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Minutes 08-12-21 Minutes of the Art Advisory Board Meeting Held on August 12, 2021, at 6:30 P.M. In the City Commission Chambers, City Hall 100 E. Ocean Avenue, Boynton Beach, Florida PRESENT: Courtlandt McQuire, Chair Glenn Weiss, Public Art Manager Marcia Levine, Vice Chair* Kelli Drum, Board Member Clovis Moodie, Board Member Ace Tilton Ratcliff, Board Member Roland DuBree, Alternate Ellen Jones, Alternate arrived 6:42 p.m. ABSENT: Saddam Silverio Note *: Medical Excuse Approved for Call-in Participation. I. Call to Order a. Roll Call Courtlandt McQuire, Board Chair called the meeting to order at 6:38p.m. Self- introductions were made with the above individuals noted as present. Four members were physically present. b. Excused Absence Requests It was announced Mx. Ratcliff, Vice Chair Levine and Ms. Jones have medical issues have been cleared to call in. c. Introduction of new alternate member Roland DuBree Chair McQuire introduced new member Roland DuBree. Mr. DuBree recently moved to Boynton Beach and he wanted to be involved in events taking place in the City to make it a more beautiful place for all. He is a hair stylist working in Boca Raton. He is attuned to aesthetics and has a creative mind. d. Appointment of alternate(s) for absent member(s) Chair McQuire appointed Mr. DuBree to sit as a regular member. Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 e. Agenda Approval or Amendments Motion Ms. Drum moved to approve. Ms. Moodie seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. II. Approval of Minutes Motion: The July 8, 2021 meeting minutes are approved as written or amended. (Ex. A). Ms. Drum noted her name listed under Present is spelled Kellie, and not Kelli. Mr. Weiss announced Mr. Klauber resigned from the Board. Motion Vice Chair Levine moved to approve the minutes as amended. Ms. Drum seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Mx. Ratcliff asked if the votes from individuals present via phone counted, or if they cannot offer motions. Chair McQuire commented a motion has to be made from seated board members. Motion Ms. Moodie moved to approve the minutes. Ms. Drum seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. III. Informational Items from the Board Chair McQuire did not read the article about the Delray Beach Old School Square. He commented at the last City Commission meeting, Delray Beach voted to discontinue the lease to whoever is operating it now. He hoped things would improve. IV. Announcements/Reports A. Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center Exhibitions a. MLK Student Showcase: August 27 — Sept 13, 2021 The MLK Exhibition that was postponed from February due to COVID is now being exhibited at the Cultural Center. It is composed of student works. B. Grants a. NEA ARP ($50,000) 2 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 Mr. Weiss explained they are applying for the grant. If they are awarded the funds, they can do what they want without matching funds. C. FY22 Public Art Fund Budget (Ex. B) Mr. Weiss explained the proposed budget is going to the City Commission next month. There were no comments. He pointed out page 19 and explained at the moment, the fund is in debt because of expenditures related to the completion of Reflections, Synersthia and other improvements in Town Square. The budgets were determined based on Town Square apartment complexes being constructed, but they were not. At the moment, the fund is in debt, but the City Manager and City Commission appear to be ok with this, because they know the funds will come. As of October 1St,the fund will be even due to developer contributions, but they have very little money. Mr. Weiss pointed out two major components in the budget which were Other Contractual Services and Acquisition of Public Art. The others are minor items. The $86K is to return all the kinetic artwork from the show, and it is the contractual relationship for the Avenue for the Arts, which traditionally follows the kinetic show. It also funds the art shows at the Cultural Center. That is where most of the funds for temporary work is situated. There is a jump from $50k to $86K because the funds for Ms. Blank's position was not filled. Regarding Acquisition of Public Art, Mr. Weiss requested $156K for the purchase of art or permanent items. They will have $56K for the rest of the year. A percentage of the budget has been presented to the City Commission as a pilot for a mural program for next year. In terms of purchasing any hard art, they only have $36K to spend. Ms. Jones offered to help with any of the proposals in terms of grants or foundation funding. Mr. Weiss welcomed her offer to assist. V. Action Items None VI. Discussion A. Draft Mural Ordinance, Guidelines and Program (Ex C) Chair McQuire noted they had a lengthy discussion at the last meeting, initiated by Commissioner Ty Penserga. Now they have a budget and they have to determine how to kick it off and let it grow. Mr. Weiss's goal is for the City Commission to approve it by October. Mr. Weiss noted there were three components, but there will be a change to the Ordinance. The Ordinance will not affect the Board's authority, as being responsible for reviewing every mural that comes before the City and determines if it is appropriate. The other changes were just correcting things in the Ordinance and maintaining the board's authority. It will be removed from the sign ordinance section. An image on the outside of the building will be either a sign or a mural. If it has a 3 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 commercial message, it is a sign, and if not, it is a mural that will be reviewed by the Board. The City Commission requested a new ordinance for murals. The Board always had the power to commission murals. Ms. Moodie asked about