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Minutes 07-08-21 Minutes of the July 8, 2021 Art Advisory Board Meeting Held on July 8, 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 Clovis Moodie Kellie Drum ABSENT: Ace Tilton Ratcliff Martin Klauber Saddam Silverio Ellen Jones, Alternate I. Call to Order Courtlandt McQuire, Board Chair, called the meeting to order to 6:32 p.m. a. Roll Call Self-introductions were made. A quorum was present. b. Introduction of Kelli Drum New Board Member Kelli Drum, explained she was from North Carolina and moved to Gainesville in 2012 and then to Boynton Beach. She manages an Kevin McPherrin International Gallery in Boca Raton, representing 25 international artists,and she handles business development, marketing, curating shows and things like that. She went to school for studio art and graphic design. She is passionate about art and was very interested in the art at the city level. The gallery has all hand painted work and no sculptures. All of the artists are international except for two, and they feature hyper realism, abstract and a little bit of everything. Chair McQuire welcomed her to the Board. c. Appointment of alternate(s) for absent member(s) d. Agenda Approval or Amendments Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 Motion Vice Chair Levine moved to approve the agenda. Ms. Moodie seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. II. Approval of Minutes and Conversations May 13, 2021 Minutes Motion: The May 13, 2021 meeting minutes are approved as written or amended. (Ex. A). Email communication between meetings Motion Vice Chair Levine moved to approve the minutes. Ms. Drum seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Weiss spoke about email communication between meetings and wanted to clarify the Sunshine Laws regarding communication between the Board members. The members are encouraged to talk about art and learn and encourage each other about art, but no communication should take place between board members that suggest any type of action by the Board itself, except during the legally advertised meetings. Sometimes errors take place and he wanted to read into the record that on Monday June 1st, there was some email communication between Board Members, that started with Chair McQuire responding to an email from Vice Chair Levine about a video production stating "love this, we should produce something similar for Boynton Public Art, Glenn do we have funds for this? I think it could be achievable for under$2K." III. Informational Items from the Board Vice Chair Levine commented now that many COVID restrictions were lifted, she has been getting out to art walks and to FATVillage which had been closed down. She went to Wynwood and one the local muralists, Glayson LeRoy is now conducting golf cart tours of a lot of murals he and his group were instrumental in creating. A lot of galleries are opening up in Lemon City, Little Haiti, Upper Buenavista and Overton and she has been taking some of her friends. She noted the Delray Art Walk has resumed. The Cornell Museum has had some exhibits and the Space of Mind School asked her to curate their art. She was unsure how often she would do it, or if it was paid, but she advised things look like they are getting back to normal this month. Ms. Moodie explained in June, she took two more groups to tour the artwork at City Hall and on the Avenue. Vice Chair Levine asked if Ms. Moodie had any tours plans, as she would like to attend. Ms. Moodie explained the attendees are friends of hers, friends of friends and different groups she belongs too. 2 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 Chair McQuire attended the last City Commission meeting and Mr. Weiss spoke about the proposed workshop the Art Advisory Board (AAB) would like to have. Mr. Weiss advised they would speak about it later on the agenda. He did note a lot of the artwork on the Avenue was removed for the hurricane and he will advise when it is reinstalled. Chair McQuire commented the sound at Synersthesia can be changed and he thought they should consider a way to change it, maybe have a contest from students for an art project from the community. Vice Chair Levine recalled it was programmable. Mr. Weiss explained the gentleman who did the engineering, disappeared and did not leave any information about the software and mechanical parts, but recently reappeared. He does not know what is going to happen, but he is now in communication with Mr. Weiss and Mr. Weiss anticipated having to pay him for the information and for him to give the information to someone who could reprogram the piece. He hoped this would take place in a few weeks. Vice Chair Levine recalled the piece by Ralfonso was going to be lit. Mr. Weiss advised the people who installed the lights said the pieces were being damaged by electrical storms and they are not responsible for replacing and reinstalling new lamps. Anderson Slocombe, Town Square Project Manager, was still trying to negotiate a solution, but Mr. Weiss did not know if they would reach a solution. He spoke with Ralfonso who said the lamps are the same lamps as they use in Orlando and there is just as much lightening in Orlando as in the City. Mr. Weiss noted the way the contract for that piece was broken up was problematic in terms of