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Minutes 04-08-21 Minutes of the City of Boynton Beach Art Advisory Board Meeting Held on Thursday, April 8, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Via Zoom Online Meeting PRESENT: Courtlandt McQuire, Chair Kathryn Matos, Assistant City Manager Marcia Levine, Vice Chair Glenn Weiss, Public Art Manager Clovis Moodie, Board Member Nicole Blanks, Public Art Assistant Marty Klauber, Board Member Robyn Lorenz, Board Member Saddam Silverio, Board Member Ace Tilton Ratcliff, Alternate ABSENT: Ellen Jones, Alternate I. Call to Order Chair McQuire called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. a. Roll Call Self-introductions were made. A quorum was present. b. Appointment of alternate(s)for absent member(s) Ace Tilton Ratcliff was appointed to sit as a regular member for the meeting. c. Introduction of Ellen Jones Ms. Jones was not present. d. Agenda Approval or Amendments Mr. Klauber commented he emailed Mr. Weiss about a bifurcated approval process and learned it was on the agenda. Motion Vice Chair Levine moved to approve the agenda. Mr. Klauber seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 II. Committee Procedures A Brief Discussion on Committee Operations. Exhibit A Mr. Weiss reviewed last year's minutes and agendas and noted a few things which he spoke with the legal department about. He reviewed the Draft Arts Board Procedures as contained in the meeting materials, which explained motions have to be framed in the positive. The members should not make a motion that says they do not approve the artwork. The motion should be to approve the artwork and then, if the members do not want the artwork approved, they would vote no and the motion fails. Another alternative is to not make a motion to approve it at all. Vice Chair Levine queried if pros and cons are discussed after a motion is made and seconded. Mr. Weiss the members could discuss the motion's pros and cons, but it is not mandatory to do so. Members can make friendly amendments and minor adjustments and can call the question to end the debate resulting in a vote on the motion. Mr. Weiss explained all members must vote yes or no. There are no abstentions unless there is a conflict of interest. He did point out selection of an alternate to vote in the place of an absent regular member should take place at the beginning of the meeting. Mr. Weiss pointed out when looking through the motions made at the last meeting, the motions were all over the place. He includes recommended motions for various things, and the members can move what they wish, but his recommended motion ensures everything is included in the motion and it is clearly stated. Sometimes it is very difficult to determine which elements or portions of a proposal the motion may apply to and he suggested the members look at some of the samples he provided. Mr. Weiss explained Mr. Klauber suggested instead of approving a motion, project proposal or artwork in which there is a lot of discussion and changes, it should not be a situation the members approve changes in their own mind without seeing what it was. Mr. Klauber expounded except for minor changes, plans that need to be altered should be resubmitted to the Board at the next meeting, so the changes will be clear to the members. Mr. Weiss advised they will use the two-step process, unless all is fine and there were no alterations. Mr. Klauber also commented each time he passes Taco Bell, he gets upset. He suggested when a proposal for public art comes before the Art Advisory Board (AAB), a bifurcated process would allow the AAB to look at the proposal, its size, location when they see the details of their proposal. If there is a consensus about changes in location, size, lighting or any other aspect of the art that should be changed, it should be part of the motion. The other portion of the motion is for the changes to be included in the final submission by the applicant. The members could leave it open ended or set a deadline. It could be used each time and have consideration of the criteria they could informally list so the applicants know about it and the AAB can expect it. 2 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 Chair McQuire noted later on the agenda is a recommendation to have a workshop He thought they could discuss it then. Mr. Klauber spoke about rules of practice and procedure, which would standardize an application to be brought to the AAB. The current application was not to his standards and he has not rewritten it. Mr. Klauber hoped the City Attorney or City Administrator could be included as it would be helpful. Mr. Weiss explained artists need to have simple rules and drawings they submit and it could be evaluated against the criteria. The same thing with the artwork proposals. Right now, the process is loose and a developer could submit pretty much anything they want. III. Approval of Minutes March 11, 2021 Motion: The March 11, 2021 meeting minutes are approved as written or amended. (Ex. D). There was one change on page one which was to correct