Loading...
Minutes 05-13-21 Minutes of the City of Boynton Beach Art Advisory Board Meeting Held on Thursday, May 13, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Via Zoom Online Meeting In Boynton Beach, Florida PRESENT: Courtlandt McQuire, 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 Ellen Jones, Alternate ABSENT: Marcia Levine, Vice Chair Ace Tilton Ratcliff I. Call to Order Chair McQuire called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. a. Roll Call Self-introductions were made. A quorum was present. Ms. Lorenz explained tonight will be her last meeting as she was moving out of town. She advised she has enjoyed serving on the Board and thanked the members. It was noted she has been a Board member for more than 10 years and was on the Board when the first kinetic event was held. Chair McQuire, Ms. Moodie and Mr. Klauber thanked her for her work and wished her well. b. Appointment of alternate(s) for absent member(s) Chair McQuire announced Ellen Jones, Board Alternate, will sit as a voting member in place of an absent regular member and welcomed her to the Board. c. Introduction of Ellen Jones Ms. Jones was glad to be a part of the group and introduced herself. She moved to Florida from Mississippi where she worked at an academic medical center. Her experience with art was with community engagement, and she incorporated two 501(c) 3's related to health, with one of them being a children's museum related to art and funding from art camps. She has lots of experience with reviewing grant writing and budget management. Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida May 13, 2021 When she moved to Florida three years ago, she spent half her time in Delray Beach, which introduced her to community art in the area and she spent a year and a half in Boynton. She was working with Kevin Bishop and they are committed to getting more involved in the community. She met Marcia Levine who suggested she get involved while Ms. Jones was taking an art class. Although art is an interest and not a profession, she hopes her experience and connections will be helpful to the Board. Chair McQuire welcomed Ms. Jones to the Board. Chair McQuire commented Vice Chair Levine and Mx. Ratcliff would not be present. d. Agenda Approval or Amendments There were no amendments made. II. Approval of Minutes April 8, 2021 Minutes Motion: The April 8, 2021 meeting minutes are approved as written or amended. (Ex. A). Motion Mr. Klauber moved to approve the minutes. Ms. Lorenz seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. III. Informational Items from the Board Mr. Silverio thanked Ms. Lorenz, Mr. Klauber and Mx. Ratcliff on behalf of the Greater Boynton Beach Sister Cities for serving as judges for the organization's art competition. He announced there will be an award ceremony, on Saturday May 15t", starting at 11 a.m. It will be about a half-hour long and they will review about 40 entries and award the winner. He will send a link to the members via email to attend the awards ceremony. Mr. Klauber thought it was an experience and pleasure to review and analyze 39 pieces of work, score them and make comments. The theme was Hope and Community. He thought the dedication of the artists was wonderful and there was imagination and creativity. He hoped if anyone had the time, they would accept Mr. Silverio's invitation to attend and he hoped they will see the candidates and know how difficult the job was to choose between the various pieces of art. Mr. Silverio thought the entries were phenomenal. Mr. Weiss commented there will be a 10-minute pop-up dance performance at City Hall from the Palm Beach County Cultural Council as part of Mosaic Month. The event will take place on Saturday at 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., in front of City Hall, which is before the 2 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida May 13, 2021 Sister Cities Award Ceremony. The dance performance is given by a ballet company from Lake Worth. Mr. Weiss announced the Martin Luther King Committee is looking for student work to present in a show they are going to have in August. They are collecting artwork now connected to Martin Luther King's / Have a Dream speech. The submittal deadline is June 30th and the focus is on students that live in Boynton Beach. If the members know a student who may be interested, they should encourage them to participate Chair McQuire explained on he has been going to downtown Ocean Avenue and his daughter plays soccer at the amphitheater on Saturdays. There is good energy with people walking and lots of people interacting with the art. It is a nice experience going downtown and seeing things return to normal. IV. Announcements/Reports A. Boynton Beach Cultural & Arts Center Exhibitions a. Upcycle Fashion & Art: Sonya Sanchez Arias and Aidana Baldassarre: May 7 through June 25, 2021 Chair McQuire announced the exhibits and advised he was not able to make the opening reception on May 7th. Ms. Blanks shared they had about 40 people attend that night, and she thought it was a pretty successful opening. This is the City's second round of exhibits in the Cultural Center and she was receiving comments on social media that people have seen the art after the opening. She thought the public was starting to see the Center as a gallery space. Chair McQuire noted Vice Chair Levine was responsible for the exhibit. Ms. Moodie also attended the opening. She liked the exhibit and had a great conversation with one of the artists. He enjoys the space, the Cultural Center and the surrounding area. It was noted Ms. Arias is from Trinidad and Ms. Baldassare is from Argentina. Diversity in artwork and artists is important. B. Call for Exhibitions Chair McQuire encouraged the members, if they know of artists who may be interested in exhibiting at the Center, to contact Ms. Blanks and Mr. Weiss. Mr. Weiss is reaching out to curators and wanted to convene a panel. He requested two volunteers from the Board sit on the panel. The work will take place in June, but it will be online. Mr. Klauber and Ms. Jones volunteered. C. SouthArts Cross Sector Impact Grant — Finalist Application Mr. Weiss had reported at the last meeting they did not qualify for the SouthArts Cross Sector Impact Grant; however, the organization's communication never reached the City 3 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida May 13, 2021 and on learning further, the City submitted a finalist application. The grant was narrowed down from over 100 applicants to 22 finalists and SouthArts will pick five to seven projects. Mr. Weiss recalled this grant responds to racial and social justice in collaboration with a non-art organization. Mr. Weiss announced the Art Advisory Board is working with Zeta Organization and will involve a Florida International University study the City paid for pertaining to data on racial and social justice in the community. This project will work with diverse communities and especially African-American communities to express the people's thoughts on racial and social justice in the community. The most important thing with the grant is the community will drive the type of expression they would like to meet and not the Art Advisory Board. If they are awarded the grant, they will start in late August with FIU reaching out to the community. Ms. Jones would contact Mr. Weiss about the grant proposal and the study. D. Pride Intersection Design. First & E Ocean Mr. Weiss explained the Pride Intersection is an initiative of Vice Mayor Penserga and is a Palm Beach County and SE Florida-wide initiative that was approved by the City Commission last week. They took the new progressive flag designed by Daniel Quasar and will paint the intersection of SE 1St Street and E Ocean Avenue. Images of how the flag, which would be painted in three weeks, would be overlaid were viewed. The tentative target date for the dedication was June 7t". Examples of flags from other cities were viewed. Mr. Silverio thought it was phenomenal. V. Action Items A. Review of One Plant Mural Andrew Felix of One Plant was present. He reviewed the Benny's signs were removed at his location on Boynton Beach Boulevard to highlight Boynton Beach and being part of having something flashy on the side of the building. They wanted something to pop. Artist Cody Edwards has been producing murals for seven or eight years and is a prominent muralist. Mr. Klauber asked if the side of the building would be lit and learned they were working on installing up-lighting so it will be visible at night. The mural took two and a half to three days to paint, but he had an assistant with him. Some of the mural was done freehand. Chair McQuire thought the artist did a great job. It was noted Mr. Edwards has painted many murals in Europe and the United States. Motion: The "Boynton Beach" mural design by artist Cody Edwards on the One Plant building at 202 E. Boynton Beach Blvd is "approved." Or "requires modification and re-submittal" 4 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida May 13, 2021 Motion Ms. Lorenz moved to approve the mural as stated above. The motion passed unanimously. VI. Discussion Presentation on Murals by Iryna Kanishcheva, Mural Producer, Gainesville Mr. Weiss explained Iryna Kanishcheva was invited to speak since the Board is considering what type of mural to have and she has experience operating a mural program. Ms. Kanishcheva presented her credentials and reviewed the history of Wynwood Walls and how the property value there increased five-fold. She explained the easiest way to find artists is friends and family, personal connections, social media, agencies, the Art Advisory Board or a curator. They can also use a platform, arts management services. Ms. Kanishcheva explained artists can be found by direct call or open call. Direct calls generally attract better talent, but a disadvantage of a direct calls are it can be a biased selection resulting in repetitive line-ups of popular artists. A disadvantage of open calls is open calls have a limited choice of talent among those who apply. Lack of connection is a problem, limited software, no platforms for private property owners and complex bidding system for artists is also an issue. Local art agencies, property owners and community groups usually request murals. Murals are funded through grants, paid for by the business or real estate owner, or via a high-income, high-spending group who wants to empower communities. Ms. Kanishcheva usually gets requests from private property owners who want to renovate their buildings as murals increase traffic to their business. The price to paint one flat color on a building is similar to the cost of a mural, with a mural yielding better results. Ms. Kanishcheva, founder and curator of Monochronicle, has painted over 100 murals over the last six years. She handles everything on her own including artist selection, artist contracts, and she is aware of issues that may arise: issues about copyright, she purchases materials and rents equipment, communicates with the artist. She tries to select artists based on the wall surface and size and she tries to select artists already working in the field. Ms. Kanishcheva has found she can combine direct calls and open call to artists through a platform and she is working on a platform for mural artists only that focuses on their needs. It provides opportunities for everyone. It calls for changes, but it acts more like a curator. When they first show artist space and budget, she shows them images, but it is not always clear what the space is for. They simplify the process and they filter the applications and compare the format to the local agencies. She noted the Chenyobl project, which was a mural at the power plant, using a photograph taken a few days after the explosion. There are also murals of war a zone in Ukraine. The platform was global and many famous artists contacted them to have an opportunity to 5 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida May 13, 2021 paint a mural. In Ukraine, with the permission of the Mayor, they have painted murals that were five to 26 stories high. They provided artists freedom to create where they wanted as long as the images were not too controversial. Another mural was 26 stories