the type of work and who was doing it. One company supplied the lamps, a second installed the sculpture, and a third person did the electrical. They are all blaming one another. Ms. Moody suggested reviewing contracts in the future for more accountability. Mr. Weiss agreed, but did not know if it was a common place occurrence with the Town Square. Vice Chair Levine noted the Janice sculpture has an electrical outlet visible. Mr. Weiss explained it is an alternate electrical outlet they can use if needed. IV. Announcements/Reports A. Boynton Beach Arts & Cultural Center Exhibitions a. Celebrating Public Artists: June 16 —August 25, 2021 Mr. Weiss announced Nicole Blanks, Public Art Coordinator, left the City a few weeks ago. She got a great job designing furnishings and fabrics for the home. All that she was working on was slowed down including the above. They contacted all the artists who have public art in Boynton Beach. The City would like to show new work, such as paintings and sculptures in the gallery of the Cultural Center. If they provide that, the City will create a poster about the artists and their work in the show. There will be two large posters with images of all the art scattered within the City. It was an opportunity to reconnect with all those artists and for Mr. Weiss to form a relationship with artists familiar with the previous Public Art Manager. Chair McQuire liked the idea, noting there are 88 public pieces and around 20 murals. Several artists have more than one 3 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 piece of art in the City. It was a great amount of work and Mr. Weiss was not unsure they can get it done by June 16. He thought it may be delayed a week. Mr. Weiss elaborated the posters are 16 by 20 printed on a glossy material and framed with two or three pictures of artwork in the City created by the artist and information on the artists. It will only be on the first floor of the Cultural Center because they do not have lighting on the second floor. It was not as many artists he would have liked, but some artists are not from Boynton Beach. There was brief discussion on Ms. Blanks' position which has not been posted. It is a 20 hour a week position without benefits. Vice Chair Levine offered the Board's help. Mr. Weiss thought it was okay if members advertise the position on social media after Human Resources releases the job description. b. MLK Student Showcase: August 27 — Sept 13, 2021 Mr. Weiss explained the MLK Committee is collecting artwork about the legacy of Dr. King and have about 40 pieces of student art. The deadline was June 30th. They were going to try to display it at Sara Sims Park, but the amphitheater will be under construction, so it will be at City Hall. They will remove the public art show and display the 40 works for about 10 days in the Cultural Art Center. Chair McQuire asked if a large turnout was expected. Mr. Weiss explained it is the first time the MLK Committee has held something like this. It would normally have been done earlier in the year, but there was COVID to contend with, and this is new. Chair McQuire noted the Nicole Galluccio and another show was nice at the entrance of the theater, but the hallway cannot accommodate 50 people. He thought if they had the show inside the theater and 150 people showed up, it may be better aesthetics than just the hallway as it may be tight. There were already 40 pieces equating to 40 families. Chair McQuire noted they rented walls for the kinetic art show and they have light roller walls, and it would be ideal to have those to set up to create a more formal gallery setting. He thought it was food for thought for the future. Mr. Weiss thought they may be able to use the dance studio that day, since it would not be used that day and the exhibit was a one-day event. Mr. Weiss agreed to think about ways to accommodate the crowd. The event is Saturday the 28th, but the exhibit will run from mid-August to the end of September. Ms. Moodie explained the event is being planned by the Committee who meets regularly, but there are many art organizations involved in planning the event. She thought there would be more people than prior exhibits and she anticipated a larger crowd. It will be very different and give additional exposure to art here in the City. Chair McQuire asked if this the event has been shared on the City's and Art in Public Places social channels. Mr. Weiss responded he has not shared it, but pointed out Events and Marketing are the main coordinators with the MLK Committee. It is on the regular City Calendar of Events and generally, Marketing starts advertising an event about two weeks out. 4 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 B. Call for Exhibitions Mr. Weiss advised they issued the Call for Exhibitions and created a short list. Ms. Jones, Mr. Weiss, and Sophie, the curator at Art Serve in Ft. Lauderdale, along with one other curator from Jacksonville, the later which did not materialize, short listed the submissions down to 10 and will meet to develop a list of exhibits for the next six to eight months depending on how comfortable they are with the artists. Chair McQuire submitted the names of three artists and queried if they made the short list. Mr. Weiss declined to comment until a final decision was made. This