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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-11-26; Arts Commission; MinutesMINUTES Arts Commission November 26, 2001 • 4:00 p.m. • Carlsbad Arts Office The meeting was called to order at 4:00 p.m. Present: Commissioners Held, Shaw, Lignante, Willis, Pynes, Hill Commissioner Rutledge arrived at 4:12 p.m. Approval of Minutes: On motion by Commissioner Hill, The Minutes of November 5, 2001 were unanimously approved. Old Business America Sculpture Donation by Artist Paul Weber Connie Beardsley explained the process of accepting the sculpture donation to the Commission, stating the Commission should review the criteria to determine if the piece meets the criteria established for accepting donations of artwork. She also informed the Commission it should determine if it wants the piece on a temporary or permanent basis and the site location. She then asked Commissioners to watch a video of the November 6, 2001 City Council meeting in the City Council directed the Commission to review the donation, make its recommendation and forward that recommendation back to Council. Mrs. Beardsley stated the artist is willing to donate the artwork on a temporary or permanent basis. She further informed the Commission that she reviewed several site locations with the artist and he agreed to four of them: l)former Split Pavilion site; 2) strip of land along Carlsbad Village Drive in front of the Cole Library; 3) Maxton Brown Park; 4) in front of City Hall. The artist wants the artwork placed on a 3-1/2 ft. high wall. If the piece is placed permanently, the wall will be made of concrete. If the piece is placed temporarily, the wall will be made of wood. Discussion ensued by Commissioners on the height of the letters and readability. The letters are inscribed on both sides. The artist wants the artwork visible and accessible to the public. The letters will be placed in a solid wall with approximately a 2" exposure area between the wall and the bottom of each letter. Commissioner Rutledge was concerned about the Split Pavilion area being a confined space. He further stated he has noticed that the Split Pavilion area is used very differently at different times of the day. Commissioner Lignante motioned the Arts Commission guided by the direction of the city Council, accept the patriotic exhibit America given to Carlsbad by Paul Weber and that it be placed on the site called Split Pavilion for a period of one year and at the end of that year the Carlsbad City Council shall have the sole right to remove America for any reason whatsoever, if they so desire. Seconded by Commissioner Willis. Discussion ensued on whether or not this motion meant the City was accepting the piece permanently. Commissioner Pynes asked if the piece needed to be put on display for public comment before being installed. Mrs. Beardsley replied that if the City was accepting the piece on a temporary basis, it did not; however, if the City decided to keep the piece at the end of the one -year period, it would at that time be placed for public comment. Commissioner Lignante stated the Mayor informed him he would like to see the sculpture placed at the Split Pavilion area. Commissioner Rutledge inquired about other sites the Commission looked at last year. Mrs. Beardsley replied that several sites were reviewed: Safety Center, on Armada Drive, Flower Fields, and Poinsettia Park. The artist was not interested in placing his work at any of these sites. Commissioner Rutledge moved to amend Commissioner Lignante's motion to remove the site specification of the Split Pavilion area. Seconded by Commissioner Shaw. Ayes: Commissioners Hill, Rutledge, Shaw Noes: Commissioners Willis, Lignante Abstain: Commissioner Held Commissioner Held stated she would like to see the sculpture placed at the Naval Training Center or in New York and both sites were secured but the artist did not agree. She does not feel it is appropriate for Carlsbad. Commissioner Lignante moved to amend his amended motion: the Arts Commission, guided by the Direction of the City Council accept the patriotic exhibit America given to Carlsbad by Paul Weber for a period of one year. Seconded by Commissioner Willis. Ayes: Commissioners Willis, Lignante, Hill, Shaw, Rutledge Abstain: Commissioner Held Commissioner Lignante motioned the Arts Commission recommend the City place the artwork America at the former Split Pavilion area for a period of one year. Seconded by Commissioner Willis. Commissioner Willis stated that citizens expressed their concerns about Split Pavilion blocking their "view" and there is no law stating that citizens have the right to a "view." Commissioner Pynes expressed concerns about liability of the piece. Mrs. Beardsley replied that liability falls under the purview of the City's Risk Manager. Commissioner Shaw stated she felt the former Split Pavilion area would be a better site for the piece than the strip of lawn in front of the Cole Library. Commissioner Hill stated that if the former Spilt Pavilion area worked out, the Commission could put the piece on the agenda in approximately 10 months for permanent consideration. Commissioner Willis stated this was an opportunity to get beyond Split Pavilion. Commissioner Rutledge stated he spoke to a number of people who informed him the art was good, but to leave the former Split Pavilion area as it currently is. He did not feel people thought there was a stigma attached