Loading...
Minutes 11-12-15MII.NUTES OF THE ARTS COMMISSION MEETING HELD AT FIRE STATION No. 2,2615 W. WOOLBRIGHT ROAD BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015, AT 6:30 P.M. PRESENT: Paul Sirota, Vice Chair Anderson Slocombe Robyn Lorenz Rachel Mondesir Sarah Off utt Kim Weiss ABSENT: Deborah Bottorff I. Call to Order Debby Coles-Dobay, Public Art Manager Vice Chair Sirota called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. II. Roll Call of Members Self -introductions were made. A quorum was present. 111. Agenda Approval Vice Chair Sirota suggested addressing the September 10, 2015, meeting minutes with Item VIII. Motion Mr. Slocombe moved to approve the agenda with the September meeting minutes to be addressed with Item VIII, E. Ms. Coles-Dobay noted new Board Member Kim Weiss was present. Ms. Weiss explained she is in book publishing and she has been the art director for many years. She is a photographer, author and music lover. A book of her photography with inspirational passages entitled "Sunrise Sunset 52 Weeks of Awe and Gratitude" was exhibited at the Civic Center. Ms. Lorenz left the meeting at 6:40 p.m. Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2015 Jane Baude, Personal Assistant to a Boynton Beach resident who owns and operates fitness facilities in the community was present. A few years ago she became interested in glass and pottery painting and more recently, she became a patented inventor. Ms. Baude explained she submitted her application to the City Clerk's Office for appointment to the Arts Commission. The regular members gave a brief summary of their background. Ms. Lorenz returned to the meeting at 6:43 p.m. VI. Announcements and Reports A. Appetite for Art Ms. Weiss explained she attended the Appetite for Art at the Secret Garden on Thursday which featured an Italian dinner paired with a lecture and slide show by Artist Ralph Papa. The paintings were Italian themed and it was a nice event. Ms. Coles- Dobay explained Ralph Papa is a Plein Air artist and one of the founders of the Plein Air Artists of the Palm Beaches. He was instrumental in bringing the Plein Air Artists to the Branding exhibition. The Palm Beach County Cultural Council picked up the idea and instituted it county -wide. They held meet ups and painted the Kinetic Art Exhibit and Symposium and the Pirate Fest. Last summer, Mr. Papa was commissioned and awarded a grant to paint in Farindola Italy. It was a town with no industry or economics and the town thought it was a good way to trigger art and culture tourism. Mr. Papa and other artists painted scenes from all over the town and he wanted to replicate that experience in Boynton Beach, showcase his experience and art, and demonstrate how it helped put that town on the map. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained Appetite for Art was a trial between the Secret Garden and community artists. If the Arts Commission thought the program should continue, they could discuss it at another meeting. B. Wednesday, November 4t", 6-7:30 p.m. "Artists in Florida Exhibit." Opening Reception. Ms. Mondesir attended the event and advised it was well attended. She thought it was interesting to hear the different artists, their explanations of what inspired the artwork, the Artists in Florida program, and it gave attendees the opportunity to learn more about public art throughout the City. The attendees asked questions and engaged the artists about their displays and the Art in Public Places program. Ms. Mondesir posted pictures to Twitter and the Facebook page. The exhibit, which was located on the second floor of the Library, runs through January. Ms. Lorenz commented in general, she was impressed with the quality of the artwork and it was a worthwhile exhibit to see. 2 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2015 VII. Project Updates/Approvals A. Imagine School Public Art Placement Review. Christian Gaston, Development Director for Imagine Schools, and Mary Salas, Facilities Manager, were present. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained in the past Imagine School presented four different four -by -eight f00t murals painted by an artist that were approved, but the issue was where to place them and how to affix them. The murals must meet the City's wind -load standards and a suggestion had been made to install them on the fence. The school wanted them on the building, and there was discussion the placement may not be in relationship to the soccer field. Pictures of the school, which was on High Ridge Road, were viewed. The school's project budget was $3,600. The expense is the installation of the piece and the art. Mr. Gaston explained they had been working on this project for a few years, but the problem with schools was budgets were tight and the 1% of the public art project fee. More recently, they had funding issues due to cuts on the State level. Mr. Gaston proposed to have the murals be more visible from High Ridge Road. They had contemplated affixing the murals to the fence, but the fence was flimsy and the boards were significant. Mr. Gaston met with the City engineer and he pointed out they needed to meet wind -load requirements, so the engineer drew up plans. They spent $2,500 for the artists to create the murals, $525 for a structural engineer and the budget was gone. It cost $1,000 to mount the murals on the building. If they mounted the murals on the fence, the piling footings needed to be five feet deep. If the panels are all together, they would need a frame. If they separated the panels, they needed an L- shaped bracket with a beam. They were considering using the pilings with concrete footers. Mr. Gaston explained this was a preliminary drawing which has not yet been approved by the engineers and he explained the costs. The challenge was the proximity to the athletic complex. The building was 50 feet away. It was originally thought the murals would not be visible from the soccer field, but the members learned the exposure faced south which looked out over the field. It was visible if heading north on High Ridge Road. Mr. Anderson thought placing the murals on the building would have an impact and there was agreement the murals would last longer if affixed to the building. Motion Vice Chair Sirota moved to revert back to the original plan for four murals to face south over the field and to approve the project as originally proposed. Mr. Anderson seconded the motion. A vote was taken and Ms. Lorenz commented she would like to see two of the murals switched in their locations. There was agreement the murals would be switched. The motion unanimously passed. 