a typo on Ms. Moodie's last name from Moody, to Moodie. Motion Mr. Klauber moved to approve the minutes as amended. Vice Chair Levine seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. IV. Informational Items from the Board Vice Chair Levine announced she has been out and about a bit more. She read Mr. Weiss's emails and has tried to visit some of the events. She attended the Arts Warehouse event about nature and was trying to get names of artists for future exhibits at the Cultural Center. She attended the Cultural Center and there is a new gallery that opened in Northwood Village. There was an Arts call for the Art Warehouse. Artist Nicole Galluccio and a few other artists are currently in Renaissance Commons for Zero Empty Spaces and she attended art openings. She visited Frank Hyder's studio and bought another Janis piece. Mr. Weiss thanked Mx. Ratcliff for forwarding an article to the Art Advisory Board (AAB) about incredible murals from a truly wonderful place and an article about the history of murals. It was amazing, encouraging and it would be great if they could adapt it to the City of Boynton Beach. Mx. Ratcliff thought it was a beautifully written article. It discussed the details in the murals and how political murals are and how important it is to have a body politic in the mural. It made them more excited about what they can do in Boynton and what the City's mural program will look like. 3 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 Ms. Moodie continues to celebrate the City's kinetic art. She has served as a docent for two tour groups and the attendees were impressed with her knowledge. She thanked Mr. Weiss for the website the City put together and for the map and advised she is taking a caregiving group on a tour the 28th. So far, she took close to 20 people on tours of the outdoor art. Mr. Weiss thanked Ms. Moodie and suggested if the members are not confident to lead a tour, they can call Mr. Weiss and he will give a tour. Ms. Moodie asked about lighting and the Reflections piece, which now has no up-lighting. She thought when it was put in place, there was a conversation about special lighting at different times. When the Town Square was discussed and they were putting artwork together, Ms. Coles-Dobay had two sessions at the Senior Center where they created artwork as well as kids at a camp. It was supposed to be displayed and she wanted to know what happened to that. Mr. Weiss responded the up-lighting for the Reflections piece was problematic. The electrical contractor advised there was a mistake. The lighting failed and was sent back to Australia, but the company refused to replace the lights until they figured out what was wrong and determined whose mistake it was. He learned they are supposed to get new lights when they arrive so they can be programmed. It was a contractor error. The Town Square is 90% complete, but not the sidewalk at Kapok Park. Mr. Weiss put it in his work program and budget for the remainder of this year to try and address it. Mr. Klauber commented lighting manufactures from other countries causes an incredible amount of problems. He referenced the Korean Memorial at the Mall; it has a brigade of soldiers with up-lighting on each soldier. The fixtures were made in Europe and they leaked. The National Parks Service had to contact the foreign manufacturer to have them made over and be relit. He did not know where the fixtures under discussion were made, but they have to be careful, especially with up-lighting, to include this type of information in the contract so the City will know exactly how to get in touch with the manufacturer. The further away, the more difficult it is. Mr. Silverio reminded all about the Sister Cities art event next week. There are close to 39 artworks submitted, but they need three volunteers to serve as judges. He gave the members instructions. The categories are art, literature, photography and music. Mx. Ratcliff, Ms. Lorenz and Mr. Klauber volunteered to serve. Mr. Silverio will send an email to the judges with the details. Mx. Ratcliff attended the Zero Empty Spaces event last week. It was great to see artists and empty spaces used for studio space. Mx. Ratcliff was aware of another upcoming event and would forward the information in an email. V. Announcements/Reports A. Taco Bell Installation (Exhibit C) 4 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 Chair McQuire noted there was discussion about the mural and the Board is now happy with the artwork. Taco Bell changed the drive-through mid-construction and then COVID came through. Taco Bell resent plans, which were approved. He advised Taco Bell did comply with the site plans as approved on January 15th. There was an approved illustration on August 13th and they did make required site changes, but the AAB did not know the Palm Trees blocked the mural. By Code, they need to have visible artwork, so Taco Bell removed the Palm Trees that obstructed the mural. A visual of the mural, railing and lighting fixtures was viewed. Mr. Weiss reviewed what caused the problem was the