VISUAL
ARTS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, February 20, 2002
3:00 p.m.
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70
Notices
Explanatory documents are available for public inspection and
copying at the Arts Commission office, 25 Van Ness Ave, Ste 240,
San Francisco CA 94102 during regular business hours. Tel:
415-252-2594.
Minutes
Commissioners Present
Ralph Guggenheim, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Dugald Stermer;
Absent: Stanlee Gatti, Dede Wilsey.
Staff Present
Nina Dunbar, Jessica Goodson, Rupert Jenkins, Anna Kvinsland,
Debra Lehane, Tonia Macneil, Susan Pontious, Kristen Zaremba.
Note: All votes are unanimous unless recorded
otherwise.
The meeting commenced at 3:10 p.m.
- Consent
Motion to accept into the Civic Art Collection the sculpture
by Ned Kahn titled "Wind Portal", 2002, consisting of 200,000
stainless steel discs mounted on delrin tiles, 10' x 55' x 1"
installed in Concourse H of San Francisco International
Airport.
Motion: Motion to move the consent
calendar item.
Moved: Stermer/Stauffacher
Solomon
- Collections
Moscone Park Tile Wall Project
Civic Art Collection Program Director Debra Lehane advised the
Commissioners that she had invited the Moscone Park community to
return to the Visual Art Committee to report on the success of
their fund raising effort that involved selling tiles for the tile
wall. Claudia Roehl, Community Member, and Johnathan Beery,
Artist, presented samples of tiles that demonstrated a range of
ages and subjects. Ms. Roehl presented in lieu of Project Manager
Sue Chang who could not attend the meeting. Ms. Roehl reported
that the Friends of Moscone Park and Recreation Center completely
sold out of the 214 family and individual tiles by the fourth and
final day of the project. Approximately $8,300 was raised to fund
the sculpture aspect of the project. Ms. Roehl said how impressed
she had been by the wide involvement of community members on so
many different socio and economic levels. Mr. Beery agreed with
Ms. Roehl that the community response was fantastic. He mentioned
that at first, the artists were concerned about limiting
participants to the marina theme, but in the end, the community
really took to it. Mr. Beery said that the average time spent on
each tile was about 1 hour. Ms. Roehl and Mr. Beery thanked the
Arts Commission for their support of the project.
Pink Triangle Memorial
Ms. Lehane introduced Wendy Nelder, with the Mayor's Office of
Neighborhood Beautification Fund. Ms. Nelder explained that the
triangular lot on the corner of 17th and Market is owned by DPW,
but had been neglected for some time becoming an eyesore and a
hazardous situation for children due to it's proximity to a MUNI
bus stop. Ms. Nelder explained how neighbors had recently cleaned
up the abandoned lot, planted roses, and proposed the idea of
creating a memorial called the "Pink Triangle" as an homage to
gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender victims of the World War
II Nazi Concentration camps. Men were forced to wear pink triangle
insignias on their clothes to signify their sexual orientation.
Lesbians wore black triangles. Ms. Nelder concluded by saying that
there was a national, publicly announced, call-to-artists for this
project.
Pauline Shaver, Project Manager of the Pink Triangle Park and
Memorial project, shared the goals and guidelines for selecting an
artist for this project. The goals for this project included: (1)
creating a landscape driven, sculptural memorial for those who
suffered because of sexual orientation; (2) broadening awareness
of tragedies suffered under Nazi Regime; (3) connecting this event
with evolving history of Civil Rights; (4) encouraging the visitor
to reflect upon the moral and spiritual questions raised by this
historical experience; and (5) reminding visitors of their
individual responsibilities as citizens of democracy. Following
the pre-determined selection criteria, a ten-person committee
selected the collaborative artist team of Robert Bruce and Susan
Martin. Ms. Shaver shared with the Commissioners a model of the
artists' proposal of fifteen 8" sierra white granite pylons with
pink inlay at the top in the shape of a triangle. Ms. Lehane said
that while there will be text involved in this project, the exact
text has not yet been determined and will come to the Arts
Commission for approval before finalized. Commissioner Guggenheim
asked how this project was funded, and Ms. Shaver responded that
it is funded privately from a variety of sources and DPW has given
approval to use the land. Ms. Shaver introduced Ms. Martin, one of
the artists, who said how much she has enjoyed the collaborative
aspect of this project. Ms. Martin said that originally, they were
considering inscribing text on the pylons, but now, in
consideration of better access by the public, are considering
inscribing the text on the park perimeter wall. Commissioner
Stauffacher Solomon warned the artist to be careful not to make
the wall too busy with too much text and too many contrasting
materials.
