SFAC | Visual Arts Committee

VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, May 21, 2003

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.

Public comment in regard to specific items will be taken before or during consideration of the item.

The ringing of and use of cell phones, pagers and similar sound-producing electronic devices are prohibited at this meeting. Please be advised that the Chair may order the removal from the meeting room of any person(s) responsible for the ringing or use of a cell phone, pager, or other similar sound producing electronic devices.

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance (San Francisco Campaign and Governmental Conduct Code sections 2.100 - 2.160) to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the Ethics Commission at 30 Van Ness, Suite 3900, San Francisco, CA 94102, telephone (415) 581-2300, fax (415) 581-2317 and web site: www.ci.sf.ca.us/ethics.

Minutes
Commissioners Present

Ralph Guggenheim, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Dugald Stermer; Absent: Stanlee Gatti, Dede Wilsey.

Staff Present

Richard Newirth, Director of Cultural Affairs; Nina Dunbar, Rupert Jenkins, Jennifer Lovvorn, Tonia Macneil, Jill Manton, Judy Moran, Susan Pontious, Kristen Zaremba.

Note: All votes are unanimous unless recorded otherwise.

The meeting commenced at 3:08 p.m.

Consent
1. Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Art Rail, Inc., which is the artist team of Bill and Mary Buchen, for the fabrication, transportation and consultation during installation of artworks for the Third Street Light Rail Project for an amount not to exceed $600,000 (Six hundred thousand dollars).
2. Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with the Artist Team of Horace Washington, Frederick Hayes, and JoeSam for the fabrication, transportation and consultation during installation of artwork for the Third Street Light Rail Project for an amount not to exceed $450,000 (Four hundred and fifty thousand dollars).
3. Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with the Artist Team of Nobuho Nagasawa and Anita Margrill for the fabrication, transportation and consultation during installation of artwork for the Third Street Light Rail Project for an amount not to exceed $400,000 (Four hundred thousand dollars).
4. Motion to approve the mural design by Ali Vieira and Luis Hernandez with youth from Urban ArtWORKS at Marshall Elementary School playground, 1575 15th Street funded by Neighborhood Beautification.
5. Motion to approve temporary poster display in the windows of the Performing Arts Garage as proposed by the Department of Parking and Traffic.
  
  Motion: Motion to adopt the consent calendar items.
  Moved: Solomon/Stermer
Gallery
Gallery Director Rupert Jenkins reported that the May 7 reception for current City Hall exhibitions was a great success and very well attended. The exhibitions, which feature three different types of subject matter, will be on view through July 6. They are: Something in Common, photographs by contemporary Chinese photographers, War and Peace: An Afghan Journey, photographs by Pia Torelli, Teen Posters: Safe Jobs for Youth!, Where We Are Now: Teens in the Workplace, photographs by Rebecca Letz, and Let Children Be Children: Lewis Wickes Hine's Crusade Against Child Labor.

Mr. Jenkins continued his report by announcing that Power & Affection, a solo exhibition of new work by Ulrika Andersson curated by Natasha Garcia-Lomas opens on Friday, May 23. He invited the Commissioners to attend a reception for the show on that evening, 6 - 8 pm. Mr. Jenkins stated that with this exhibition Andersson has made great use of the gallery space. She has painted murals in the space referencing love-song lyrics as well as installing a number of drawings along with her versions of pop-culture merchandise such as posters, t-shirts and records.

Mr. Jenkins concluded his report by announcing that the deadline for Construct 3 has just passed and that the proposals will be judged on June 3rd at the gallery. Mr. Jenkins welcomed the Commissioners to observe that process. He added that the gallery received 85 submissions. Mr. Jenkins attributes the good number of submissions to the fact that financial support is being offered for the winning proposals.
Collections
There was no Collections report.
Ocean View Recreation Center
Project Manager Tonia Macneil presented the conceptual sketch by artists Jon Rubin and Jim Goldberg for an artwork at the Minnie and Lovie Ward Recreation Center. Ms. Macneil explained that the artists are proposing what amounts to a floor to ceiling trophy case along the interior back wall of the Center's Meeting Room. Each trophy will be in a separate, individually lit case. The trophies will be altered so that the individual figures will be normal people. There are still potential problems with durability and maintenance to be resolved. Ms. Macneil stated that the Department of Recreation and Parks would like the commissioned work to not require any maintenance. The artists have explored encasing the figures in acrylic, but it is too expensive. Plexiglass would scratch too easily so the likely material will be glass. Because the trophy case would have a glass front there may be some maintenance required. Commissioner Stauffacher Solomon stated that the new proposal was not as exciting as the artists' first one. Staff explained that in addition to strong opposition from the community and architects to the original proposal, the idea was probably not viable because of the cost of an attachment system and the durability of the proposed material.