exhibit, depending on the quality of the work, will start mid-September and run through to next summer. There may be two strong artists that have the strength to do a solo show. There are others that would show better with a second person show and there were five group show submittals. This would address future exhibitions in the Cultural Civic Center, via multiple artists and solo shows. There was a process. He noted 40 people applied to exhibit. There will be a final cut and the work be displayed in the hallway. There will be a total of six exhibits. A question was posed if a board member could apply to exhibit. Mr. Weiss stated Board members are excluded from selling or exhibiting their work at City events. Chair McQuire noted Board members can exhibit sculptural items in their yards, but there has to be a 15 or 20-foot easement. Mr. Weiss will research the matter. A calendar will be created reflecting all the events. C. Grants SouthArts Cross Sector Impact Mr. Weiss explained they did not get the grant, but there are National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)funds included as part of the American Rescue Plan. NEA: ARP ($50,000) and Our Town ($25,000) Mr. Weiss informed the members he spoke to the NEA and believes as long as he could get the work in, they could receive $50K of that money to be used for whatever project they want. Most grants are for a specific program, but not this one. They will distribute money to art organizations around the nation as long as they meet their qualifications. Fifty-thousand dollars was the minimum grant, so they will apply for it. Another possibility is the Our Town Grant, which is oriented towards civic engagement in the City. They really want the grant to help lead new directions in art amongst the citizens, agencies, city and non-profits. Mr. Weiss thought the grant could be used for the same thing they applied for with the SouthArts grant working with the Zeta Sorority. With the Our Town Grant, they can work with the Zeta Sorority and other organizations, to work primarily with the African-American community to go into the community to find out what kind of art should arise to express people's feelings and thinking, with a special emphasis on the history that may not have been expressed in the community. 5 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 The $25,000 Our Town Grant is a matching grant; however, Mr. Weiss set aside $15K for the SouthArts Cross Sector Grant that the City was not awarded. It works out the same because the Our Town Grant extends over two years. He noted it is competitive. D. Pride Intersection. First & E Ocean The members have viewed the intersection and agreed it looks wonderful. Chair McQuire noted the unfortunate incident with the Pride Intersection in Delray Beach. Mr. Weiss conveyed in Boynton Beach, the unveiling of the intersection was terrific. All came out to attend, including the City Commission and there was a party. Mr. Weiss pointed out St. Petersburg repaints their Pride intersection every year to keep it looking good. The City will evaluate what to do next year. Public Works paid for the paint and will maintain. V. Action Items Review and approval of completed Daniel Heart Center artworks Motion: The stone mosaic artworks by Suha Atiyeh Boustany at the Daniel Heart Center at 2923 S Federal Hwy are approved for compliance with Art in Public Places program (Ex. A). Chair McQuire explained the members saw this mosaic two meetings ago depicting egrets that were very realistic. He thought the building was quite nice, but the way they did the colors, the building really looks great and the artwork helped. He hoped the Center would be full with retail. Mr. Weiss recommended the Board approve the work as the artwork matches what the artists said they would provide, they executed the work accurately and it was highly visible. He wrote them to install plaques about the artists on the wall Motion Ms. Drum moved to approve the above motion. Vice Chair Levine seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. Chair McQuire thought it was a wonderful piece. It was noted the artists are a group of artists from Lebanon who moved to Chicago. Chair McQuire thanked them and advised, if their email could be provided, he will reach out and thank them. VI. Discussion Components of a Mural Program and Ordinance Chair McQuire introduced the item and explained at the City Commission meeting, Mr. Weiss went to great lengths to explain how cities and municipalities operate mural programs. Mr. Weiss reviewed the presentation, which he intended to show the members at the last AAB meeting, but the Board did not meet due to lack of a quorum. 