drawing. There was a box above the mural and one below There was misinterpretation about which box was talked about and they did not get exact information. Now it has better visibility. Planning and Zoning worked with Taco Bell and will be cognizant in the future, as far as their requirements regarding tree plantings. The problem started with the drawing in the Call to Artists. The specifications said four feet tall, and eleven feet wide and artwork here, but the blue square that says "artwork here" was not the same dimensions and was not eleven feet by four feet high. They have to make sure that does not happen in the future. Chair McQuire thought at the workshop they can received proportionate, mechanical drawings to see if it has the correct balance, drawn to scale. There are other things to always review, landscaping, railings and lighting, which the Board did not look at during the process. The lighting is really bad, and if working with the developer early on, they could avoid problems. All these elements should be submitted when considering art. Mr. Klauber thought what Mr. Weiss listed in lessons learned, could be used at the workshop as a basic criterion for discussion. He wanted to incorporate them and hopefully it will inform applicants what to submit and the AAB will know what to approve. Ms. Moodie agreed and noted lessons learned were specific to the Taco Bell project. She suggested a rubric of what to look for when reviewing proposal that is more general in scope, but with critical points, may be helpful. Mr. Klauber agreed as a lot of what the AAB is asked to approve is on buildings and some are free standing. The AAB can adapt the lessons learned to the kind of applications they are being asked to review. Chair McQuire commented they can discuss them at the workshop. He thought they could delete these files in the PDF, and keep the file and send it back to the members for the next meeting, so they can reference the notes. Mr. Weiss will apprise the Board of any lighting improvements. B. Boynton Beach Cultural &Arts Center Exhibitions a. Nicole Galluccio Exhibit, Through April 24 b. Art and Autism Exhibit, April 2021 Chair McQuire reviewed the above exhibits. Ms. Blanks explained they have seven artists for the artists with autism that have works on the gallery wall, including,jewelry, acrylic painting and photography on the gallery walls. There is a virtual exhibit on the 5 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 website one can see videos of each artist's artwork. They were still working with Debby Majors, ADA Coordinator, for something on opening night. c. Upcycle Fashion & Art: Sonya Sanchez Arias and Aidana Baldassarre: May 4 through June, 2021 Ms. Blanks explained the art will be installed the 3rd and 4t" of May. They will have mannequins with upcycled clothing and mood and sketch board hung on the walls. The opening will be 5:00 to 6:30 P.M. on May 7t". Chair McQuire sent an artist who was building a kinetic piece of upcycled art to Ms. Blanks and asked if the artist could be added to the show. Ms. Blanks explained the artist could not at this time. C. Call for Exhibitions (Exhibit D) Mr. Weiss explained they are issuing a call for exhibition, and people, groups and organizations can apply. He encouraged the members to distribute the call which has an online application. A group exhibition could be for any type of art. The art would be displayed on the first and second floor hallway at the Cultural Center although the wall lighting is not good on the second floor. Mr. Weiss included second floor lighting in the budget for next year. The exhibits give artists a lot exposure. If a piece sells, it is already in the contract the artist should make a 30% donation to the City. Chair McQuire thought a discussion on the 30% should be on a future agenda. It is a bit steep and he questioned whether the City wants to make money on artists in art shows in the future. Discussion followed most art shows charge 30% for sold artwork. Wynwood charges are higher and artists pay rent for the wall space. Ms. Blanks explained she spoke with Sonya Sanchez Arias who informed her she usually has to pay to display her art and noted the City gives a stipend to the artists to display. Ms. Moodie thought the idea is the City is encouraging artists to display their artwork. She thought they should have a committee to embrace the art. The AAB gets caught up in selling the art because, based on her observation, of how they market the art and who they attract. As an educator, activist and community member, they look at art as building the community and enriching the life of community members. Mr. Weiss commented if the AAB does not want to charge 30%, it could be removed from the contract. Mx. Ratcliff thought just because other galleries and locations have commissions does not mean the City has to have them and they agreed with Ms. Moodie's comments. Motion Mx. Ratcliff moved to remove the 30% artists donate when they are showing at the City's Cultural Arts Center. 