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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-21-2019 - CAC - Approved MinutesNewport Beach City Arts Commission Meeting Minutes Thursday, March 21, 2019 Study Session – 5:00 PM Newport Beach Central Library 1000 Avocado Avenue Newport Beach, CA 92660 I. CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 5:03 P.M. II. ROLL CALL Commissioners Present: Arlene Greer, Chair Michelle Bendetti, Vice Chair Barbara Glabman, Secretary Wayan Kaufman, Commissioner Marie Little, Commissioner Commissioners Absent: Miriam Baker, Commissioner Staff Present: Natalie Basmaciyan, Library Services Manager III. NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC IV. PUBLIC COMMENTS Jim Mosher asked if the City Arts Commission will name three alternate sculptures, about the total number of public participants in the survey, and about the meaning of jurists' rankings of the sculptures. Rick Stein, Arts Orange County (ArtsOC) reported 593 unique users cast 1,604 votes in the survey. Chair Greer advised that the panel used 7 as the highest and 1 as the lowest ranking. V. CURRENT BUSINESS A. Items for Review and Possible Action 1. Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park – Phase IV – The Newport Beach City Arts Commission with the assistance of Arts Orange County and a curatorial panel of arts professionals recommends ten artworks and proposes a location for each within the Civic Center Park for the City Arts Commission's consideration. If approved, the City Arts Commission will recommend the ten sculptures to City Council for display in Civic Center Park for a two-year period. Joe Lewis, ArtsOC, reviewed the scoring criteria of artistic merit, durability, practicality, and site appropriateness and information about each artist. Rick Stein indicated Stephanie Bachiero's sculpture, Pinnacle, tied for seventh place in public voting and tied for fifth in jury ranking. Grant Bathke's Hope Springs Eternal ranked Newport Beach City Arts Commission Study Session Minutes March 21, 2019 Page 2 fourth in public voting and 20th in jury ranking. Richard Becker's The Tot ranked 14th in public voting and tied for second in jury ranking. Richard Bohn's Symbolic Ocotillo ranked 11th in public voting and 24th in jury ranking. David Buckingham's Spy Boy ranked 18th in public voting and tied for second in jury ranking. Kenneth Capps' LENZ ranked 31st in public voting and tied for 29th in jury ranking. Lake Daffner's polished stainless steel sculptures ranked second in public voting and tied for 10th in jury ranking. Scott Froschauer's START Now ranked ninth in public voting and tied for 14th in jury ranking. Andrew Fuller's An appliance, an echo, and a mirror, tied for 29th in public voting and tied for 25th in jury ranking. Alex G's Feathers in the Wind ranked third in public voting and tied for 14th in jury ranking. Craig Gray's Slices of Heaven ranked first in public voting and first in jury ranking. Grant Irish's R.M.A.B. ranked 25th in public voting and tied for 12th in jury ranking. Ray Katz's Hurricane tied for seventh in public voting and tied for fifth in the jury ranking. Netra Khattri's cuddle ranked 13th in public voting and 28th in jury ranking. Coral Lambert's Fallen Sky ranked 22nd in public voting and tied for seventh in jury ranking. Diana Markessinis' Kaktos ranked 21st in public voting and tied for 22nd in jury ranking. John Merigian's Contender ranked 17th in public voting and tied for tenth in the jury ranking. Briyana Negrette's Iunu Obelisk ranked 27th in public voting and 31st in jury ranking. Devon Pedersen's Heartbeat ranked 12th in public voting and tied for 25th in jury ranking. Bertil Petersson's Divisions tied for 23rd in public voting and ranked 18th in jury ranking. Sue Quinlan's Kinship Totem tied for 15th in public voting and tied for 25th in jury ranking. Steven Rieman's Chairman of the Board ranked tenth in public voting and tied for seventh in jury ranking. Bill Shillalies' untitled tied for 23rd in public voting and ranked 21st in jury ranking. Timothy Smith's Revised Maps of the Present ranked 20th in public voting and tied for seventh in jury ranking. Nathan Snyder's Tesseract ranked 19th in public voting and tied for 22nd in jury ranking. Kathy Taslitz's Exposed ranked fifth in public voting and 16th in jury ranking. Patricia Vader's Rollin Up ranked 26th in public voting and tied for 29th in jury ranking. Will Vannerson's Borbor 9 ranked 28th in public voting and 19th in jury ranking. Michael