Public Art Project Manager Nina Dunbar asked who would be
responsible for the maintenance of the park. Ms. Nelder responded
that the community is developing an endowment for care, and that
the neighborhood members will continue to maintain the park. In no
way will the Arts Commission be responsible for gardening.
Motion: Motion to approve the Pink
Triangle Memorial Project in concept.
Moved: Stermer/ Stauffacher
Solomon
Juvenile Hall Murals by Christopher Lane
Ms. Lehane began her report on the two murals in question,
created by artist Christopher Lane at the Youth Guidance Center,
by giving a summery of Mr. Lane's relationship with the Youth
Guidance Center and the creation of the murals. She said that the
Commission had received two letters on the matter, one from the
Juvenile Probation Department that requested: (1) the Arts
Commission's advice on determining the value of the murals and the
cost of removal and relocation of the mural, (2) an inquiry
concerning the Commission's interest in funding the project and
(3) a request for formal permission to remove/destroy the murals.
The second letter, from Mr. Lane, asked for the Arts Commission to
fund the removal of the murals and to relocate them at the new
Juvenile Hall facility. Ms. Lehane said that Mr. Lane had worked
at Juvenile Hall for a 20-year period and had been regarded by the
Center as a volunteer. During this time he worked with detainees
at the center to paint several murals. Some of the murals were
funded by grants. All but two of the murals had been painted over
sometime after 1995. The two remaining murals were painted in 1991
with water-based acrylic paint on eight-inch thick poured in place
concrete walls. Youth detainees assisted with the painting of Mr.
Lane's designs. Ms. Lehane recorded the size of "Abstract Blues in
the Hall" as 9 feet tall by 24 feet long, and the size of
"Abstract B-3" as 9 feet tall by 55 feet long with a 6 foot door
in the center. Ms. Lehane showed photographs taken by her within
the previous week that showed the condition of the murals as
having undergone "normal wear and tear" and some water damage.
Responding to the letter from the Youth Probation Department, Ms.
Lehane informed the Commissioners that assigning a value to the
works was difficult since there was not fair market record
establishing the sale of anything comparable. She also indicated
that without a more defined plan, a budget for removal and
relocation could not be established. She had discussed the project
with three local conservators who all indicated that if asked to
remove the mural, they would remove the mural with the wall. The
weight of the walls is calculated at 100 lbs per square foot. None
of the conservators to whom she spoke would remove the paint film
from the wall with a strappo technique. Ms. Lehane reminded the
Commissioners that the Juvenile Hall facility is being demolished
and rebuilt, and that the budget for art enrichment has already
been allocated leaving no additional funds for the mural removal.
Nor did the Commission have any other funds available. She also
advised the Committee that it is the policy of the Arts Commission
not to acquire or maintain murals except for the WPA murals in
interior spaces transferred to the city by the federal government.
Ms. Lehane said that in no way was she questioning Mr. Lane's
status as a prominent local artist and reminded the Commissioners
that Mr. Lane is represented by a painting in the Airport
Collection. Unfortunately, the funds are not available to preserve
the murals as Mr. Lane requests.