Exhibit C and Haitian image of murals. She thought a broader word such as Caribbean murals was more appropriate. Mr. Weiss agreed to make the ill change. She was also aware of the 50/50 split. She asked how the maintenance of murals is handled. Mr. Weiss explained there are two components: one is the guidelines, which is the way in which the Board would evaluate and look at murals and then the program, which was how the Board would make murals come into existence to the Board's initiative, not an artist deciding to paint a mural on the building. There are types of ways to do murals, which is a collaboration with private owners, and the CRA will give up to $5K for people to paint a mural on the building. A 50/50 split could come from the CRA and the other half from the Board, so the owner would not have to pay anything to have a mural on a private building. Chair McQuire asked if they could require a business owner to buy in. Mr. Weiss explained changes can be made. There could be a collaboration of neighborhood. Mx. Ratcliff commented as a homeowner, how would it look if she painted a mural on the front of her home. She wanted to clarify exactly how that looks in that situation and if working with homeowners or private owners, there are a lot of opportunities. Mr. Weiss explained there is a new law prohibiting cities from imposing restrictions on homeowners, but the Board would not have any authority to approve anything on a private single-family home. Chair McQuire thought the Board could decide on a particular area. He noted in Delray there is a fence with art on it, and he requested confirmation they could foster the same concept in the City if they wanted. Mr. Weiss confirmed they could, but the Board and City Commission would have no relationship to it. Ms. Moodie asked if the Art Advisory Board had the authority to do a mural similar to the one in Lake Worth, Mr. Weiss responded they could. The City would have to own the wall or enter into a contract with the owner of the wall and rent the wall for $1.00. Mr. Weiss explained the mural program he laid out was for opportunity. They could work with private owners. They are also working with micro-districting which supports a small area such as the brewery district, downtown, industrial way, or MLK Jr. A micro-area would have enough murals to make it special. Chapel Hill and Leisureville would like to do something for a mural. Can do murals with common interest communities, such as a Caribbean area, a deaf community or who play bridge. They can collaborate with a community, or with school age children. He reviewed the evaluation criteria for the site selection and collaboration. He commented it was important the wall is already sealed. Chair McQuire thought they needed to have a narrow focus by the next meeting, and the members decide what the community would best want or identify businesses in the 4 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 City that may be interested and then at the next meeting fine point it. It is a pilot program and he encouraged the members to put some thought into it. Mr. Weiss reviewed possible projects. The Mayor recommended painting the bases of the solar trees at Oceanfront Park, Barrier Free Park, Hester and Sara Sims. The CRA will not match. They have a program for businesses to paint murals and receive partial funding. They have to focus and hopefully they will get funds in 2022/2023. Chair McQuire is there a data base they use to contact the business community. Chair McQuire that would be a good tool and they would love to have sponsorships. Mx. Ratcliff thought places that do volunteer work usually have limited budget, but can have resource connections. It was thought the Art Advisory Board may be able to work with businesses, LGBTQ organizations and a whole bunch of other things they could connect with a non-profit, and other groups in the community that may want to participate and have ideas on how to execute Chair McQuire requested Mr. Weiss research the issue and contact the businesses. Ms. Drum noted in the brewery district Due South Brewery shares the same warehouse and walls as a Sherwin Williams commercial paint distributor. She thought they could see if they would provide the paint. She was aware the building was leased. Chair McQuire recalled at the last meeting a woman spoke about murals and there was no need to have special paints and there is no need to have lots of glazes on them. Ms. Drum agreed to contact Sherwin Williams and notify Mr. Weiss with the results. Chair McQuire will review the community and take pictures. There are a lot of clever infill areas in which a mural may be appropriate. Mx. Ratcliff recalled a December City Commission meeting, they were talking about the Christmas holiday lights. A man conveyed he felt left out with the focus being on the downtown and not other areas such as MLK Jr. Boulevard. She thought Chair McQuire should check out these areas . Chair McQuire commented members could bring other suggestions Mr. Weiss reviewed future projects. Victor Norfus, Historian in the African-American community, wanted to do a Unity Wall, as was done in Lake Worth, for the 100tH anniversary on Boynton Segregation in 2024, to bring people together. The Wells Landing housing project will not require public art. He thought maybe there was some way to have a mural or art or find some way to contribute to the community so they can have a voice, and that piece be part of the public art program. Mr. Weiss will add the Board's willingness to contact individuals and collaborate with businesses and organizations as they may want to sponsor funds. Mr. Weiss explained people can contribute to the City and it is tax deducted. When more formalized he will submit it to the City Commission as a program. 