6 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 He reminded the members that right now they do not have a focus, but all murals have to be approved by the AAB. They are reviewing this because Mike Rumpf wanted to take the mural section out of the Sign Code, which means they have to develop a new Code for it and because Commissioner Penserga wanted a mural program. Two actions are needed: the Ordinance, and then to create a program. Mr. Weiss researched mural program ordinances often excluded single-family homes from having murals in their community, but Boynton Beach has no rules on single family homes when it comes to paint, so anyone could paint a mural on their home. The Florida Legislature stopped municipalities from imposing restrictions on single-family homes, excluding HOA's. In this instance, the City will not have an Ordinance prohibiting murals on single-family homes. He met with people in Chapel Hill regarding a mural on the I- 95 sound wall, and Leisureville. It was also noted the City has more ceramic murals than painted murals in the City. He sought to get recommendations about the program and the ordinance from the members. For the benefit of some of the members, Mr. Weiss reviewed the mural program. Community pride is what the Commission is interested in, including community engagement, citizen participation, historic tourism, and anti-graffiti (stopping illegal tagging), although there is graffiti on Federal Highway that is being contested. He reviewed civic functions and inquired if the Board want to pursue the program, queried about how to manage them and the program types/funding. He noted the cities with the most exciting mural programs usually have them operated by non-profit organizations. Many of them use mural festivals as a way to kick-start those programs, which usually begins with bringing in 10 artists to create 10 murals. He noted there are zoning issues, sign ordinance issues that have to do with murals, and commercial messaging issues because if a mural has a commercial message, it becomes a sign. There are various processes for approvals and he did not anticipate any changes on the AAB's approval process based on artistic quality and community standards. He thought the Board needed to come up with language in the Code for when a mural is not in good condition and what must happen. He proposed a $20K pilot program, which is in the budget for next year. The AAB will review and approve all murals and, at the workshop, the Board could discuss locations and themes. He has spoken with the CRA, and if a property owner qualifies, the CRA will fund up to 50% of a paint job or mural. He noted the CRA reduced the total funding of the program to $50K, which could also be used for other things like air conditioning repairs. The Board can investigate non-profit management of the program. He asked for input on those issues and there were no objections to those recommendations. In terms of an ordinance, Mr. Weiss explained it would be a very simple, codified ordinance while using the guidelines to determine whether the mural was acceptable for approval, the criteria for the mural and authorize the City Manager to develop guidelines and an application. Both Doral and Miami Beach have a $500 mural fee. Mr. Weiss recommended no fee, so the issue of fees would be silent in the Ordinance. In terms of zoning, they were going to exclude single-family homes, but opted not to do so. The murals will be exempt from the Sign Ordinance and be in different sections of the Code. 7 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 Ms. Moodie asked how do you differentiate between a mural and a sign and learned a sign is to advertise something. Mr. Weiss would like to see work that is generic. Perhaps more murals in the beer district, perhaps a mural of hops. It is related to the beer industry, it is about something they sell in the store, but it does not say beer. Vice Chair Levine noted the Taco Bell image is considered a mural even though it was Taco Bell's Public Art. Mr. Weiss explained a mural is one form of public art and it is a painted form or applied vinyl printed artwork that is attached to a building. If it looks like a mural, it probably is a mural. Chair McQuire commented a mural could have a minimum size. Ms. Moodie thought the members would have to put time into defining what a mural is and that is the first step of the Ordinance. Mr. Weiss would continue the discussion at regular meetings and would forward information. One issue with murals is there are free speech issues, at the same time while restricting hate speech or images, which is when the definition of Community Standards comes in. They are harder to write, but they deal with cultural principals. Mr. Weiss asked the members to draft goals for the program and why they want art in Boynton. One program he would like, in order to encourage private owners who are in the CRA District, is for the Art in Public Places program to match the funds so it is a free mural program to the owner on the side of their building. Chair McQuire asked if the AAB would designate the buildings or areas best for murals. Mr. Weiss explained if a member knew the owner of a building they could approach them and ask if they would like to have a mural on the side of their building, and they could apply to the CRA for 50% funding and the AIPP would provide the other 50% thus creating a mural at no cost to the owner. The next step is, Mr. Weiss will write an ordinance and a program. Chair McQuire did not think concentrating murals in one area was good and thought they should be scattered about. The downtown will be downtown. Ms. Drum understood both sides of the issue. She agreed with having murals scattered, but when clustered, there is more of an opportunity for art walks, Paint-Offs, and community events. Chair McQuire liked a micro-district as a nucleus to attract people and thought they should see where it goes. Mr. Weiss thought it was