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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5/10/2012 - City Arts Commission - 01 Draft Minutes City of Newport Beach Newport Beach City Arts Commission Thursday, April 12, 2012 – 5:00pm Central Library Conference Room Convened at 5:00pm 1) Call Meeting to Order: Commission Chair Robyn Grant called the meeting to order and asked staff to take roll call; Grant noted that she assumed Commissioner Goldberg would attend as she had not heard otherwise. 2) Roll Call: Commissioners Present: Robyn Grant, Chair; Robert Smith, Vice Chair; Gil Lasky; Christopher Trela; Carole Boller, Arlene Greer. Rita Goldberg arrived 5:10. Commissioners Absent: None Staff Present: Nancy Gardner, Mayor/City Council; Kyle Rowen, Deputy City Attorney; Cynthia Cowell, Library Director; Jana Barbier, Cultural Arts Coordinator Dr. Trudy Sopp, Founder and Consulting Partner of The Centre for Organization Effectiveness. Public Present: Judit Laufer, Jim Mosher, Ken Kuller, Robert Hawkins 3) Public Comments: Sculptor Judit Laufner introduced herself and said that she was interested in finding out how to submit sculpture designs for the new civic center and/or library. Chair Grant deferred to Commissioner Smith. Smith explained that he was the chair of the art in public spaces committee. He explained the MOU with the Orange County Museum of Art and noted that at this point, the museum would be the only organization making recommendations on public art for the new civic center and that any submissions offered by OCMA would be reviewed by the Arts Commission. Smith indicated that the Arts Commission may consider a request for proposals in the future and asked Ms. Laufner to provide her contact information. Jim Mosher noted that public attendance at City Arts Commission meetings was sparse. Mosher spoke to Agenda Item #8: ‘Effective Meetings Training for Boards, Commissions and Committees’. Mr. Mosher stated that, according to California open meetings laws and concepts, it is very important for the public to attend City Arts Commission meetings to see how decisions are made and to be able to participate in and influence this process. Mr. Mosher spoke against the choice of venue for the meeting, and also against having only 3 minutes to speak at the beginning of the meeting. Commissioner Grant noted that other people were at the meeting, and asked them to introduce themselves. Dr. Trudy Sopp introduced herself and noted that she was observing the meeting and also leading the training on effective meetings. Also introduced were Nancy Gardner, City Council; Kyle Rowen, Deputy City Attorney and Cynthia Cowell, Library Services Director. 2 Ken Kuller of Kevin Barry Fine Art introduced himself and asked that members of the commission consider Kevin Barry Fine Art for art at the new civic center. He provided a ‘take- away’ and noted that the Ontario City Hall had effects that might be applicable, but noted that he would be pleased to present a bigger presentation. Kevin Barry Fine Art had taken various historical pictures of the City of Ontario and put them into an ‘art-like’ collage. He also noted that their group had taken various photos of landmarks and filtered the images for a contemporary installation. He discussed that the building has a beautiful ocean theme and hoped to work with that information. Grant deferred to Commissioner Smith. Smith asked to take materials on Kevin Barry Fine Art and would provide an RFQ when and if that is available. Mr. Kuller thanked the Arts Commission for their time. 4) Approval of Minutes: It was MSP (Greer/Trela) to approve the March 8, 2012 Minutes 5) Current Business: A. Consent Calendar 1. Cultural Arts Activities - Grant asked if there were any comments on the staff report. Commissioner Trela asked why Film Festival listings weren’t on the calendar, as the Arts Commission had supported this group with a Cultural Arts Grant. Discussion ensued as to attending the NBFF Seminar Series on April 28. Trela to provide this information to the rest of the Arts Commission. 2. Correspondence and Press - None B. Items for Review and Possible Action 1. Donation of Print of Balboa Branch Library from the Ray Family – Commissioner Grant explained that Mrs. Ray had received this print from a personal friend and wanted to donate it to the City of Newport Beach. Arts Commissioners discussed that the piece was nice, was signed and numbered and that it reflected the history of the library. The artist, Mike Robles, was noted. Commissioner Boller asked if the artwork should be original, and wondered whether the commission could accept the work if it was not. Grant explained that this was a print and that the policies on art were broad. Library Director Cowell noted that she would like to see a gallery of paintings of Newport Beach libraries when the new space is completed. It was MSP (Boller/Smith) to accept the print of the Balboa Branch Library into the permanent art collection and recommend acceptance to City Council. Motion approved unanimously. C. Monthly Reports – 1. Fine Arts Committee – Commissioner Boller reminded everyone of the Newport Beach Art Exhibition and Sale on Saturday, April 14. She provided a “run-down” on the exhibit and noted that the Lenahan artwork would be moved to Central Library to accommodate the award-winners work through June at Oasis. Boller noted that if anyone had questions on their assignments they should contact her. Commissioner Goldberg asked what time she was expected to work in the morning. Discussion ensued as to serving wine/alcohol and it was noted that the Arts Foundation would not 3 be able to provide wine, as they did not have time to vote. It was noted by Commissioner Grant that the City Attorney’s office was present, and asked if the right protocol was followed and/or how the wine could be paid for. Commissioner Grant suggested the money used for entry to the Newport Beach Art Exhibition could be used to pay for the wine, and asked that a policy be shown to the Arts Commission so that everyone would be on the same page in the future. Deputy City