6 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 Mr. Weiss recommended the motion be for all art exhibitions at the Cultural Art Center no fees will be charged to the artist. Mr. Klauber seconded the motion. Chair McQuire commented they can refine the motion as their art events outside of the Cultural Center. He asked if the members wanted the motion to apply to outside exhibits or inside the art center. Ms. Moodie commented the City is paying artists to display and if they sell something, the City gets nothing. She thought it was a win for the artist and not for the City. If the artists make money, the City should get something, but not necessarily a large amount. Vice Chair Levine explained most artists are familiar with paying a commission. Some artists sometimes will take the transaction outside the City it is a moot point as the artist will still make the sale. Whether they kick back a percentage is up to the honesty of the artist. She thought the City should charge zero or a standard commission such as 25%. They could charge the normal fee. Ms. Lorenz thought it cheapens things if they are not charged anything. Most artists know they have to charge a fee and most artists add in the Commission amount into the price of the artwork. Mx. Ratcliff asked where the proceeds of a sale goes and learned it goes into the Art in Public Places Donation line item. They asked how the money is allotted and learned it goes through the City Commission budget process. Mx. Ratcliff wondered if there was a happy medium, perhaps lowering the commission rate, but the monies goes to a sub fund such as for art from disabled or artists of color and the AAB control the funds. Mr. Klauber advised the City Commission would have to designate that responsibility to the AAB. It is a budget hearing determination. Mr. Weiss explained if the AAB has $50K to bring in, rent, or buy art work for kinetic art, the City Commission does not say which artists. If would be the same thing for an exhibition budget. Mr. Klauber hoped someday, if there were high school students with art appropriate for an exhibit in the Cultural Center, it would be displayed. Mr. Weiss explained there are no age restrictions. Mr. Klauber pointed out the process can be partitioned, eliminating the hanging fee, and keeping the commission. Mr. Weiss noted in the mid 80's and 90's, a national motion started that visual artists should not be penalized compared to other artists. Performing artists are paid a fee whether anyone shows up or not. Visual artists are being told they were displaying their art and they should be able to do so for sales. As a result, only certain artists were going to participate because of people who do sell their work. The idea emerged and was implemented. The AAB sets aside $500 per exhibition that is divided up between the artists and they are paid to show their work. It was to reduce economic barriers and also reduces the AAB's concern about what type of art to show. Mr. Klauber encouraged showing art by the local high school students. 7 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 Mx. Ratcliff withdrew their motion. Mr. Klauber withdrew his second. The item would be put on a future agenda. Mr. Silverio asked, regarding the 30% commission, whether the larger pieces, if sold during the year exhibit, are shipped after the exhibit year ended and learned they did and the City would receive a commission on the piece. Discussion followed often a piece will be ordered in a different color, but if the piece is wanted, the artist can sell the exhibited piece and bring in another. Chair McQuire added this item to the next agenda. D. SouthArts Cross Sector Impact Grant: Submitted with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Mr. Weiss explained the City submitted for the above grant, in collaboration with the City's social and racial justice work they are implementing this year to have artists create work in response to that and the upcoming history trail. Board Member Clovis Moodie is a member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, who agreed to partner with the City as the grant requires an art and non-art organization to apply together. Mr. Weiss expressed his belief they were unsuccessful in obtaining the grant as they should have received a letter by Monday. In general, Mr. Weiss thought they should discuss some of the ideas in the workshop and he hoped the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority would still participate with the AAB if they receive the grant in the future. VI. Discussion A. Mural Program Models (Exhibit E) Mr. Weiss viewed the various mural programs as contained in the meeting materials. He explained the AAB has approval power over the murals and pointed out the programs in Philadelphia or Hollywood and Wynwood have economic models. The non-economic models used in EI Paso or San Francisco gives the artists the freedom to create political statements within that community. It generally requires permission of the City in some way. In the U.S. if you do not use privately owned walls, they will not have a significant program and in Boynton