a fairly simple ordinance requiring two readings, but it is a land development regulation. The goal is to launch this in January 2022. VII. New Business A. Recommended Agenda for Workshop Chair McQuire noted the Board had discussed having a workshop and they brought up representing diversity in the community, budgetary things people wanted to know about, potential future kinetic art and how to improve the kinetic event. This workshop was brought up at the last City Commission meeting and Chair McQuire thought they were surprised the AAB wanted to meet to create a better program. Some members were 8 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 unaware of workshops, some spoke against it and some supported it. Mr. Weiss had commented at the City Commission meeting, the AAB will create a simple agenda, post it and limit the workshop to a certain timeframe. Chair McQuire thought kinetic art should be included as it is the City's signature event and improvements can be made. The workshop would be two to three hours with a break. After brief discussion, there was agreement to meet on Saturday, August 21 St from 10 a.m. to 12 Noon with a 15- minute break. It was also noted a quorum was not needed to have a workshop because no action is taken. Mr. Weiss explained the AAB has powers in the Ordinance, and the most authority they have is acceptance or denial of artwork on private property. Someone could appeal the Board's decision tote City Commission. Everything else is a recommendation tot City Commission. Mr. Weiss submitted items listed as Future Agenda Items, and reviewed the draft agenda. Vice Chair Levine noted the Night Market was on the CRA's website as an event and it had a bit of an art component to it on the Amphitheater grounds with a flair toward the Delray Market. She thought that event was something they could discuss. Mr. Weiss stated he could ask the CRA to brief them on their event. He suggested under new events, they discuss activities with art vendors on the plaza twice a year. Further discussion followed they could bring in larger artwork ant square. Chair uire thought on the off-years oft kinetic event, they could of a different type of event. He noted the first three it could be discussed at the workshop, as could digital interactive tours and how they could perfect that program or system through technology. Ms. Moodie spoke out digital inclusion and who has access to it. She believed when they discuss public art education, they have the resources to learn about the art and the site. Chair uire thought Channel 1 in public schools may be a way to technologically tie in the program as Channel 1 is broadcast to all the schools in the City. It had previously existed but he was unsure it was still used. After brief discussion, there was agreement to leave the verbiage as-is. Ms. Moodie had an issue with it five. Mr. Weiss advised he will send the 2016 Public Art Master Plan and the guidelines tot members. During the next six months, the guidelines will have to be updated. He thought it was vague and it will be addressed elsewhere. Discussion followed the members could handle the matter the same way as the mural ordinance, with Mr. Weiss providing updates. Mr. Weiss explained he was personally interested in the program and the members should prioritize locations for art int City. The AAB is in a very good circumstance, with two Assistant City Managers and the City Manager all supporting public art. Mr. Weiss explained he will remove number five, in terms of the Mural Ordinance and remove item four, sot members are basically addressing locations and themes for work, evaluation of these programs, new ideas for new programs and things having to do with public education and participation. Chair McQuire explained Ms. Moodie was the only guided tour docent the City has and they should try to improve that program. They also have social media, lectures and talks, is are not being utilized, and other programs around the country upscale their 9 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach, Florida July 8, 2021 activities online. It is easy to interview an artist for 20 minutes and keep it online permanently. (Vice Chair Levine !eft the dais at 7.52 p.m. and returned to the dais at 7.54 p.m.) Ms. Moodie noted they are looking at the guidelines without the update. Mr. Weiss will send all documents and the 2016 Master Plan and the 2007 AIPP Guidelines before the meeting. He advised he will provide all the background information about the program. He also pointed out David Scott is writing a new Strategic Plan and if it is done, he will forward it to the member as they will be useful tools. Vill. Public Comments None. IX. 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 Chair McQuire asked for an update regarding the country club golfer sculpture, recalling it was tilted. Mr. Weiss explained there has been no progress made. The AAB action was not to approve golf man for the construction of the clubhouse at the country club at High Ridge Country Club. It became an item for Community Standards. Chair McQuire requested it be a future agenda item. X. Adjournment Motion Ms. Drum moved to adjourn. Vice Chair Levine seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 8:00 p.m. &)� —((4� Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 10