3 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2015 Vlll. AIPP Strategic Plan/Master Plan a. Public Art Survey Ms. Coles-Dobay distributed a draft survey and explained she worked with the Communications Director to gather input from the community. She noted part of the survey should include educational components in order to obtain basic feedback. A timeline to publish the survey, receive responses, review them and issue a press release was needed. The survey would be available on survey monkey on the City's website Ms. Mondesir inquired if they could use laptop kiosks at City facilities for citizens to complete the survey and learned they discussed a kiosk in the past, but it was a cost issue. Not everyone was connected to the internet. Ms. Coles-Dobay suggested distributing printed forms at the Library and other facilities so the public could take the survey and send it in. Ms. Offutt agreed it was a great idea and volunteered to introduce the survey to residents if needed. Ms. Mondesir also volunteered with the details to be worked out. Ms. Coles-Dobay commented they have a test survey ready she would email to the members. If there were any kinks, the members should contact her. b. Virtual online tour of public art in the City Vice Chair Sirota commented he was confused between Items B and D because they contained the same link. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained they were essentially the same thing. They have an online virtual tour of all the public art in the City which was still a work in progress. If selecting the link, the page should have an image, a map, a location and verbiage about the artist, the name of the artwork and facts about it. Many of them have audios that viewers could use to listen to additional information about the art. The tour started with the Avenue of the Arts. The bottom of the virtual tour has a section the user could scroll through and select. It has a place holder describing the Avenue of the Arts, another for the AIPP program, and an overview. Plaques on the various Avenue of the Arts sites also had QR codes for viewers with smart phones. Ms. Lorenz left the meeting at 7:99 p.m. and returned at 7:20 p.m. A question was posed if there could be a survey link on the virtual tour and Ms. Coles- Dobay agreed to ask the IT Department. They could have a place holder for the survey, and when the survey is over, they could remove it. C. Public Art Archive 0 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida 5=1 .07-M 'ziT Ms. Coles-Dobay explained Public Art Archive is an international organization that maps public art everywhere. There are a lot of forms, grids and images, and Ms. Coles- Dobay selected 20 artworks from the City to start. Other public art sites will be propagated as well. The Public Art Archive connects the City's art nationally. When done, she will issue a press release and then publish it on Facebook. Ms. Mondesir commented the Archive looked good on her mobile device. She could swipe and listen to the audio. It was noted the archive was made to be compatible for computers and mobile devices, but it was not yet configured to show on her tablet. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained the City offered this as a free service. D. Avenue of the Arts program Vice Chair Sirota commented it was important for all the members to view the art on the Avenue. Printed brochures were available and he requested the members take some and distribute them. Ms. Mondesir attended the September 25th Opening Reception at the Civic Center and commented people went to the Civic Center, then read the plaques on the Avenue, and took pictures. They had a good turnout and the Cycle Party Bus was there. Kim Weiss also held her exhibit. She signed books, met all the artists, and advised it was a well - attended and nicely done event. The budget for the reception was viewed. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained the Reception was sponsored by Desjandins Bank who paid $2,611 and the Avenue of the Arts program paid the remaining balance of $301. The cost for the actual Avenue of the Arts exhibit was reviewed. Ms. Coles-Dobay listed all the items that go into the displays and what is done in-house. The total for the exhibit of $11,965, plus the reception cost of $301, yielded a total expense of $12,266. Many items were done in-house or in -lieu of. She explained if they used a design company or graphic designers, it would cost a lot more. It was important to know what the expenses were when they evaluate programs because it would be contained in the Strategic Plan. Ms. Coles-Dobay will create a spreadsheet evaluating comparable programs throughout the country. She noted other programs do not insure public art, or do not market art the way the City of Boynton Beach does. Some programs have different exhibit durations or pay a different artist stipend. The members will have to decide what level they want to keep their program at in order to attract national artists to participate. Ms. Coles-Dobay sent the members media information periodically and she compiled it into one document. The last page of the document contained feedback on the Avenue of the Arts program. Ms. Coles-Dobay advised she would send a more detailed questionnaire. They did it for Plein Air artists and the People's Choice