Mr. Lane began by saying that all photo documentation of the
murals, up until last week, had been taken by him. Mr. Lane
refuted Ms. Lehane's statement that he was a volunteer by saying
that he was in fact paid by grants to work with youth at the
facility from 1989 - 1991. Mr. Lane said that he only received
confirmation that he would appear on the February 20th agenda last
Friday. He thanked Michele Liapes, Public Information Officer of
the Arts Commission, for her help in explaining the meeting
procedures and mailing him an agenda. Mr. Lane said that he was
here today under the unhappy circumstances that the City and
County of San Francisco (CCSF) had destroyed some of his murals at
the Juvenile Hall facility, and plans to destroy the other two
remaining murals. Mr. Lane proceeded to read highlights from a
letter that he had written to the Visual Arts Committee. Mr. Lanes
letter referred to the fact that because his claim against the
CCSF for painting over his murals at Juvenile Hall was denied,
that he is seeking an out-of-court settlement or mediation. He
also requests in his letter that according to Federal and
California State laws that his two remaining murals be preserved
and relocated within the new Juvenile Hall facility. Mr. Lane then
showed the Commissioners pictures of the murals taken by him at
the time of installation.
Commissioner Guggenheim then called for public testimony. Alison
L. Folland presented public testimony in defense of Mr. Lane. Ms.
Folland, a friend of Mr. Lane's, introduced herself as a fellow
artist. She said that San Francisco citizens love their murals,
but that the CCSF does not have the best track record for
notifying artists when murals are to be destroyed. She knows this
from working with Precita Eyes. Ms. Folland feels that the CCSF
doesn't appreciate its muralists and artists as it should. She
said that while she has never seen Mr. Lane's murals at Juvenile
Hall, she recognizes their importance as his largest and only
murals.
Colette Crutcher, a painter, sculptor, and muralist, also
testified on behalf of Mr. Lane. She said that the Lilli Ann case
has brought the legal protection of muralists rights to the notice
of the public. Ms. Crutcher said that she has known Mr. Lane for
fifteen years, and during that time, has witnessed his positive
effect on those he knows. She said that Mr. Lane puts a lot of
energy into helping disadvantaged people. Ms. Crutcher said that
Mr. Lane is being robbed of his life's work and that we owe it to
him morally, artistically, and besides, as she claimed, it is the
law.
Commissioner Guggenheim said that while the Arts Commission would
love to preserve all works, there are times when we don't have the
physical means or budget, to remove and preserve such works. Mr.
Lane said that he knew of an art restorer in Los Angeles who has
created a process where a painting can be removed using an
adhesive, which peels off the mural between two layers of fabric.
Ms. Lehane identified the restorer as Nathan Zakheim. Commissioner
Guggenheim said that he was aware of this procedure, but was sure
that it was beyond the Arts Commission budget, since the budget
for preserving murals is non-existent. Commissioner Guggenheim
brought up another matter, the inherent value of the murals. He
said that by no means is this a reflection of the artist's years
spent at Juvenile Hall or his positive impact on the
detainees.
Ms. Lehane brought up the point that the Arts Commission was never
approached for approval before the mural was installed, and only
now when it is slated for removal, is the Commission approached.
She also pointed out that the statute of limitations has run out
since Mr. Lane received notification about the possible removal of
the artwork last August. Commissioner Stermer restated that the
Arts Commission has recently commissioned artists to create
artwork in the facility, and that we can't overwrite the artists
by requiring that Mr. Lane's murals be included in the new
facility. Commissioner Stermer believes that the overwhelming
value of the murals was Mr. Lane's involvement in the youth's
experience of creating the murals. Mr. Lane stated that because he
was only notified that he would appear on the Committee's agenda
last Friday, he was not able to ask more people to testify for
him.
Ms. Lehane said that the motion is worded for "removal or
destruction" to either allow Mr. Lane the opportunity to finance
the removal of the murals on his own or to allow the Youth
Probation Department to destroy them as their project moves
forward. The Arts Commission does not accept the financial burden
of removing and preserving Mr. Lane's mural.
The following motion was
modified.
Motion: Motion to approve the
removal/destruction of murals by Christopher Lane at San Francisco
Youth Guidance Center, 375 Woodside Avenue.
Moved: Stermer/ Stauffacher
Solomon
- Third Street Light Rail Project
Project Manager Nina Dunbar reported for Project Manager Judy
Moran, who is on vacation, that a previously approved wind
sculpture by artist team Nobuho Nagasawa and Anita Magril was
being redesigned due to a site change. The work's original site
was a narrow median along Bayshore Boulevard in Visitation Valley.
