HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/11/2015 - City Arts Commission - 06 Staff Report Sculpture Exhibition - Phase 2ABSTRACT:
The Newport Beach Sculpture Garden Ad Hoc Subcommittee, with the assistance of Arts OC and a panel
of arts professionals, has recommended 10 artworks and proposed a location for each within the Civic
Center Park for the City Arts Commission’s consideration. If approved, the 10 sculptures will be
recommended to City Council for display in Civic Center Park for a two -year period.
RECOMMENDATION:
Approve the 10 sculptures and the proposed locations within the Civic Center Park for the temporary
sculpture exhibit.
FUNDING REQUIREMENTS:
The current adopted budget includes sufficient funding for this project.
DISCUSSION:
In August 2013, the Newport Beach City Council authorized the City Arts Commission and City staff to
implement a temporary sculpture exhibit in Civic Center Park. The City Council approved the installation
of 10 sculptures in year one of the project and additional 10 in year two. The temporary exhibition
would feature public art in locations previously identified by Peter Walker Partners, the landscape
architecture firm that designed the 14 -acre Civic Center Park. The pieces installed in year one will be on
display for two years and would be removed and returned to the artists in 2016. Those installed in year
two, 2015, will be removed in 2017.
Phase 2 of the project commenced in February 2015 and Arts Orange County (Arts OC) was contracted
to provide public art coordination and site management services. The Arts OC project team includes
Green Public Art Consultancy and Display, a company that specializes in art installation.
In March 2015, the City issued a “Call for Entries ", inviting artists, private collectors, galleries and
museums /nonprofit organizations to submit artworks for consideration for the temporary exhibition in
the Civic Center Park. The Call for Entries closed on May 6, and resulted in 81 artworks submitted by
artists for consideration. To narrow the field of candidates, Arts OC assembled a jury panel comprised
of: Todd DeShields Smith, Director of the OC Museum of Art (OCMA), Joe S. Lewis, Dean of the
University of California, Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Julie Lee, Curator of Exhibitions at
the Bowers Museum Rita Goldberg, Chair, City Arts Commission, Robert Smith, Member, City Arts
TO: CITY ARTS COMMISSION
FROM: Library Services Department
Tim Hetherton, Library Services Director
949-717-3810, thetherton@newportbeachca.gov
PREPARED BY: Tim Hetherton
TITLE: Sculpture Exhibition in Civic Center Park – Phase 2
Commission (Chair of the Newport Beach Sculpture Garden Ad Hoc Subcommittee) and Charles Ware,
Member, City Arts Commission. The panel individually reviewed all of the submissions. Each panelist
scored each piece individually through an online process based on the following criteria:
1. Artistic Merit — the artist has strong professional qualifications and the artwork is of high
quality and demonstrates originality and artistic excellence.
2. Durability — the artwork is made of high - quality materials, requires minimal maintenance
and can withstand the outdoor elements of coastal Orange County.
3. Practicality — the artwork is appropriate for audiences of all ages and does not exhibit unsafe
conditions that may bear on public liability.
4. Site Appropriateness — the scale of the artwork is suitable for the environment and the
artwork is suitable for viewing from all angles.
The scores were tallied and the field was narrowed to 26 pieces.
The jury panel assembled on May 21 to discuss each of the remaining artworks as a group and vote for
the final selections. The panel chose 10 artworks and 3 alternates. The panel then spent time in the Civic
Center Park, selecting locations for each piece, generally based upon Peter Walker Partner's Art Master
Plan. A subsequent site visit - involving the consulting team, City staff members, and Robert Smith, City
Arts Commissioner - helped to further refine the proposed locations based upon existing site
sensitivities such as the need to protect habitat and the public view plane, maintaining clear public
access to the entire park's walkways, and maintaining the aesthetics of the new park.
The selected works are submitted for City Arts Commission approval (see ATTACHMENT A, “Sculpture in
the Civic Center Park Exhibition Phase 2 – 2015”.
NOTICING:
This agenda item has been noticed according to the Brown Act (72 hours in advance of the meeting at
which the City Arts Commission considers the item).
ATTACHMENT A: Arts OC presentation