Award. She asked if they should hold another on-line People's Choice contest. The first place price 61 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida prize was $1,000 and the second place prize was $500. She suggested the members consider a piece for a permanent purchase which could be the favorite piece of art on the Avenue, if desired. Motion Ms. Lorenz moved to approve the plan to award a first and second place prize. Mr. Slocombe seconded the motion that unanimously passed. All of the participating artists had a listed price and signed an agreement the piece was available for purchase. Often artists reduce their prices to compete with other artists. Vice Chair Sirota thought it would be good to purchase the first place choice. E. Public Art in City • September 10, tour of public art in the City Motion Ms. Lorenz moved to approve the September 10, 2015 meeting minutes. Ms. Offutt seconded the motion that unanimously passed. Ms. Mondesir explained the art tour started at City Hall and they drove throughout the City looking at the different art pieces. The members held discussions about improving and renovating the art. It was noted The Watering Hole, The Last Pasture and Five Horses by Target were renovated and the landscaping was forthcoming. A document listing where the public and private pieces were located was attached. • Potential sites for public art. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained there had been different presentations about different types of art. Now that they held the tour, the Arts Commission should consider locations that need public art and suggestions about the need to incorporate public art into the Strategic Master Plan. Ms. Coles-Dobay suggested when recommending a site, the members note if it is private property. If so, the owner could be approached for a public-private partnership, which would be more problematic than if it was a city -owned property. Art in Public Places requires public access to art. Vice Chair Sirota understood there were many pieces that were housed in buildings such as the Main Fire House which does not have 24-hour access. The Arts Commission did not approve the project because it was not public. He referenced art in the Aspen Glen community. The Arts Commission approved the work, but felt no one would know it was there. D Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2015 Ms. Coles-Dobay explained there are paintings at the Sims Center that were part of an exhibit, purchased by a sponsor for permanent placement. Mr. Sirota commented on the piece of the World Trade Center that was also in a fire station. Ms. Coles-Dobay explained that was a donated piece. Vice Chair Sirota emphasized the piece was not accessible. There were also paintings inside the Library displayed for purchase. Ms. Lorenz thought accessible public art should be at parks with bike and walking paths. The Arts Commission had also made a presentation regarding art in parks to the Recreation and Parks Advisory Board. Ms. Offutt commented many cities have fun murals on older, run-down buildings which attract people and create visual interest. Miami has embraced that concept and has many murals in the Art Deco District. The Arts Commission has a mural program and they encourage businesses to participate in it. The Arts Commission does not ask about the cost of the mural; they only review it to ensure the concept is appropriate. There is privately -owned land by the railroad tracks the CRA was trying to use for artist's studios. They were contemplating building a mixed-use complex along the railroad tracks. Ms. Coles-Dobay suggested mapping potential mural sites that would be appropriate when they discuss the program. • Types of public art. Ms. Mondesir liked the Island of Tiki People and noted many people do not walk through the Mangrove Walk at Pete's Pond. She thought between the brochures and the survey, many people would learn where the art was located. Ms. Lorenz thought a bus tour, similar to a pub crawl for public art would be helpful. A suggestion was later made to have a combination pub and art crawl. IX. Exhibits A. Bloomer Tree placement. Three locations for the artwork were suggested: The round -about at the Boynton Beach Boulevard Extension; at City Hall on the corner of Boynton Beach Boulevard and Seacrest Boulevard; and at Oyer Park. Ms. Lorenz left the meeting at 8:08 p.m. and returned at 8:09 p.m. After brief discussion, there was consensus the round -about would be the most appropriate location. Motion Mr. Slocombe moved the Bloomer Tree be placed at the round -about. Ms. Lorenz seconded the motion that unanimously passed. 7 Meeting Minutes Arts Commission Boynton Beach, Florida November 12, 2015 X. New Business A. Palm Beach County Art Teachers Association, Brad Jernigan artwork donation. Brad Jernigan Art had been sitting in storage and the Arts Commission had tried to sell the pieces, but was unsuccessful. Vice Chair Sirota discussed the collection with an art teacher who was the Vice President of the Florida Art Association and the Association approached him asking if the Arts Commission would donate items for their annual convention. He approached Ms. Coles-Dobay about the collection. The Arts Commission donated 23 out of 70 pieces which the Association auctioned off and they made money. A letter acknowledging the donation was included in the meeting materials. A motion, although it was after the fact, to donate the drawings was needed. Motion Ms. Lorenz so moved. Ms. Mondesir seconded the motion for the donation to the Florida Art Education Association that unanimously passed. XI. Unfinished Business A. Unofficial Public Art Policy draft. Ms. Coles-Dobay advised she was waiting for the policy to come back which the Arts Commission would review. XII. Adjournment Motion Ms. Mondesir moved to adjourn. Ms. Lorenz seconded the motion that unanimously passed. The meeting was adjourned at 8:14 p.m. r � Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 112515 0