Full_Commission
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, June 7, 2004
3:00 p.m.
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70
Minutes
President Gatti called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m.
- Roll Call
Commissioners Present
Blanche Brown
Maya Draisin
Stanlee Gatti
William Meyer
Jeannene Przyblyski
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon
Dave Stroud
Ethel Pitts Walker
Dede Wilsey
Shelley Bradford Bell, ex officio
Commissioners Absent
Anne Brauer
Andrea Cochran
Rod Freebairn-Smith
P.J. Johnston
Janice Mirikitani
Dugald Stermer
- Approval of Minutes
The following Resolution was moved, seconded, and unanimously adopted:
RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-120: APPROVAL OF MINUTES ADOPTED
RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby approve the Minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting of May 3, 2004.
NOTE: ALL ADOPTIONS ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
- President’s Report
President Stanlee Gatti reported that the Mayor’s proposed budget merges Grants for the Arts (GFTA) with the Arts Commission. This is a major change, and the details of how it will be accomplished are expected to be worked out over the next few weeks, before the next meeting of the Commission. There are several reasons for the proposed change, and the idea has been mentioned for several years. The Mayor hopes to create one cohesive organization dealing with the arts in San Francisco. There are significant budget cuts, and staff have already been notified of the changes. President Gatti left it to Director of Cultural Affairs Richard Newirth to explain the details of what the cuts mean for staffing, but the Arts Commission will lose six staff positions as a result of the changes. Many responsibilities will need to to be shifted. President Gatti hopes that everyone will be understanding and supportive, as the combined agency moves forward and advances the arts in San Francisco.
- Director’s Report
Mr. Newirth gave more detail on the budget, first offering thanks to Commissioner Gatti and the staff for realizing the severity of cuts and stepping up to ensure the success of the merged organization. As to the outcome of the budget negotiations, there was some positive news: the original proposal called for the elimination of nine positions, but that was whittled down to six. Among the losses, the least painful cuts call for the elimination of two positions currently vacant: a .4-time accounting position and a .25-time human resources position. More painful is the loss of the gallery manager position recently vacated by Natasha Garcia-Lomas. The agency is committed to figuring out how to staff the gallery and is looking at it differently. The Mayor proposed closing the Chinatown Community Arts Program; discussions are being held with the Chinese Cultural Center to see how else this community can be served, should the closure occur. The cultural facilities manager’s position has been eliminated. The senior accountant’s position has been lost, predicated on the assumption that the newly joint agency would be able to manage its finances in a more streamlined way. Finally, Civic Art Collection Director Debra Lehane is not unhappy that her positon is being eliminated; she plans to take early retirement. The next period will be tough, though he believes both staffs and the Commission will all work together.
Mr. Newirth asked for the support of the Commission in the next couple of months, particularly for the Board of Supervisors’ budget hearings. These are currently scheduled for June 23 through June 30. In past years, the “arts cluster” was heard separately. This year, it is right in the center of the schedule, so it will be harder to find out exactly when the hearings on the Arts Commission will occur. Mr. Newirth paused to welcome Commissioner Shelley Bradford Bell, President of the Planning Commission, as ex-officio member of the Arts Commission.
Commissioner Bradford Bell said that the Planning Commission is working on the General Plan, and would like an update on the arts element. At the Planning Department, they are working on how to prioritize moving forward. She has asked Mr. Newirth to speak to the Planning Commission with an evaluation of what has worked, what hasn’t, and what the Arts Commission sees as the greatest need.
Mr. Newirth made several announcements. On June 17, the Gallery will be opening a show called Global Priority, which investigates the phenomenon of globalization. There will also be a forum with social theorist Immanuel Wallerstein, Eddie Yuen and others. Gallery Director Rupert Jenkins described the exhibition, curated by Villa Montalvo curator Gordon Knox and Heng-Gil Han. There will be a saxophone performance during the event, while the discussion will cover globalization and artmaking in response to it. He expects it to be interesting and political. All are welcome.
Mr. Newirth announced that GFTA director Kary Schulman will be receiving the Silver Cable award at the annual Convention and Visitors’ Bureau luncheon. He and staff attended a joint meeting of the Board of Education and the Board of Supervisors to discuss the Arts Education Master Plan. They were placed at the end of the agenda and had literally only five minutes to speak. They were promised to be on the agenda for July to make a fuller presentation. He expects a stronger collaboration with the Department of Children and their Families on existing programs in the upcoming year.