5 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 Eugene Fagan, 1010 S Federal Highway, explained he is on the Parks and Recreation Board and they discussed a mural on a pump house at the park. He wanted to approach the Art Advisory Board. He is also on the Greater Boynton Beach Foundation and they will pay for the paint. The pump house is the building on the Inlet on the pier. It is an iconic building on the pier, and it was discussed they need more art in the parks. It is at Oceanfront Park, east of the bridge. It is an octagonal building with Spanish tile roof. Mr. Weiss had to check with legal, s it is a County park. They can help them find an artist. He thought someone higher up may be able to contact the county. Mr. Weiss is friends with the person in charge of Art in Public Places for Palm Beach County and he can contact her. The area is unincorporated. Chair McQuire will look into it as the Greater Boynton Beach Foundation will be glad to promote art. B. Avenue of the Arts 2022. (Ex D) Mr. Weiss advised the art would be installed in January or February as the kinetic pieces leave. They can discuss it at the workshop as they will do an evaluation of kinetic, but he wanted to try to find quality work and save money. He contacted the Boca Museum, Norton Museum and FAU to see if they have high quality art they could borrow. Chair McQuire explained the Kinetic Art show is a biennial event and this year is an off year. They rotate out some or all of the seven to 12 pieces that are on the Avenue. They can go with non-kinetic or they can decide to maintain kinetic or a hybrid of sculptural works from people they help curate. He welcomes all new types of art options. In the past, the Board sees artwork and vote on it and the artist has time to install it, it stays on-loan for a year and it is removed just prior to the next Kinetic art. Mr. Weiss reviewed prior art. His idea was rather than issue a call to artists, the going rate for leasing sculpture fora year, the minimum is $1,000 each including delivery and installation, but the fees have increased to $1,500 or$2,000 to lease the work with the delivery. The Museum has a number of works they are interested in loaning, and he contacted the Boca Museum Art School which were not shown. As long as the City can insure them, the art can be displayed. That is an option. If accepted, Mr. Weiss can reach out to other museums and institutions to see what other type of works there are. Chair McQuire liked the idea, but part of the Art Advisory Board's role is to not only retain great diverse art, but to also try to sell it. He asked if the pieces could be sold and the Art Advisory Board receive a commission from the artist. Mr. Weiss advised it has nothing to do with the artists or sales. He did not think it is the Board's role to sell their work except to get a commission. The Board has to consider whether to work with living artists. He commented he has done this for a while, and it is not so easy to get quality pieces. He pointed out these pieces are homerun, out of the park pieces. He liked it, but did not want to fill all 12 slots . Ms. Drum also preferred to work with living artists. She did not want to discredit anyone and not put them in a show for that reason, but only for a 25/75 split as there is a lack of promoting living artists. Ms. Moodie sees the art as a way to improve the citizens quality of life. She endorses the idea of continuing the search for items that can be borrowed and displayed. She 6 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 thought sometimes they are not on the same page regarding the purpose of art in Boynton Beach. She thinks the purpose is to improve the quality of life for Boynton residents. It does not always mean finding artists that live in Boynton Beach. She shows people the art in the City. She is not concerned where the art is form, rather the residents being able to appreciate what they have. Mr. Weiss explained that point is key to discuss in the workshop. Chair McQuire thought they have to explore it more. It can be a hybrid and see where it goes. Mr. Weiss explained this artist is looking for places to put his work. Chair McQuire noted the sea turtle by a local artist was put in a kinetic space. Mr. Weiss wanted to get it out of storage. It needs to be sandblasted and returned to its original nature. Chair McQuire thought a different piece would fit the space better than the turtle. The current kinetic piece kept breaking. Mr. Weiss will investigate this. Ms. Moodie explained it was important to the community to ensure diversity. C. Attachments for Workshop on August 21, 2021, 10 AM, City Hall (Ex E) The City Commission approved the three agenda items for the workshop: they will work on objectives, evaluation for kinetic, and Avenue of the Arts and the temporary program they are working on and recommend policy related to public education and communication, especially with diverse communities. The City Commission comments were they were very interested in the evaluation of the kinetic show and its valuation to the City and how to increase the diversity of the art and artists. Ms. Moodie was looking at the information for Quantum Eco Park and she asked what is going on with the Old Dixie Eco park. Mr. Weiss responded he walked it, it is in good conditions but two sections had plants that died out and owner must replace those. He thought for the time the park was there, it has held up well. The sidewalk and butterfly drawings were holding up well as were the information plaques, except for one plaque that needs to be replace. Ms. Moodie asked if looking at Quantum Eco park, if they would expect the owner to be involved in the upkeep like Old Dixie Eco Park, and learned it is a City park. The land was part of the Quantum Park development, but the land was never made into a park. Mr. Weiss noted last year there was a zoom community discussion and