A reconfiguration of the intersection of Bayshore and Blanken
Avenue created a small triangular park that would give the
sculpture more space and visibility. Ms. Dunbar introduced Ms.
Margrill to present the revised and relocated conceptual sculpture
design for Visitacion Valley Third Street Light Rail Project. Ms.
Margrill reminded the Commissioners that they already approved the
additions to the marquees on the Muni platforms. The wind
sculpture is a kite form reminiscent of the other 19 marquees.
Energy for the LED lighting will be created by a wind turbine at
the top of the sculpture: if there is wind, there will be lights.
Ms. Margrill said that there are currently three palm trees near
the site that will be relocated to the park once the location of
the artwork has been determined. The palm trees are of the
Washingtonian variety, which can grow to 30 feet. Ms. Dunbar told
the Commissioners that they are only being asked to approve the
revised sculpture in concept today, and that at a later date, Ms.
Margrill will return with a final design. Commissioner Stermer
said that he really likes the marquees and was glad to see that
Ms. Margrill was able to achieve continuity between the two
sites.
Motion: Motion to approve the
revised and relocated preliminary sculpture design for Visitacion
Valley by the Artist Team of Nobuho Nagasawa and Anita Margrill
for the Third Street Light Rail Project.
Moved: Stauffacher
Solomon/Stermer
- Gallery
Gallery Director Rupert Jenkins reported that the Missing show at
City Hall has been a great success. It has received tremendous
press coverage, and concludes in a week. The Co-Lab show begins
next week.
Mr. Jenkins explained that "The Film Show", curated by himself and
Stephanie Snyder, is about artists who work with and use film as a
starting point for their work to look at how film reflects on
themselves as well as society. Mr. Jenkins said that this show
deals with global and personal politics. Approximately half of the
artists involved in this show are from the Bay Area; the others
are from outside California or are represented by works in
California collections.
Yasumasa Morimura photographic self portraits will be loaned from
the Norton Collection, LA. Ethan Jackson's photographic murals
incorporate images from spaghetti westerns and Arabic tutoring
texts. Rick Peterson has made sculptural pieces that re-construct
film trailers. Stephanie Snyder proposes using the movie the Jazz
Singer to address issues of duality. Guillermo Gomez-Pena will
install artifacts to complement his collaborative video made with
Gustavo Valdez. Jesse Amado's Dynotape collages comprise the
entire subtitled text from Antonio's "La Ventura". Les LeVeque has
altered Hitchcock's "Spellbound" by showing the film backwards and
forwards at the same time. Annu Palakunnathu Matthews' mural
images satirize "Bollywood" posters to comment on social issues
facing women of East Indian descent. And Mr. Jenkins also proposes
including in this show a sculpture created from his collection of
Stanley Kubrick ephemera. Commissioner Stermer asked if there were
any copyrights issues to be addressed, and Mr. Jenkins replied
that all of the films used in this show were distributed by Video
Databank, Chicago Art Institute, who exclusively sells the films
for exhibitions.
The following motion was modified.
Motion: Motion to approve artists for "The Film
Show" at the SFAC Gallery May - July 2002. Artists: Rick Peterson,
Jesse Amado, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Stephanie Snyder, Les LeVeque,
Yasumasa Morimura, Ethan Jackson, Annu Palakunnathu Matthews, and
Gustavo Vasquez.
Moved: Stermer/ Stauffacher
Solomon
The following motion was removed.
Motion: Motion to approve the second annual Murphy
& Cadogan exhibition, sponsored by the SF Foundation, to be
shown at the SFAC Gallery July - August 2002.