The staff said goodbye to former Commissioner Ralph Guggenheim with a staff lunch in May. Also departing in May was intern Kate Sevier, who worked with the Public Art Program to prepare an analysis of the actual cost of public art projects. Her final report was very thorough and informative, coming in at some 70 pages. Commissioners who are interested in reading the full report should e-mail Public Art Program Director Jill Manton or Mr. Newirth. He thanked Commissioner Ethel Pitts Walker for her speech on Saturday at the California State Summer School for the Arts event. He also thanked Commissioner Dede Wilsey for arranging a phenomenal tour for interested Commissioners and staff of the new de Young Museum under construction. He visited the Hunters Point Shipyard, and will make a fuller report at a later date.
Commissioner Draisin inquired about the status of the Arts Commission Gallery building at 155 Grove Street. President Gatti replied that that question should be taken up later in the meeting.
- Consent Calendar
RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-121
Approval: RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby adopt the following items on the amended Consent Calendar and their related Resolutions:
Approval of Committee Minutes
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-122: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of April 28, 2004.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-123: Motion to approve the Community Arts and Education Committee Meeting Minutes of May 11, 2004.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-124: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of May 12, 2004.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-125: Motion to approve the Executive Committee Meeting Minutes of May 18, 2004.
Community Arts and Education Committee Recommendations (May 11, 2004)
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-126: Motion to modify contract for the following individuals to provide training and teaching in creative writing in WritersCorps for 2004-05 from Department of Children, Youth and Families fund and Youth Arts Fund.
Beto Palomar $28,000
Chad Sweeney $38,000
Mahru Elahi $30,000
Michelle Matz $38,000
Jime Salcedo-Malo $35,000
Toussaint Haki $34,000
Gloria Yamato $32,000
Judith Tannenbaum $39,000
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-127: Motion to pay up to $25,000 from the Arts Education NEA grant to the San Francisco Foundation Community Initiatives Fund to support the 2003-2004 Arts Education Funders Collaborative projects.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-128: Motion to pay Kelly Armstrong $1,000 honorarium from Youth Arts Funds to assist with planning the California Arts Scholars award ceremony.
Executive Committee Recommendations (May 18, 2004)
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-129: Motion to approve the following individuals as panelists for the Cultural Equity Grants panel pool:
Torange Yeghiazarian, Golden Thread Productions
Petra Schumann, ArtSpan
Jess Alan Curtis, dancer, choreographer
Sean San Jose, Campo Santo
Liss Fain, dancer, choreographer
Madeleine Lim, film and video maker
Explanatory document: Memo from Program Director Jewelle Gomez
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-130: Motion to approve recommendations for 49 grants in the 2004 cycle of the Organization Project Grant category totaling $534,800.
Explanatory document: Memo from Program Director Jewelle Gomez and panel evaluation notes
Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (June 7, 2004)
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-131: Motion to deaccession and return to the artist a work by Judith Linhares titled Turkey, 1978, oil on canvas, 72" x 68" (1980.5) purchased for the San Francisco International Airport.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-132: Motion to approve the relocation of the Goethe Schiller monument from the north end of the Academy of Sciences in the Music Concourse of Golden Gate Park to a location 200 feet away on the north side of the intersecting pedestrian path that links to the Rhododendron Dell.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-133: Motion to approve Wang Po Shu and Douglas Hollis as part of the jurors’ pool for the Stern Grove and Pine Lake Park Project.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-134: Motion to approve the proposals of Maria Forde; artist team Jessica Hobbs and Felecia Carlisle; artist team Julio Morales, Jonas Melvin and Claudio Michelo; and Kamau Amu Patton; with Art Hazelwood as an alternate, for posters for the Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series 2005.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-135: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into separate contracts with Maria Forde, artist team Jessica Hobbs and Felecia Carlisle; artist team Julio Morales, Jonas Melvin and Claudio Michelo; and Kamau Amu Patton for the development of six final designs and printing of 24 posters for installation in 24 kiosks on Market Street for consecutive three months exhibition periods from February, 2005, to February 2006, in an amount not to exceed $8,500 per contract.
- Committee Reports
- Executive Committee--Stanlee Gatti, Chair
- Report from Chair of Executive Committee regarding activities of the Committee and the Program.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-136: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with the San Francisco Symphony to produce the annual Summer in the City concert series for the amount of $1,235,252.
- Civic Design Committee--Stanlee Gatti, Chair
- Report from Chair of Civic Design Committee regarding activities of the Committee and the Program.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-137: Motion to approve La Grande Tank Replacement Project Phase 3.
Discussion: Mr. Newirth noted that in the audience were people interested in the project, in case there were any changes to the final documents. He noted that Phase 3 is pretty much routine. The motion was passed unanimously.
- Community Arts and Education--Blanche Brown, Chair
- Report from Chair of Community Arts and Education Committee regarding activities of the Committee and the Program. Commissioner Brown noted that the next meeting of the committee would be held at the Mission Cultural Center, and that the July meeting would be held at another of the cultural centers.