Beach, there are not enough municipal buildings. Mr. Weiss explained there are ways to rent walls that allows City money to be spent on them if desired. One program was a basic program run by the AIPP paid for by the City and administered via the Board. They would have to dedicate a substantial part of their budget to make that happen to have an impact in the community, or ask private developers to have murals as they go forward, but there are not a lot of redevelopment projects. Many developers are just paying money and not including art in the project. The AAB could say, do not pay the fee and instead include a mural in the project. Mr. Weiss explained it is a slow accumulation that is random and the AAB cannot control what is happening where. Another program uses the CRA Facade Improvement Program and a "Blank a Wall Ordinance" which is when development in a pedestrian 8 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 area has a lot of blank walls, they could paint a mural; however, the City does not have that many pedestrian spaces and it would require the City Commission to do something. Mr. Weiss thought the programs with successes involve a non-profit community mural organization. Those are the ones, when visiting a city that has a lot of murals, that are successful because they have volunteers that raise funds. Those organizations usually use the Festival Model which is when a bunch of artists come in and the murals are paid for all at once. It reduces costs and the artists tend to paint for less money. He thought if the City wants to have a really successful program, they need a person with a vision who wants to make it happen. The AAB can encourage murals without any program. It would be similar to kinetic before COVID, when all the artists come and met and connected with one another. Generally, there are owners that participate because they think it will raise their rents and property values. Another model is to work with Public Works to handle cross walks, intersections and painting things on the ground or the traffic cabinets which are typically paid for by the Public Works Agency rather than the Public Art Agency. There is digital public art where someone pays to put large digital board installed like in Times Square and they can change the art. He noted every major city will have some of these boards. Due to deals with billboard companies to not put up as many billboards in Florida, it is an issue. The goal of the mural program is for murals to tell the history of the City, have institutional and historical murals, and then murals in specific areas. They could build a mural program about the history of an area. The AAB could create murals by famous artists as a tourist attraction which is not easy to do. The programs are designed to strengthen the community. Sometimes murals are to paint over graffiti. He noted the mural by Sara Sims was an anti-graffiti mural. Another program is to change mural walls every six months, which is primarily used by young artists. The City of Austin is building their own changing mural park by their airport and making it into a museum. Concerns are maintenance and removal and Mr. Weiss gave sample programs to think about. The AAB has to think about how to fund the program, manage it and think about what purpose it is for, and the goal. Ms. Lorenz was aware of a mural on Woolbright on a pharmacy which was not listed. Mr. Weiss agreed to review it. Ms. Moodie inquired if a mural could be painted without approval by the AAB. Mr. Weiss explained the ordinance requires AAB approval, otherwise it can be considered a sign. B. Preliminary Public Art Work Program FY 21 and FY 22 (Exhibit F) Mr. Weiss explained there are a lot of administrative items he and Ms. Blanks are addressing. They will update how they interface with finance, and confirm the art they own and do not own. They want to have clear directions for developers under Developer Fees and Artwork Process so the instructions will be clear and they can fix administrative issues. As for the kinetic, they finished their work on it and the members 9 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 can send artists to him to be included in the next kinetic event. Next year, they will begin the process of inviting people to the kinetic event. This year they will have a Cultural Center exhibition and they will have an exhibition every two months. The remainder of this year will feature the Upcycled Dresses and two more exhibits, and then six exhibitions next year. They will have art on Ocean Avenue. This year the Board has to develop a plan, invite artists to apply and select the artists and the artwork that will be installed when they remove the kinetic art early next year. Mr. Weiss explained they will get rid of the storage facility. City-owned art includes the Opus Sea Turtle; the Tim Collins work that used to be at the Schoolhouse Museum; the Bloomer Tree, which has some issues; the Moonfish, which was recommended for deaccession; the butterflies in glass orbs that have to be installed in a tree; a fiberglass mural; Paul