- Moscone Center Expansion Project
Public Art Program Assistant Anna Kvinsland gave a project
update for Public Art Program Director Jill Manton who is on
vacation. Ms. Kvinsland reported that almost all of the
outstanding design details regarding the Mitsubishi LED screen
have been resolved as a result of a very successful and intense
meeting with Ric Scofidio, Mitsubishi, Pol-X Engineers, Moscone,
and United Mechanical (the fan manufacturer) on Friday, February
8th. It is expected that Liz Diller will present the storyboards
for the pre-recorded video at the March Visual Arts Commission
meeting. Ms. Manton may be taking a trip to New York to view a
mock-up of the camera on another similarly designed curtain wall
building.
- 525 Golden Gate Avenue New City Office Building
Ms. Kvinsland announced that Ms. Manton would like to schedule
a special informational joint Civic Design/Visual Arts Committee
meeting in early March to review in concert the integration of the
art into the building design. The goal of this meeting would be to
provide feedback for the architects as they back to the table for
the redesign. Ms. Kvinsland asked the Commissioners if they had
any commitments in March that would prevent them from attending
this meeting. Commissioners Stermer and Stauffacher Solomon said
that at this point, their schedules were fairly open for the month
of March. Commissioner Guggenheim said that he would prefer to
meet after March 12th and before March 26th. All of the
Commissioners thought that the joint meeting was a good idea.
- PUC Art Enrichment
Ms. Kvinsland announced for Ms. Manton that at the March
Visual Arts Committee meeting, there will be an agenda item
regarding the use of art enrichment funds for the restoration of
the murals at the Sunol Temple. The Arts Commission staff will
recommend funding only a portion of that cost. It is expected that
PUC staff will be present at the March meeting to make their case
to the Arts Commission. Ms. Kvinsland said that Ms. Manton
encourages the Commissioners to contact her directly if they have
any questions or concerns regarding this situation.
- 23rd & Treat New Park and Clubhouse
Project Manager Kristen Zaremba reported for Project Manager
Judy Moran, who is on vacation, that artist Isis Rodriguez was in
attendance to present her final tile mosaic designs for the
entryways and interior retaining walls at the new 23rd and Treat
Park and Clubhouse. Using color mock-ups of her revised designs
and a map of the site, Ms. Rodriguez showed the Commissioners how
she had addressed their original concerns of a lack of complexity
in design, placement of the artwork, and use of color, in her
final design proposal. She further explained that the designs
presented here would be enlarged by 100-200% in the final work. In
response to a question from Commissioner Stermer and Debra Lehane,
Ms. Zaremba explained that the mosaic would be fabricated from
tiles with a high-gloss finish, and that Ms. Rodriguez will hire
tile artist Ruth O'Day to help her fabricate the tile mosaic.
Commissioner Guggenheim remarked that Ms. Rodriguez's proposal had
come a long way. The Commissioners unanimously expressed their
approval of Ms. Rodriquez's final tile mosaic designs.
Motion: Motion to approve final tile
mosaic designs by artist Isis Rodriguez for exterior and interior
walls of the 23rd and Treat New Park and Clubhouse.
Moved: Stermer/ Stauffacher
Solomon
- Laguna Honda Hospital Project
Project Manager Susan Pontious began her report by reminding
the Commissioners that the goal of the Laguna Honda Hospital
History project was to feature the past as well as current history
of the hospital. Initially, Ms. Pontious had envisioned that the
history project would be done indoors, but Lewis deSoto thought
that the history of the hospital should be shared with the broader
public, and for that reason, has proposed the creation of a low,
curved, exterior wall that would incorporate historic photos and a
time line of the Hospital's history. The wall would surround an
herb garden. Ms. Pontious reported that Mr. deSoto's proposal can
not be done for the originally budgeted amount of $135,000.
Instead, she estimates that this project will cost around
$235,000. Fortunately, the overall Laguna Honda Hospital art
enrichment budget is flexible enough to allow for the increase.
Mr. deSoto's design proposal has been approved by Hospital
Administrators Larry Funk and Tom Wagner.