Motion: Motion to approve the concept by artists Jon Rubin and Jim Goldberg for a work of art at the Ocean View Recreation Center.
Moved: Stermer/Solomon
Recreation and Park Department Bond Projects 2003 Pre-Qualified Artist Pool
Project Manager Tonia Macneil reported that a Recreation and Park Artist Selection Panel had selected 25 artists to be added to the existing pre-qualified pool of artists eligible for a series of upcoming Recreation and Park projects. Last September the Commissioners approved the first pool of artists for a term of one year. That term, originally planned to expire in September, has been extended for an additional year, until September of 2004. Because the budgets for upcoming Recreation and Park Department projects are much larger, staff decided to solicit for a new group of artists to be added to the current group for a term lasting through September 2004. The pool now includes 58 pre-qualified artists. Ms. Macneil reminded the Commissioners that inclusion in the artist pool does not guarantee that an artist will be awarded a commission. Based on the recently approved Artist Selection Guidelines for the Recreation and Park projects, project managers will curate artists from the pre-qualified pool to present to community-based selection panels for each new project site. These panels will in turn make specific recommendations of project artists to the Visual Arts Committee. Most of the artists will be recommended on the basis of an interview, rather than a proposal.

Ms. Macneil showed slides from each artist candidate and asked for approval of the panel's recommendation of the Recreation and Park Department Bond Projects Pre-Qualified Artist Pool.

Motion: Motion to approve the following artists recommended by the selection panel for the 2003 Recreation and Park Pre-qualified artist pool: Deborah G. Ascheim; Michael Bondi; Robin Brailsford; Mark Brest van Kempen; Judith and Daniel Caldwell; Jordan De Staebler; Roberto L. Delgado; Todd Gray; Tina Hoggatt and Norman Courtney; Joyce Hsu; David Joyce; Miles Karpilow; Deborah Kennedy and Bill Gould; Mark Lere; Cork Marcheschi; Anita Margrill; Brad Miller; Masayuki Nagase; Will Nettleship; Ruth O'Day; Irene Pijoan; John Pugh; Darryl Sapien; Paul Sorey; Kana Tanaka; Banker White.
Moved: Stermer/Solomon
Art on Market Street Temporary Projects 2003
Project Manager Judy Moran presented the two artist teams and their proposals recommended by the selection panel for the Art on Market Street Temporary Projects 2003 Program. Those are: Wowhaus, with artists Scott Constable and Ene Osteras-Constable, and their proposal for Life on Market Street: An Audio Archive; and Jo Kreiter's Fly Away Productions, and her proposal for How to Be a Citizen. Ms. Moran explained that this recently revived program sponsors artists to create temporary projects on Market Street that are specifically about Market Street. She stated that there were 39 applications and added that the low number of responses is likely due to the fact that the application required an extensive proposal.

The proposal by Wowhaus is to create an audio piece based on interviews with people who work on Market Street. The artists propose to create a mobile recording and broadcasting studio that will be parked at various sites on Market Street. An edited version of the audio archive will be distributed two ways: via a low-frequency radio broadcast to buildings near the site of the mobile studio, and through the distribution of a CD of the audio archive accompanied by a map that indicates the related sites for each interview. She presented slides of past work by Wowhaus including the following projects: experimental architecture for small and mobile spaces, design and fabrication of the kitchen interior at Martin Luther King, Jr. School's Edible Schoolyard, and Family Roots, a photography project about urban gardens.

Jo Kreiter's proposal, which is to create a twenty-minute dance piece entitled How to be a Citizen, will be performed two to five times on a platform at the plaza at Embarcadero and Market. The performances will occur at a time of day when the plaza is busy - either during the lunch hour or at 5 PM. Ms. Moran stated that the dance piece is about the history of protests along Market Street. In addition to the ten dancers working with Jo Kreiter, artist Lalo Cervantes is constructing the platform and performer/composer Pamela Z is creating the score. Ms. Moran presented a video excerpt from a past dance performance by Jo Krieter which featured an aerial performance on the side of the Muni Garage on Harrison and Alameda Streets.