Slater's wind chimes; and some other work that is missing they are slowly starting to find. Next year, they will only have a little bit of air-conditioned storage. Part of the storage had to do with hurricanes, so they are meeting with Public Works to decide how to deal with hurricanes this summer. There were sandblasted images of the Kapok Tree sidewalk, problems with the Synersthesia operation, and questions about the Sea Horse Fountain in Kapok Park, which needs to be discussed. There are maintenance issues and they will review everything this year and then price it out as there are issues with the lights at Dewey Park for next year. Ms. Moodie asked about the green Butterfly Garden in the back of Walmart on 6t" Street by the railroad tracks and if they looked at that. Mr. Weiss explained the Advisory Board will develop a mural policy, guidelines update, a one-year plan, and a five-year strategic plan, which would include diversity and anything else the members want included. He spoke to Baptist Health and they will have a new project, which the Board will review in the future. He and Ms. Blanks will work on improving social media and basic and other promotions. There are a few program ideas regarding general outreach, the Lifeguard stand design proposals, a possible Tom Brewitz artwork on Ocean Avenue, and informational items. Mr. Weiss thought the mural at Sara Sims should have something on it that says who it is, what it is about and who created it. Vice Chair Levine thanked Mr. Weiss and asked if there was a way to put on a schedule of what they already have that are in the kinetic event on Ocean and purchasing one or two items. Mr. Weiss was noted Riverwalk was paying its fees this week, which will balance the budget in general. It is about how much the City Manager will authorize the AAB to spend. Vice Chair Levine hoped if buying something, it be on an agenda item. Mr. Weiss explained they did lose a sculpture. This was to have a piece for the pad if they want it to be in the show. The intent was to see if the Board wanted something for Dewey Park. Vice Chair Levine spoke about the Boynton Beach App, and was unsure if they uploaded anything, but there is a place for art in it. Ms. Blanks was creating a spreadsheet of all the artwork. Ms. Moodie commented when she was showing the artwork, there was no uniformity using Otocast or Instagram to get more information about the piece. It would be nice to have something more consistent in terms of description. Ms. Blanks agreed. They want a barcode that attendees can scan and 10 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 obtain all the information about each piece of art. Mr. Weiss advised Otocast was still working, but they did not pay the $2K to $3K fee to keep using it. Ms. Moodie asked if there was a way to get their information out of there. Mr. Weiss advised they want to switch to a free service like Otocast. Ms. Moodie noted when they were approaching Federal Highway, they were anticipating seeing a piece of art, but the artwork was removed. VII. Action Items (None) VIII. New Business A. Scheduling a workshop session of Arts Advisory Board for a dialogue on the strategic 5-year plan and diversity initiatives. Chair McQuire suggested meeting on a Saturday or before their next AAB meeting on a Zoom call. He asked for input from the Board. Some members wanted a socially distanced meeting and some wanted a hybrid. After discussion, there was agreement the meeting would be a Zoom meeting. Mr. Weiss will send out a survey polling the members to set up a meeting time. It was thought 10 a.m. was a good start time. Mr. Weiss advised Otocast was still working but they did not pay the $2K to $3K fee to keep using it. Ms. Moodie asked if there was a way to get their information out of there. Mr. Weiss advised they want to switch to a free service like Otocast. IX. Public Comments (None) X. Future Agenda Items A. Diversity in Public Art Program B. Future Art Events: Sailfish, Riverwalk, Tour of Town Center Artworks. C. Creation of: Boynton Beach Art Walk D. Boynton Beach City's App E. Updating and Marketing of the Map of all of our city's art F. Zoom events: Talks, tours, etc. Mr. Weiss noted he did not update the list based on the Board's last meeting. Vice Chair Levine asked if anyone got in touch with Kyle Poyner about the kinetic purchase and the commission that goes back to the City. Mr. Weiss explained they need to follow up with him and for the other sales. Vice Chair Levine queried if Amos Robinson should continue to reach out to Mr. Weiss about a kinetic piece. Mr. Weiss responded he contacted him today. It was noted Ron Agan sold five pieces, there were two potential commissions and a sculptural piece was sold. One of the artists explained he would make an exact replica of one of the pieces. 11 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida April 8, 2021 XI. Adjournment Motion Ms. Lorenz moved to adjourn. Vice Chair Levine seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned 8:33 p.m. err f Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 12