The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink About1991-07-15; City Council; 791-5; Recommendation of Ad Hoc CommitteePARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION - AGENDA BILL TITLE:RECOMMENDATION OF AD HOC COMMITTEE ON SISTER CITY ARTWORK (ACTION) RECOMMENDED ACTION: Review and discuss the attached report from members of the Ad Hoc Committee on Sister City artwork and take appropriate action. ITEM EXPLANATION; During the June meeting, two Commissioners were appointed to serve on a committee to develop a recommendation for incorporating Carlsbad's Sister Cities names/flowers/seals into a structure/sculpture planned for inclusion in a City park or facility. The attached report (Exhibit 1) will identify the recommendations of that committee. Committee representatives and staff will be available to answer specific questions concerning the recommendation. FISCAL IMPACT: None at this time. EXHIBITS; 1. Memo/Minutes - Ad Hoc Committee on Sister City Artwork July 3, 1991 July 3, 1991 TO: MEMBERS OF AD HOC COMMITTEE ON SISTER CITY ARTWORK FROM: Manager, Arts Office REPORT ON SUGGESTED SITE FOR ARTWORK At the first meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee the members asked staff to inquire about locating the artwork at the Old Trickling Filter Plant (or Home Plant) on Carlsbad Blvd. It was suggested that the lookout view of the ocean and lagoon provides an aspect of the life and "personality" of Carlsbad and that the plant itself is a natural pavilion which could be enhanced by an art structure. The current status of the Home Plant is that the demolition project has gone out to bid, with bids due back on August 6th. The demolition costs are estimated at $50,000 - $60,000. Construction of a passive park on that site is due to begin in September, 1 991 . A new pump station will be built south of the Home Plant, in the area now used as a car park. There are alternatives for the Ad Hoc Committee members to consider: 1 ) If members are ready to go forward and request that this site be used for Sister City artwork, and not be demolished, the following actions are necessary: 1 ) Consensus of Committee 2) Ratification by Arts Commission, Parks & Recreation Commission, Sister City Committee 3) Recopmmend to Countil for review. Staff may ask contractors to provide an alternate bid keeping the trickling filter plant and creating a pavilion on the top as a location for the proposed artwork. If staff changes the bid, it must be done by July 23. 2) If consensus regarding request to Council is not reached, the plant will be demolished, the site could still house the Sister City artwork but not in the same manner as originally recommended. CONNIE BEARDSLEY 0 cc: Assistant City Manager Director of Parks & Recreation • Director of Library Services Park Development Coordinator Municipal Rejects Manager Project Manager 28 EXHIBIT 1 AD HOC COMMITTEE ON SISTER CITIES ARTWORK MINUTES OF JULY 2, 1991 MEETING Present: Laurie Batter, Zona Deckelman, Anna Knox, Patra Straub Absent: Tony Lawson, Pat O'Day Staff: Connie Beardsley, Colleen Finnegan, Jim Wilstermann The meeting began with a recapitulation of the project and its origins by Connie Beardsley. The Mayor has requested that the involved Commissions and Committees explore alternatives for developing an artwork dedicated to the Sister Cities relationships Carlsbad has established, as our Japanese Sister City, Futtsu, has done. The Futtsu artwork is a raised pedestal with a steel plaque naming Futtsu and its two sister cities and displaying the cities' seals; the pedestal supports three statues of children done in a heavily realistic style. Issues for the Committee to determine included: *Where to locate an artwork 'Whether to use an artist from the U.S., Japan or Czechoslovakia. *Whether the artwork's theme should be specific or international Anna Knox posed further questions for the Committee to respond to: *ls the work a tribute to our Sister Cities or to Carlsbad's involvement with Sister City relationships? *ls the artwork's primary audience visitors from the Sister Cities or Carlsbad residents? *ls it an attempt to share their culture with us or our culture with them? Laurie Batter noted that one way to help people understand foreign cultures is to help them experience those cultures through the senses, including not only sight but sound and touch. Patra Straub commented that the Japanese Garden in Balboa Park has a water element which creates natural sounds that enhance the experience. Laurie Batter suggested considering a sculptural setting which could be expanded. Zona Deckelman described an idea relating directly to Futtsu's artwork expressing a theme of international understanding. This artwork would depict three children in Japanese, Czech and American traditional dress; each child would express the sentiment, "Welcome to My World." Each statue's area would be separate, and yet they would overlap, perhaps by linking hands. Jim Wilstermann described Sacramento's tribute to Sister Cityhood: the Japanese Sister City sent the city a Japanese house which they assembled in a local park and use for community activities. A photo of Futtsu's bell tower was examined and the possibility of doing a similar work considered. One suggestion was that a beil tower could be used as a cation, Beits are important in each of the three cultures. Discussion continued as to the questions raised above. The Committee agreed that the artwork should be meant for both cur visitors and our residents. Laurie Batter pointed out that it need not specifically incorporate •California culture" because everyone viewing it would be surrounded by California culture. Patra Straub suggested sites involving pedestrians and asked when the o 9 new Transit Center would be completed. The Committee agreed that a pocket park might be an appropriate place. Anna Knox responded that she liked that idea but the Parks & Recreation Commission would probably be unwilling to create a new one. Pocket parks are expensive to develop and maintain and are underused. She stated that a specific location with an artwork designed to suit it is more appropriate and successful than a generic artwork placed anywhere. City Hall's front lawn and courtyard were considered. Zona Deckelman noted that a structure or artwork would need to be very small to suit the courtyard and Anna Knox said she'd like to see the work define an area that would then encourage citizens to come to it and use it for picnics, etc. A City Hall site would not accomplish that. The Committee asked itself what makes Carlsbad unique. The ocean and the lagoons are key aspects of the city. Water conservation might make a landscape project inappropriate. The area at the Old Trickling Filtration Plant ("Home Plant1) on Carlsbad Boulevard was discussed. It has a raised water well which could serve as a viewing platform for a 1 80 view of the ocean and Buena Vista lagoon. An art project there would create a new site celebrating Carlsbad which could also incorporate tributes to the international goodwill aspects of the Sister Cities. The Plant is city-owned and scheduled for development into a passive park connecting with a proposed Trails system. The Committee asked about artist selection and Connie Beardsley outlined the procedures used by the Arts Commission for public art: an open competition involving a great deal of time and staff effort, or an invitation to propose works extended to a number of pre-selected artists, with perhaps three finalists creating models of their work. The Committee agreed that the Arts Commission has the expertise to decide and carry out the process. After lengthy discussion of all the above topics, the Committee was polled on key items. The unanimous consensus was: 1) The artwork should incorporate a theme of international understanding; 2) All three Sister Cities (Carlsbad, Futtsu, Karlovy Vary) should be represented; 3)The artist should be American; 4) The recommended site is the Home Plant. The individual Committee members would report to their sponsoring groups and request approval of the project as defined, then meet again to determine specific recommendations to Council. Respectfully Submitted, \ Colleen Finnegan Community Arts Coordinator/Sister City Staff 30