to that area. He further stated there are potential issues with this location and felt public opinion should be obtained before this piece is installed. Commissioner Willis replied that requesting public opinion before placing a temporary artwork would be a change in policy. Mrs. Beardsley informed the Commission that this particular policy is an Arts Commission policy and could be changed. Commissioner Rutledge moved to amend Commissioner Lignante's motion of placing the artwork at the former Split Pavilion area to include 7 days of public review at both Carlsbad libraries to provide the Arts Commission with feedback on the placement of the artwork at this location. Seconded by Commissioner Shaw. Commissioner Held moved to amend Commissioner Rutledge's motion to give the public the month of December for comments. Motion failed due to a lack of second. Chair Pynes called for a vote of Commissioner Rutledge's amended motion. Ayes: Commissioners Hill, Rutledge, Shaw, Willis, Lignante, Held Commissioner Rutledge moved to table the amended motion of Commissioner Lignante regarding placement of the artwork America until the December 6 meeting. Seconded by Commissioner Hill. Ayes: Commissioners Hill, Rutledge, Willis, Lignante, Shaw Abstain: Commissioner Held New Business Appointment of Arts Commissioner to serve on Arts Associate Board Chair Pynes appointed Commissioner Rutledge to serve on this board. No Committee Reports On motion by Commissioner Willis, the Meeting adjourned at 5:35 p.m. AMERICA Background The artist, Paul Weber is interested in donating the artwork AMERICA to the City of Carlsbad. You will recall that the Arts Commission considered this piece last year and turned it down unanimously. The primary reason was the Commission could not come up with a satisfactory location. Criteria used for recommending an artwork for the City are: 1. Quality of the art 2. Context for the City; historical, social, geographical etc. 3. Suitable location 4. Maintenance and safety issues Arts Commissioner Bill Lignante asked City Council directly to consider accepting AMERICA and placing it at the Split Pavilion site. City Council in turn returned the request to the Arts Commission for a recommendation, with the added information that they would consider the Split Pavilion site if that was recommended by the Arts Commission. Issue Statement There are several issues that the Arts Commission should look at when considering the acceptance of AMERICA. 1. Permanent vs. Temporary If the artwork is temporary it may be placed in a recommended location for a period of time (3 months to 1 year). Because it is temporary it does not need to go on display for public comment prior to final recommendation by the Arts Commission and then City Council. This would enable the piece to be installed more quickly, addressing Commissioner Lignante's concern that the City needs to show its patriotic support now. If the Split Pavilion site is recommended it may make it more palatable to place it there for a shorter period of time. The issue of blocking the view, raised previously by citizens, should also be considered at the Split Pavilion site. If the artwork is permanent it must go on display for public comment prior to recommending acceptance. The artist is required to sign a waiver that states that the City owns the artwork, the artist waives his or her rights, and the City may move, remove permanently or destroy the art if necessary. The artist has agreed to sign the waiver. If the art is installed permanently it will be bolted to a concrete stand (more like a wall 3 1A feet high and 1-3 feel deep, and 30 feet long) that is how the artist envisions it. A temporary installation would be done with wood, building a similar structure. 2. Location Four possible sites are proposed for the Arts Commission to consider. These have been agreed upon by the artist as suitable to display the artwork. 1. Split Pavilion 2. Max ion Brown Park (corner of State and Laguna Streets) 3. In Iron I of City Hall (some shrubs may have to be cut back) 4. The grass strip between the Cole Library parking lot and Carlsbad Village Drive Staff is in the process of getting estimates for both temporary and permanent installations. I Ray Patchett - AMERICA sculpture Page 1 All Receive For the Information of the: From: Connie Beardsley CITY COUNCIL To: Cliff Lange; Frank Mannen; Ray Patchett AsstCM CA Date: 11/8/01 8:38AM D t ,,'C^^M,, ™Subject: AMERICA sculpture DateJi^ity Mana, • EY1 The Mayor talked with me yesterday regarding the sculpture. The Arts Commission's next regularly scheduled meeting is December 6. He requested that we consider calling a special meeting earlier because this patriotic sculpture is relevant now, and because Bill Lignante called him yesterday requesting that we act now. He also mentioned that he would be willing to see the sculpture at the Split Pavilion site on a temporary basis (2-3 months). I told him there would be considerable cost involved in the installation (each letter will require a concrete pad). He said that would not be a problem. However we do not have that appropriated in our budget. The Mayor's third point was that he thought all the Council would go along with the Commission's recommendation whatever that turned out to be. I will explore installation issues and costs with the artist and I will see if I can get the Commission to have a special meeting this month. Connie Beardsley Arts Manager cbear@ci.carlsbad.ca.us