Boyce's Mule Deer ranked sixth in public voting and tied for second in jury ranking. Benjamin Victor's Delilah tied for 15th in public voting and tied for 12th in jury ranking. Dane Winkler's Balefire tied for 29th in public voting and ranked 17th in jury ranking. The City Arts Commission may wish to consider the six sculptures ranked in the top ten by both the public and the panel as the primary selections. The six sculptures are Pinnacle, polished stainless steel sculptures, Slices of Heaven, Hurricane, Chairman of the Board, and Mule Deer. The public's opinion diverges from the panel's opinion for the remaining sculptures. In response to Chair Greer's request, Mr. Stein indicated the panel ranked The Tot, Mule Deer, and Spy Boy second and Fallen Sky, Chairman of the Board, and Revised Maps of the Present seventh. Jim Mosher noted expanding the sculptures ranked in the top ten by both the public and the panel to the top 15 can provide four additional sculptures for selection. The four sculptures are The Tot, START Now, Feathers in the Wind, and Delilah. Commissioners agreed to select Pinnacle, polished stainless steel sculptures, Slices of Heaven, Hurricane, Chairman of the Board, and Mule Deer to recommend to the City Council. Commissioner Kaufman noted three of the six are either stainless steel or brushed aluminum. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Study Session Minutes March 21, 2019 Page 3 Jim Mosher inquired about the sculpture from Spain not being included in the voting results. Mr. Stein reported the artist withdrew Geometric Abstraction in Yellow because it has been selected for another exhibition. Sigils was disqualified because it is not an existing sculpture. Chair Greer added that Revised Maps of the Present is not feasible for the Sculpture Garden. Jim Mosher asked if members of the public viewed the sculptures in the same order when participating in the survey. Nicholas Thurkettle, ArtsOC, indicated the order of sculptures was manually scrambled every few days. Motion made by Commissioner Glabman, seconded by Vice Chair Bendetti, and carried (5-0-0-1) to recommend the City Council approve Pinnacle, polished stainless steel sculptures, Slices of Heaven, Hurricane, Chairman of the Board, and Mule Deer for Phase IV of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park. AYES: Greer, Bendetti, Glabman, Kaufman, Little NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Baker Commissioners selected The Tot, START Now, Feathers in the Wind, and Delilah to complete the list of ten sculptures. In reply to Commissioner Glabman's query, Mr. Stein reported there was some concern about START Now being stolen but not about its reflective surface starting a fire or reflected light temporarily blinding a passerby. The sculpture can be positioned so that it does not reflect sunlight. Chair Greer proposed Contender because it is a strong piece and very tall and is not stainless steel or brushed aluminum. The piece will add variety to the selection of sculptures. In answer to Chair Greer's question, Mr. Stein felt the Council could overrule the selection of Mule Deer because of safety concerns. Mr. Lewis suggested the mounting for the piece could mitigate safety concerns. Vice Chair Bendetti proposed Spy Boy because it will add color and increase the variety of sculptures. Commissioner Glabman expressed concern about the lack of height and weight in the pieces chosen. Chair Greer noted Hope Springs Eternal and R.M.A.B. are tall. R.M.A.B. is strong and interesting. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Study Session Minutes March 21, 2019 Page 4 Commissioner Glabman commented that Fallen Sky would bring color to the Sculpture Garden. Chair Greer concurred with adding color, but children can climb on Fallen Sky and possibly fall. Mr. Stein commented that people climb on most sculptures. Commissioners Little and Kaufman preferred R.M.A.B. over Fallen Sky. Vice Chair Bendetti and Commissioner Glabman preferred Fallen Sky. In response to Mr. Stein's inquiry, Library Services Manager Basmaciyan reported she is not aware of any injuries occurring because people or children have climbed on and fallen from sculptures in the Sculpture Garden. Chair Greer advised that she had heard staff talking about children climbing on one of the statues placed close to the street. Mr. Stein had observed children on one of the statues. Signage prohibiting climbing on the statues is placed next to each piece. Chair Greer and Commissioner Glabman noted