Attorney Rowen did state that for this specific event, he would need more information and that the City did have strict policies on serving wine. He noted that there were exceptions, but would need further information. Commissioner Grant asked for a specific policy on alcohol use in recreational buildings, and noted that the City Council policies could be found online. Commissioner Grant asked if there were any other issues with the Newport Beach Art Exhibition and Sale. 2. Performing Arts Committee - Commissioner Goldberg thanked Commissioner Trela for coordinating the Jerry Mandel Jazz Band concert on June 10. She noted that in July it would be The Bracken Band, and wondered if the City had ever had Irish music. She noted that Muldoon’s got huge crowds when Irish bands were playing. Goldberg asked if staff had arranged for the final band on August 5. Goldberg asked about a food truck at the concerts since some people tend to forget to bring picnics. Discussion ensued regarding permits and what would be required. Commissioner Grant noted that a special effort would be required so that the public would know about food being available. Commissioner Lasky noted that he was against food trucks, and that it was rude and distracting to the performers. Commissioners decided to discuss this option further. 3. Museum Tours - Commissioner Goldberg noted that no new museum tours were scheduled. Commissioners discussed various art exhibitions in Los Angeles. 4. Arts Foundation Liaison Committee - Commissioner Greer thanked the Arts Foundation members in advance for their assistance with the Newport Beach Art Exhibition and Sale. She noted that the Foundation members had asked that the Arts Commissioners assist with the Art in the Park event on June 16 from 9am-4pm. Greer gave a rundown on types of art that would be available and specifications for artists. 5. Art in Public Spaces/Historical Preservation Committee – Commissioner Smith reported on a meeting he and Grant had coordinated with the City Attorney’s office regarding a public art piece recommended by the Orange County Museum of Art for temporar y loan to the City called “Bridge over Tree”. Before going further, the subcommittee would wait for input regarding ADA liability regulations from the City Attorney’s office. Deputy City Attorney noted that the opinion had been finalized and forwarded to the City Manager. The conclusion was that the piece did not comply with the ADA and the California Building Codes. Grant asked if this was a formal conclusion or would another decision be forthcoming. Discussion ensued regarding access to the piece, the nature of the piece as visual only and the requirements to have a path that goes close to the piece so that persons with disabilities could get as close as those without disabilities. There was additional discussion regarding placing paths near any sculpture that will be placed in the park. Commissioner Smith noted that places that had been designated for 4 public art in the park are already close to paths. Smith stated that he would meet with members of OCMA to discuss this decision. 6. Publicity Committee – Commissioner Trela had contacted local papers to attend the Newport Beach Art Exhibition and Sale and that he would provide Lynn Selich with information for her society column. 7. Budget Committee – Commissioner Lasky noted that the City budget was winding down (June 30) and that there was money left, but that it was all allocated. Lasky noted that staff had provided a budget report. He noted that on April 4 there was a balance of $10,784. $3,000 was allocated for the juried show, leaving the balance as $7,784. $6500 would be expended on the first concert/licensing, leaving $1,284 dollars, to be used on marketing. It was noted that all of this year’s budgeted funds would be expended. 6) City Arts Commission Announcements or Matters Which Members Would Like Placed on a Future Agenda for Discussion, Action or Report (Non-Discussion Item) - Robyn Grant noted that Councilman Henn had contacted her directly regarding taking on a project for ExplorOcean. ExplorOcean has artifacts that they would like the city to take for long term loan. Grant asked the commission to contact Tim Collins to get further information. Commissioner Trela decided to take this on, find out what they want to lend and report back to the Commission. Grant also announced that a member of the community, Mark Hilbert had a very strong collection of early California art and would like to exhibit a selection of these that represent the State, and Newport Beach in particular. Robyn Grant was blown away by the collection and Arlene Greer is surrounded by his art at her office. Carole Boller noted that Commissioner Greer and staff would be meeting to see the collection on April 17 (corrected to 19). 7) Public Comments on Non-Agenda Items - Introduced new member of the public, Robert Hawkins. 8) Boards & Commissions Training - Chair Grant announced that she would have to leave to catch a plane, and that Vice Chair Smith would continue the meeting. Library Director Cowell announced Dr. Trudy Sopp, Founder and Consulting Partner for the Center for Organizational Effectiveness and noted her many accomplishments. Dr. Sopp was there to help the Commission understand their role. Commissioner Trela announced that he would have to leave also. Discussion ensued regarding making up the training at alternative commission meetings. Dr. Sopp began the training with an introduction and information on how the training was organized. She distributed a hand-out and began a Power Point presentation called “City of Newport Beach – Effective Meetings Training for Boards, Commissions, and Committees” (attached to minutes). Dr. Sopp provided an overview which included information on Model Governance, Meeting Reminders for Members, Five Common Pitfalls, and Suggestions for Effective Public Involvement. She continued with Observations from Today, information on an upcoming Chair and Vice Chair Training Session and information on whom to contact for further information. 5 9) Meeting Adjourned (Lasky/Greer) 7:36pm