Next, Ms. Pontious used a floor plan to show the Commissioners
where she expects the artwork for the Neighborhood Identity
project to be integrated into the building. Ms. Pontious proceeded
to explain what each artist selected for the Neighborhood Identity
project has proposed to do. Beliz Brother has proposed to use
colorful floral motifs in glass at decision points throughout her
neighborhood section. Ann Chamberlain and Bernie Lubell have
proposed to use the Hospital's existing video surveillance system
to provide live feed of certain areas of the hospital such as the
aviary and goldfish pond to patients via a closed-circuit TV
channel. This closed circuit system could also be used to televise
special events occurring at the hospital for bed-bound patients.
Cliff Garten has been assigned the link section of the hospital
that connects the old and new hospital sections. Mr. Garten has
proposed treating the handrail as a sculptural element by using
different colors with different textures and shapes. Ms. Pontious
said that Mr. Garten's proposal meets code, but that she still
needs to get ADA and OSHPD (the state agency that regulates
hospitals) approval. Terry Hoff has decided to work with the theme
of time passing by creating a sculptural wall piece of functional
clocks. Takenobu Igarashi has proposed using the theme of clouds
and earth in combining wood pieces in horizontal planes as earth
and carved sculptural wood elements as clouds. Arlan Huang will
create interior glass walls dividing the dining rooms and the
nurses station. He will also create glass rondelles to be inset in
the exterior walls. Owen Smith has proposed creating a tile mosaic
wall featuring the four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Ms.
Lehane noted how this new mural will go well with the historic,
existing mural, which is based on the same theme.
Motion: Motion to approve Lewis
deSoto's conceptual proposal for the Laguna Honda History
Project
Moved: Stermer/ Stauffacher
Solomon
Motion: Motion to approve conceptual
proposals for Neighborhood Identity Project by Beliz Brother, Ann
Chamberlain & Bernie Lubell; Cliff Garten, Arlan Huang, Terry
Hoff, Takenobu Igarashi, and Owen Smith
Moved: Stermer/ Stauffacher
Solomon
- Zoo
Ms. Pontious gave an update on the zoo project. She informed
the Commissioners that John Aiken and the Zoo Art Committee met
and gave authorization for the Arts Commission to move ahead with
the purchase of sculpture or sculptures from Gwynn Murrill. Ms.
Murrill is flying in tomorrow to visit the site. The zoo has
expressed interest in commissioning Ms. Murrill to create a tiger,
hawk, and deer. Ms. Pontious said that she doesn't think that the
zoo can afford them all.
- Hallidie Plaza Elevator Doors
Ms. Pontious reported on the destruction of "Place Poem", a
design by John Ammerati on the Hallidie Plaza elevator doors. The
design has been destroyed by people urinating on it, and the
etching is beyond repair. The elevator doors have been removed for
repair, and originally DPW was going to try to repair and
re-install Place Poem on the new doors. However, we have learned
that this is not feasible and Mr. Ammerati does not want the
design to be displayed in its current state.
- Ocean View Branch Library New Public Art Project
Project Manager Tonia Macneil reported that the budget of
$106,000 for this project was raised by The Friends of the Public
Library. The highly active Ocean View committee of library
supporters helped to raise the funds and subsequently decided to
purchase more public art for the interior of the building. An
artwork by Collette Crutcher and Mark Roller, commissioned by the
Arts Commission, already exists on the exterior of the building.
The community has identified the primary sites for the artwork, in
order of importance as the second floor hallway, the second floor
windows, the stairwell, and the stairs and adjacent walls. Ms.
Macneil said that the budget should be adequate to provide art in
more than one location. The deadline for applications is February
28th and the Selection Panel will meet in mid-March to select
finalists.
The following motion was modified.
Motion: Motion to approve Ralph Guggenheim as the
Commission representative and a pool of panelists including
Lizzette LeFalle-Collins, Janet Lohr, Victor Mario Zaballa, Fran
Martin, Al Wong, Valerie Soe, for the Ocean View Branch Library
art selection panel.
Moved: Stermer/ Stauffacher
Solomon
- New Business
- Old Business
- Adjournment
As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at
5:50 p.m.
Submitted by Anna Kvinsland, Public Art Program Assistant
Approved by Richard Newirth, Director of Cultural Affairs,
2/27/02
2/27/02