tall and was created in only four days. Ms. Kanishcheva spoke about how to measure success, opening events, visitors and participants. If a platform is used, it will provide demographic information. It is important to create community education and develop community engagement. Public art is about inclusion and diversity; it opens minds to cultural differences and helps to create more inclusive environments in the work place. Artist around the world all bring something different. Ms. Jones asked if universities are asked to be involved in these kinds of efforts and learned they were. The University of Florida has an Art in Public Places program and uses a percentage of the construction costs to fund the art. Chair McQuire asked if cities that want to create a mural program can call on her to assist with the process and learned they could. Ms. Kanishcheva started her first project with the City of Gainesville. They hired her as an independent contractor and she served as a curator. She was involved with production. They had a Board to approve the work and deal with issues. She will present something that fits the budget, style and quality. They produced 10 murals by international artists the first year and 40 smaller murals by local artists after. In the beginning, they did not know a lot of artists, now they have more. The next year, there were not as many grants, but they still invite artists each year. The goal of the Gainesville project was to increase tourism and address international issues, which was why they wanted international artists. Mr. Weiss asked what Ms. Kanishcheva tells building owners about their walls in order to get them to participate and learned she shows property owners her portfolio. She tells them she will invite these types of artists and usually they are very receptive. If quality paint is used, it may not need a sealer. She commented if you tell a property owner it will increase their property values, sometimes the property owner will pay for the mural. It is all about cooperation. Chair McQuire thanked her for the presentation. VII. New Business A. Dialogue #1 on Future Programs Mr. Weiss commented the City advisory boards are still under discussion by the City Commission and staff. There are modifications ongoing by the City Commission about how the Art Advisory Board operates, the appointment of the chair and it is an ongoing process. At the moment, advisory boards should not have workshops. He advised it may change next month. He thought the Board should start its discussion in the future. Chair McQuire was looking forward to the workshop and thought it was unfortunate to not have the ability to speak or communicate about the programs, because with monthly 6 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida May 13, 2021 meetings, members come to the meeting cold. He thought an occasional meeting or workshop would be beneficial. Mr. Weiss agreed to take it back and see if the City Commission will change its mind about having workshops, or have a second meeting. Mr. Klauber announced he does not like Roberts Rules of Order. With a workshop, if not guided, it is more informal and the members can talk to each other and exchange views. It can have an agenda, but no motions are needed. He did not favor a second meeting and wanted a workshop with a topic chosen beforehand. Mr. Weiss explained for the master planning sessions, he created questions for the Board to consider based on what he heard recently and how the City is thinking about things. He reviewed some of his questions. Ms. Moodie commented she has taken five or six groups to the Avenue of the Arts and all enjoyed the tour. One woman commented this was the type of art that would be seen in larger cities and even with the event goer's reluctance to take the tour, she enjoyed it. Ms. Moodie had a small booklet she created about the art. She also took a community group, who thoroughly enjoyed it. She thought the group knew the art was in the City, but they did not. Ms. Moodie explained she views art as a way to improve the quality of life, but she believes many people do not know it is there. She thought the Art Advisory Board needs to look at how to promote art beyond festivals. The people are enjoying the art and the variety. Visitors often take pictures of the Lloyd Goradesky piece and one visitor thought it would be a great place to propose. People have different ideas about art. A suggestion was made for Ms. Moodie to record her description of the pieces, make a video and post it on the website, social media or the newsletter Mr. Weiss noted Ms. Moodie brought up something almost no other public art program in the states does, which was to make a concerted effort to introduce City residents to the art in their City. It would be a very interesting thing to continually introduce art to City residents. Chair McQuire suggested putting this on a future agenda to create a program. Mr. Weiss agreed and thought there would be an open discussion of ideas. Chair McQuire asked if the Commission was considering if they need an Art Advisory Board at all and learned the Art Advisory Board will remain. Ms. Jones liked this kind of query and would love a discussion about the reputation of the art, who visits and what type of businesses there are. Mr. Weiss explained even with Roberts Rules, the Board could still have open discussion at regular meetings. Mr. Klauber explained it was not his point. What Ms. Moodie outlined and what would result was an entire workshop in itself. Mr. Weiss asked the members to email topics for a workshop to him. Ms. Moodie thought the four questions Mr. Weiss asked were appropriate questions. VIII. Public Comments None. 7 Meeting Minutes Art Advisory Board Boynton Beach. Florida May 13, 2021 Mr. Weiss explained he received an email from Mx. Ratcliff indicating that they loved the mural on the One Plant building. 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 X. Adjournment Motion Ms. Lorenz moved to adjourn. Mr. Klauber seconded the motion. The motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 7:46 p.m. �' )'' Catherine Cherry Minutes Specialist 8