Motion: Motion to approve Wowhaus, with artists Scott Constable and Ene Osteras-Constable, and their proposal for Life on Market Street: An Audio Archive, and Jo Kreiter's Fly Away Productions, and her proposal for How to Be a Citizen, as recommended by the Selection Panel for the Art on Market Street Temporary Projects 2003 Program.
Moved: Solomon/Stermer

Motion: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Wowhaus artists Scott Constable and Ene Osteras-Constable to implement Life on Market Street: An Audio Archive, for an amount not to exceed $15,000, for the Art on Market Street Temporary Projects 2003 Program.
Moved: Stermer/Solomon

Motion: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Jo Kreiter of Fly Away Productions to implement How to Be a Citizen, for an amount not to exceed $21,700, for the Art on Market Street Temporary Projects 2003 Program.
Moved: Stermer/Solomon
Airport
Project Manager Susan Pontious reported on the installation of Pohina by Deborah Butterfield in Boarding Area C at the San Francisco Airport. Ms. Pontious stated that the sculpture was successfully installed with the work being done during slow hours at the airport: 10 PM to 2 AM. She presented digital images of the sculpture in its new site and explained that although the piece looks as if it were made of driftwood, it is in fact made of bronze. The base for the sculpture is a laminate over wood. Ms. Pontious added that the Airport loves the piece.

Ms. Pontious reported that the Airport Art Steering Committee would like to acquire additional artworks to locate along the concourse at the entry of each gate. At their last meeting the Steering Committee considered the work of six artists from Airport Pre-Qualified Pool and selected the work of three artists. The committee felt that two Tall Dango ceramic sculptures by Jun Kaneko would make nice entryway sentries. They also selected Anemone, a kinetic sculpture by Werner Klotz. Ms. Pontious presented a video clip showing the movement of the piece. She added that the settings for the sensors that trigger the motor would still need to be determined. Finally, the committee selected a proposal by Michael Stutz for a work entitled Cardboard Kore. The sculpture is based on the classical Greek figure of a Kore and would be executed in brightly colored cardboard. She stated that the cost to acquire these art pieces is less than what the budget allows. Ms. Pontious stated that if approved by the Arts Commission these proposed pieces must also be approved by the Airport Commission.
Explanatory Document: Minutes from the Airport Art Steering Committee

Motion: Motion to approve the following purchases/commissions of artwork pending Airport approval: 1) Purchase of Tall Dango 00-8-21 and Tall Dango 02-08-04, by Jun Kaneko for $63,900 each.; 2) Commission Cardboard Kore by Michael Stutz for $33,000; and 3) Commission Anemone by Werner Klotz for $62,500, pending satisfaction of maintenance issues and installation feasibility.
Moved: Solomon/Stermer

Ms. Pontious reported that Lewis deSoto had completed his design development for the proposed sound piece entitled In the Air. She explained that Lewis deSoto's piece, which consists of a two to three note score that would be triggered to play just before public announcements, was designed to give San Francisco Airport an audio identity. The software technology needed to enable this piece does exist, but it would cost at least $100,00 to upgrade the Airport's existing system to be compatible with the new software. Ms. Pontious stated that she could not recommend spending that amount of money to upgrade the Airport's system and reported that the Airport Art Steering Committee recommends declining the proposal.

Motion: Motion to decline further development of In the Air by Lewis deSoto.
Moved: Stermer/Solomon

Ms. Pontious reported that she presented to the Port Commission the proposed installation of Robert Arneson's Yin and Yang at the Embarcadero across the street from the north end of the Ferry Building. At the meeting one of the Port Commissioners stated that in order for an artwork to be appropriate for Port property it should reference a maritime theme or labor issue. The item was postponed to the next Port Commission meeting. Ms. Pontious stated that by approving this proposal, the Arts Commission could send a positive message to the Port Commission that may encourage them to support the proposal. Ms. Pontious added that the Port's Community Advisory Committee has already approved the proposal.