art was a priority. The Landscape/architect company will design pathways through the nature areas, with play equipment and interpretive materials, but it is a simple structure so people can have access to the natural area. With this case, the artist would join the architectural team to add an artistic flair, but also while discussing it with Kacy Young, the Recreation and Park Director and Assistant City Manager Andrew Mack there is a special program with the apartment company nearby that provides a free apartment to an artist who would work on that project. Chair McQuire thought it was a great idea. The $10K payment would come from the Art Advisory Board. An image of the plan was viewed and Mr. Young believes the City will receive $400K to help with the development of the park. 7 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 Ms. Drum commented the intersection at High Ridge and Miner Roads was being turned into a round-about and could potentially accommodate a mural and the breweries are nearby as well. They are doing a full expansion of High Ridge Road. Mr. Weiss commented the only entrance to the City that could accommodate anything interesting is on Woolbright Road by Little League park. The City Commission also recently approved replacing the fence at the Cemetery. By Forest Hill and Chapel Hill, they want to improve a park and were volunteering their time. There is a sound wall at the park which could accommodate a mural. Gary Dunmyer, Interim Director of Public Works and Engineering, wants to do something for Solid Waste workers. Mr. Weiss rode with a solid waste worker on their route, and he thought the public should know about these workers and give them respect. An idea was to hire a writer and photographer, photograph their lives on the road and interview them. Ms. Moodie wondered if it was a moment in time recognizing Solid Waste Workers. Chair McQuire thought tying it with photography would work. Mr. Weiss wanted to have a big performance at the amphitheater, and have a digital work, but permanent work was questionable. He thought using quotes would be good and they can put quotes on poles in the neighborhood. Chair McQuire thought a short documentary could live in perpetuity on YouTube. It could be only seven or eight minutes. Ms. Drum thought they could tie it into a display at Town Square and forever hosted on YouTube after. Mx. Ratcliff thought this was similar to Humans of New York. It is a website of a photographer who set out to discover NY. He would just stop people and then give them a short snip-its which could be turned into a book. Mx. Ratcliff loved the idea. Mr. Weiss explained most of the sanitation workers are African American and unlike finding sculptors, it is easier to find writers and photographers. He hoped Mr. Dunmyer could help with funding. Mr. Weiss thought this could be a six-month project. There are 40 employees in the department. Chair McQuire thought it was important to execute correctly. Mr. Weiss reviewed images he had. He noted the City Commission supports teaming Boynton Artists with Boynton fabricators with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act Funds, but they would have to approve it. Mr. Weiss is applying on the NEA grant, which he would focus on the HOB as the NEA program wants to address communities of color. This would be separate funds from the City's program the City Manager's office wants to do decorative traffic cabinet wraps. The Conrad Pickel recognition seems to have been dropped but Mr. Weiss thought it should be part of the City's heritage. He had large blocks from the congregational church. He asked if the Board should be collaborating with the schools. Ms. Moodie had always suggested in reference to kinetic art, that they collaborate with the schools. It is a great teaching environment and a good way to show how STEM and STEAM come together to make the project. Mr..Weiss would like to see a strong relationship between the social fabric of the community and the Art Advisory Board. VII. Old Business 8 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida August 12, 2021 Report on High Ridge Country Club AiPP Compliance Chair McQuire explained this item was brought up at a meeting and he gave the history of the sculpture. It was mentioned that the sculpture did not fulfill the budgetary requirement and the piece looked like it was pulled off an artist's shelf. They reviewed it to see if it met the AIPP rules, but it was explained the prior Public Art Manager exempted them from that requirement although they did fulfill it largely. It is a gray area. They may have received an exemption because it is not outlined in the by-laws, it is a private country club. They do not have any great course of action and it is not a legal thing they want to pursue. Chair McQuire asked if they could make recommendations to improve it as the sculpture appeared to be leaning, which they can pursue. He understood it likely was not worth their time. He asked Ms. Matos if they could make recommendations to improve its appearance. The Building and Community Standards Department is interested in how it was installed on the site. It is leaning. Chair McQuire suggested if possible they request the plantings be improved, have it straightened and cleaned or add lighting. The piece needed to be spruced up. VIII. New Business None IX. Public Comments X. Future Agenda Items A. Diversity in Public Art Program B. Future Art Events: Guided Tours, Zoom Talks, Monthly Art Walk, Etc. C. Digital Interactive Tour and Map like Otocast D. Coordination of Public Art on Boynton Beach APP E. Continuous Social Media and other Marketing of Pubic Art Mr. Weiss noted he will put time limits on each item of the workshop. XI. Adjournment Motion Ms. Drum moved to adjourn. Mr. DuBree seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 9