the public and jury rankings of Fallen Sky and R.M.A.B. Mr. Stein added that Fallen Sky has a higher average ranking. Jim Mosher remarked that START Now could be mounted to face the north so that light reflecting from the surface is not an issue. START Now is intended to be viewed from one side, and it will need to be placed in the Sculpture Garden so that visitors do not approach it from the rear. Mr. Stein indicated the statement of START Now is the sign reads start rather than stop when it is designed as a stop sign. Jim Mosher stated the public rated Hope Springs Eternal and Exposed high, and the Council may prefer pieces rated high by the public. Chair Greer felt Hope Springs Eternal would add color to the Sculpture Garden. Exposed is not tall, but it could balance The Tot. Pat Jorgensen, Newport Beach Arts Foundation Vice President, commented that Hope Springs Eternal is not particularly striking or interesting, but it is colorful. As a piece of art, she could not support including it in the Sculpture Garden. Commissioner Little indicated she loves butterflies and color, but something about Hope Springs Eternal prevents her from wanting to include it in the Sculpture Garden. Exposed is a beautiful piece and has high artistic merit. Chair Greer proposed eliminating Hope Springs Eternal, and Commissioners concurred. Chair Greer felt Exposed is similar to Double Doily, which related to the Sculpture Garden well. Exposed is beautiful and delicate. The pieces under discussion are R.M.A.B., Fallen Sky, Exposed, and START Now. Because Exposed can be viewed from all sides, she advocated for it rather than START Now. Newport Beach City Arts Commission Study Session Minutes March 21, 2019 Page 5 Commissioner Kaufman disagreed in that START Now can be viewed from all sides, and the point of the piece is that it looks different from different angles. Mr. Stein added that START Now is 10 feet tall. Lila Crespin, Newport Beach Arts Foundation, indicated START Now is the only piece that causes the viewer to reflect on the word "start." Most of the pieces are visual only. Mr. Stein noted the City Arts Commission has selected The Tot, Pinnacle, polished stainless steel sculptures, START Now, Feathers in the Wind, Slices of Heaven, Hurricane, Chairman of the Board, Mule Deer, Delilah, Spy Boy, and Contender. Chair Greer indicated the Commissioners are debating the inclusion of Fallen Sky, R.M.A.B. and Exposed. She suggested the City Arts Commission select four alternates as the City Council may eliminate Mule Deer because of safety concerns. Commissioner Little preferred Exposed. Commissioner Glabman asked if Exposed would stand out against the landscape of the Sculpture Garden. Chair Greer felt Exposed is relevant to the landscape of the Sculpture Garden, but its delicateness and beauty would stand out against the park. Mr. Stein reported the artist has stated Exposed needs a pedestal and offered to provide a pedestal. Mr. Lewis added that Exposed is available in a dark and a silver patina. Commissioners debated the appearance of a silver and a dark patina and a pedestal. Commissioners reviewed the honoraria for the pieces selected and under discussion. Mr. Stein advised that honoraria totaled $35,000 for the artists who have indicated an amount. Commissioner Kaufman departed the meeting at 6:20 p.m. Chair Greer recessed the meeting at 6:20 p.m. and reconvened it at 6:30 p.m. After reviewing the public and jury rankings and debating safety issues and returning versus new artists, the City Arts Commission selected Contender, START Now, Exposed, and Fallen Sky as alternates. The City Arts Commission selected Pinnacle, The Tot, Spy Boy, polished stainless steel sculptures, Feathers in the Wind, Slices of Heaven, Hurricane, Chairman of the Board, Mule Deer, and Delilah as the ten pieces for Phase IV of the Sculpture Garden and Contender, START Now, Exposed, and Fallen Sky as alternates. Motion made by Chair Greer, seconded by Commissioner Glabman, and carried (4-0-0-2) to recommend the City Council approve The Tot, Spy Boy, Feathers in the Wind, and Delilah for Phase IV of the Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park with Contender, START Now, Exposed, and Fallen Sky as alternate selections. AYES: Greer, Bendetti, Glabman, Little NOES: None ABSTENTIONS: None ABSENT: Baker, Kaufman Newport Beach City Arts Commission Study Session Minutes March 21, 2019 Page 6 VI. PUBLIC COMMENTS None VII. ADJOURNMENT – 6:45 P.M. Chair Greer adjourned the meeting at 6:45 p.m. Approved by: