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HomeMy WebLinkAbout19 - Donation of Art to the City of Newport BeachCITY OF NEWPORT BEACH - City Council Staff Report June 9, 2015 Agenda Item No. 19 TO: HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director — (949) 717 -3819, thetherton@newportbeachca.gov PREPARED BY: Tim Netherton PHONE: (949) 717 -3810 TITLE: Donation of Art to the City of Newport Beach ABSTRACT: Mr. and Mrs. Gene Crain have offered to donate two paintings to the City of Newport Beach; Northwest Gale Newport Jetty by Rex Brandt, and Pirate's Cove From High by Joan Irving Brandt. Mr. Crain agrees to the conditions of Council Policy No. 1 -11, Donation of Art to the City of Newport Beach, and the City Arts Commission has determined that the paintings meet the City's criteria for acceptance. RECOMMENDATION: The City Arts Commission recommends that City Council approve the acceptance of two paintings into the City Art inventory. FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Exhibiting the pieces in the Central Library will require secure hanging hardware, and a commemorative plaque. Account No. 4002 -8080 — Professional and Technical Services, from the City Arts Commission budget, can fund these services, at a cost of $600.00. DISCUSSION: Gene Crain is a local attorney and art aficionado. As a result of his deep interest in California Scene Painting and his close friendships with artists of the California School, Mr. Crain has amassed a remarkable collection, focusing on watercolors of the Southern California landscape. The collection includes the works of Rex Brandt, Joan Irving Brandt, George James, Phil Dike, and Millard Sheets. Mr. Crain and his wife, Mrs. Diane Crain, with the assistance of Vice Chair Arlene Greer of the City Arts Commission, have offered to donate two watercolors from their collection to the City of Newport Beach, Northwest Gale Newport Jetty by Rex Brandt, and Pirate's Cove From High by Joan Irving Brandt (see attachments A and B). The paintings have been appraised at a joint value of $15,000.00. 19 -1 Historically, Rex Brandt and Joan Irving Brandt are Newport Beach's most significant artists. Born on September 12, 1914, Rex Brandt was an artist renowned for his watercolor paintings of Newport Beach and Balboa Bay. Mr. Brandt served on the Newport Beach Board of Library Trustees in the 1940s and 1950s, helped establish the Newport Harbor Art Museum, and designed the Newport Beach City seal that has become iconic. Mr. Brandt and his wife, artist Joan Irving, shared their Corona del Mar home, "Blue Sky," with many students over the years. This became one of the most successful watercolor schools in California during the 1950s. Through these classes and his many instructional books on watercolor painting, Brandt educated and mentored a large number of professional watercolor artists. Mr. Brandt continued to refine his skills and developed the style of painting which would bring him international recognition. Brandt's most well -known paintings celebrated a bygone era of California, depicting open landscapes, unspoiled seascapes and rustic natural beauty. His wife, Joan Irving Brandt spent her childhood in Southern California. She attended Riverside City College, studying art with Richard Allman and then took additional instruction from Barse Miller and Edward Kaminski in Los Angeles. She began to exhibit her watercolors professionally in the late 1930s and after that time, was included in exhibitions in the United States and Europe. Beginning in 1946, Irving taught painting with her husband, Rex Brandt, in Corona del Mar. She had been an instructor at the Chouinard Art Institute and the Coronado School of Fine Arts Mrs. Brandt also served on the Newport Beach Board of Library Trustees and was active in the establishment of the Newport Harbor Art Museum. Mr. Crain agrees to all the conditions listed in Council Policy 1 -11, Donation of Art to the City of Newport Beach (see Attachment C). Mr. Crain requests that the paintings be displayed in the Central Library in a public area. At their April 2nd meeting, the City Arts Commission determined that the paintings met the criteria of Council Policy 1 -11 and recommended to ask City Council to accept the donation of the paintings. The Board of Library Trustees approved the placement of two paintings donated in the Central Library at their April 20th meeting pending Council approval. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW: Staff recommends the City Council find this action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act ( "CEQA ") pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly. NOTICING: The agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at which the City Council considers the item). ATTACHMENTS: Description Attachment A - Northwest Gale Newport Jetty by Rex Brandt Attachment B - Pirate's Cove From Hiah by Joan Irving Brandt Attachment C - Policy 1 -11 19 -2 ATTACHMENT A Northwest Gale Newport Jetty by Rex Brandt 19 -3 ATTACHMENT B Pirate's Cove From High by Joan Irving Brandt 19 -4 ATTACHMENT C ACQUISITION OF ART BY THE CITY OF NEWPORT BEACH A. The City of Newport Beach ( "City") believes that paintings, sculptures, drawings and other art (collectively, "Art ") placed on City property and in City buildings increases the aesthetic appeal and beauty of such property and buildings, and of the City in general. B. All proposals to donate, exhibit, loan, sell or commission Art to the City (collectively, "Convey(s)," "Conveyed," "Conveying" or "Conveyance ") shall be reviewed by the Arts Commission for recommendation to the City Council. C. The Arts Commission shall be responsible to: 1. Confer with persons who have offered to Convey Art to the City, informing them of this policy, including criteria for approving Art and the policies, criteria and approval process. 2. Advise the City Council of the artistic merit and value of Art offered to the City. 3. Advise the City Council regarding appropriate City property or City buildings for display of Art, in conjunction with the City commission, committee, board and /or department which has responsibility for planning or maintaining the proposed location. D. The Arts Commission shall consider the following criteria in making a recommendation for accepting an offer to Convey Art to the City: 1. The Art should be an original creation or a limited edition by the original artist, and be of the highest quality and level of artistic excellence. 2. The Art should add to the balanced inventory of the City's collection, representing a variety of style, design and media. 3. The person(s) seeking to Convey Art to the City shall complete all required forms, as provided by the Library Services Department. 4. The Art should be of satisfactory physical condition, be sufficiently durable as to not be easily damaged or destroyed, should not require restoration or extensive long term conservation, and should be of a physical size and weight that the Art can be managed in storage, transport and public display without difficulty. Art requiring restoration may only 19 -5 be considered with full disclosure of the restoration costs provided by a licensed art appraiser. 5. The Art should be consistent with and relevant to the civic interests and broad variety of tastes within the Newport Beach community. E. Art may only be recommended by the Arts Commission to the City Council for acceptance upon the majority vote of the Arts Commission. F. Art accepted into the City collection by the City Council is accepted with the understanding that the City Council reserves the right to place the Art on public display on either a permanent or temporary basis, and to store the Art when not on display. Acceptance of Art by the City Council does not guarantee that the Art will be displayed in perpetuity. The City Council may sell, donate or otherwise remove any Art in the City collection. Any proceeds received by the City from the transfer of Art shall be expended to acquire, restore or display Art. G. Art considered for inclusion in the City's collection must conform to City Council Policy I -9 (Art in Public Places). H. The City does not provide valuations or appraisals of Art Conveyed to the City. The value of Art should be presented by the person(s) Conveying Art to the City at the time of Conveyance. It is the responsibility of the person(s) Conveying Art to the City to furnish a valuation to the appropriate government tax agency. I. The person(s) Conveying Art to the City shall obtain all intellectual and photographic property rights to the Art and transfer such rights to the City. The City reserves the right to photograph Art for any and all purposes, including, but not limited to, publicity and informational literature. J. Any person(s) that Conveys Art to the City shall represent and warrant in writing that it owns the Art and that the Art shall be Conveyed to the City free and clear of all liens, restrictions, security interests or agreements by which the City would be bound, but subject to all laws generally applicable to the transfer of title of any work of Art. K. Subject to compliance with California Civil Code Section 987, the City shall assume no liability in the event of loss or damage to any Art accepted into the City's collection. 19 -6 Adopted- February 24,1986 Reaffirmed - January 24,1994 Amended & Reassigned -April 8, 2003 Amended - May 12, 2015 Formerly F -23 Formerly I -13 19 -7