh~<~ Stephanie D. Kahn Recording Secretary 070109 9