Motion: Motion to approve the long term temporary installation of Yin and Yang by Robert Arneson in the circular planter located at the center of the walkway west of the northern Ferry Building cross walk, on the west side of the Embarcadero adjacent to Seawall Lot 202 pending Port approval.
Moved: Stermer/Solomon
Laguna Honda Hospital
Project Manager Susan Pontious reported that she met with the Laguna Honda Hospital Community Advisory Committee and presented to them the proposed new artwork. She explained that the committee was very critical of the selected artwork and felt that it was too contemporary. Ms. Pontious added that Larry Funk, Executive Administrator at Laguna Honda Hospital suggested that she organize a series of events for the artists to present their work to the Hospital's residents. To date there have been two of these artist presentations and both have been very successful. There are thirteen artists yet to present. Commissioner Guggenheim suggested that due to the number of artists perhaps not all of them need present to the residents. Ms. Pontious stated that although the presentations require a lot of work, they are a good forum for dealing with any problems that residents may have with the artwork.
Moscone Center Expansion Project
Public Art Program Director Jill Manton reported on the status of the Diller + Scofidio project. She stated that the screen should be installed at the beginning of June - either on the 3rd or the 10th. She added that the problem with the screen not moving around the corner of the building has been corrected. Presently Pol-X West, the project engineer is trying to determine exactly how the problems were remedied. Additionally, the engineer is taking as-built measurements of the armature's mountings for the screen to ensure that there is not a discrepancy between the mountings on the armature and those on the screen. Ms. Manton stated that the weight of the festooning arm, which holds the cables that attach to the armature, has made grooves on the protective asphalt pads on the roof. Commissioner Guggenheim stated that it seems like the project was not well engineered if it is having problems such as turning the corner, supporting its weight and moving. Ms. Manton stated that this project is an invention and such problems could not have been foreseen. Ms. Manton added that Amelco, the Moscone Center Expansion Project electrician will be doing the electrical work for the Diller + Scofidio project.

Ms. Manton reported on the pending dispensation of the State Board of Equalization regarding the payment of sales tax. Ms. Manton was notified that the case has been reassigned to someone at the State Board of Equalization who has the time to work on it. The Arts Commission has requested a formal report that can be presented at the next Commission meeting on June 2nd. Ms. Manton explained that these funds were supposed to constitute the maintenance reserve for this project.

Ms. Manton stated that a formal agreement needs to be made with the Moscone Center regarding the use of the screen. Because the screen is part of the artwork, it cannot be used for any commercial purposes, which will entirely preclude its use by the lessees of the Convention Center. She will inform the Commissioners when the screen will be installed. Ms. Manton stated that final production for the video cannot be completed until the screen is installed. The timing of the moving shots needs to be calibrated with the movement of the screen.

Finally, Ms. Manton reported that a licensing agreement is currently being negotiated with Google for the ongoing use of Google data for the scrolling, interior-facing alphanumeric text. It is yet to be determined whether the licensing agreement will be between Google and the City of San Francisco, or between Google and Diller + Scofidio.
New Business

As an item of new business, Public Art Program Director Jill Manton reported that she has determined that there is Art Enrichment funding associated with the new Academy of Sciences building. Initially, she was told that the project did not qualify for Art Enrichment. After pursuing the matter she was informed that the project does qualify and that the Art Enrichment funding would be 1.3 to 1.5 million dollars. Ms. Manton added that the Manager of the Bond Program at the Recreation and Park Department, Gary Hoy recently sent her a copy of the bond which indicates that the Arts Commission may be entitled to even more funding. Mr. Hoy obtained this information through his former membership on the City's Capital Improvement Advisory Committee. Ms. Manton added that it has been difficult to initiate work on this project. She has requested information regarding the potential art opportunities associated with this project, but she has been dissuaded from beginning the process of recruiting artists until she has met with the project architect Renzo Piano. She stated that this meeting has been postponed a number of times. The project manager has indicated that architect would like environmental or kinetic artworks that deal with water and wind to be located at the major axial approaches to the building. Director of Cultural Affairs Richard Newirth stated that there has been a problem overall with the Academy of Sciences project not seeking approval from the Arts Commission at the appropriate junctures in their process.

As an additional item of new business, Public Art Program Director Jill Manton announced that there will be a major new Public Art project - the Central Subway. This subway is the second half of the 3rd Street Light Rail connecting it to downtown. The Central Subway will include four new underground stations. Each station will have a unique look that responds to the specific neighborhood where it is located. The Art Enrichment budget may be six to eight million dollars. Ms. Manton stated that she is beginning to research public art in subway stations. She and Public Art Project Manager Judy Moran toured the MTA in Los Angeles where there are a number of architecturally integrated art projects. She added that she will plan to meet with a Public Art Officer while she is in Paris this summer to research their subway stations. Ms. Manton stated that this item will be on next month's agenda and she welcomed Commissioners to share their ideas at that meeting.

As an additional item of new business, Ms. Pontious announced that as part of the Sculpture in the City events there will be a reception to celebrate the completion of Vito Acconci's Light Beams for the Sky of a Transfer Corridor, and Ned Kahn's Wind Portal on Thursday, June 26th at the Airport. She thanked Commissioner Stermer for his thoughtful introduction at the reception for the projects at the Zoo.
Old Business
Adjournment

As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.

Submitted by Jennifer Lovvorn, Public Art Program Assistant

Approved by Richard Newirth, Director of Cultural Affairs, 5/28/03

5/28/03