- Street Artists Committee--Dugald Stermer, Chair
- Report from Chair of Street Artists Committee regarding activities of the Committee and the Program.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-138: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Sonia Davis, Jose Da Silva, Lydia Wirth, Derar Samara.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-139: Motion to approve requests by applicants for waiver of 15-day policy in obtaining certificate: Thomas H. Brown, Nina D. Honbo, David Rodgers.
- Visual Arts Committee--Stanlee Gatti, Chair
- Report from Chair of Visual Arts Committee regarding activities of the Committee and the Program.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-140: Motion to accept into the Civic Art Collection the sculpture Invocation by Pepe Ozan, 2004, measuring 10' x 8.5' x 2,' made of galvanized steel rod and perforated metal, and installed at the juncture of Cesar Chavez and Vermont Street, commissioned by the San Francisco Arts Commission with funding from the Cesar Chavez Bicycle Overpass.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0607-04-141: Motion to approve a resolution in support of Lori Haigh and the Capobianco Gallery to uphold freedom of expression, the ability of gallery owners to choose work without public censorship and the threat of violence, and the necessary exploration of politics through art.
Discussion: Mr. Newirth noted that this motion did not request that the artwork should be shown in City Hall, but was intended to express disapproval of the abuse that the gallery owner and the artist suffered. Commissioner Przyblyski agreed that even though it is a symbolic gesture, it is an important statement for the Commission to make, in support of freedom of speech and public dialogue through art. She also considered it important as a way of affirming the connection of the Commission with the concerns of the larger arts community in the city. Commissioner Meyer also spoke in support of the motion. The motion was passed unanimously.
- Reports and Announcements; New Business
Commissioner Draisin asked for an update on the possible sale of the block of City property which includes the old gallery space. Mr. Newirth reported that 155 Grove Street was on a list of surplus city property that could be sold or used as sites for affordable housing. He heard from the Mayor’s office the day before the item was to be heard by the Board of Supervisors. He was assured by the Mayor’s Office of Housing that the site would not end up on the final list because this parcel is part of a larger Civic Center plan. There have been various proposals over the years, sometimes to retrofit, sometimes to develop the rest of the site, or to acquire the final corner parcel and develop the entire parcel. This is an historic district in the Beaux Arts style, and any use fitting into that context would be a challenge. While he was assured that nothing was to happen, the next day the parcel was listed in the newspaper listed as one of the properties up for sale or development.
It is unlikely that affordable housing could be built in the Civic Center district. A sale might be in violation of the City’s General Plan or the Civic Center Master Plan. The issue wouldn’t be evaluated until a concrete proposal has been made, and it is hard to evaluate in the absence of such a proposal.
Additionally, there is a clerical error in the list, which names 155 Grove, the gallery itself, instead of the intended vacant lot at 165 Grove. The gallery is not on the list of surplus properties from the Department of Real Estate. Jurisdiction over the building could be transferred to the Arts Commission by the Mayor’s Office of Housing, should sale or development not be viable options.
Commissioners asked whether the current status is secure enough, or does the Commission need to take further action? It might be difficult to do so. The Board of Supervisors may not have realized that they were approving a part of the Civic Center district when they approved the list of properties. For now, the best scenario is to work with the Mayor’s office to secure the status of the building. While it is currently under Department of Real Estate, not the Arts Commission, Real Estate will be looking to work with the Arts Commission in the coming months.
Commissioner Przyblyski asked whether it would be possible to set up a subcommittee of the Commission to address this question. President Gatti answered that he didn’t know whether any action or plan was needed at the moment. As an “ounce of prevention,” Commissioners could certainly work on developing a plan. Commissioner Meyer asked a followup question on the appropriateness of seeking landmark status. Mr. Newirth thought not, and observed that the Supervisors are indicating that they will correct the list to identify the lot, not the building.
Commissioner Meyer asked whether it might still be possible for the Commission to have a bigger building that could house the Commission and its offices as well as the gallery. Commissioner Gatti answered yes; this recent announcement momentarily interfered with ongoing negotiations regarding the possibility of trading those buildings for other City property. More research is ongoing into how complicated the sale might be.
Commissioner Przyblyski observed that while the building is not zoned for residential use, it could be transferred to some other use, as a Federal building, for example. Could the Arts Commission do something to protect it from such a fate? President Gatti answered that he is hopeful that the City will be able to acquire the remaining lot on that corner, and thus preserve the whole area for City use. Commissioner Przyblyski inquired whether the Commission could direct staff to watch this matter vigorously. President Gatti assured her that would happen. Mr. Newirth concurred, noting the strong interest of Gallery Director Rupert Jenkins in this space.
There were no other reports or announcements.
- Public Comment
There was no public comment on any item of this agenda unless so noted.
- Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m.
Approved by Richard Newirth, Director of Cultural Affairs
spr 6/28/04
