VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE

Wednesday, March 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, Dede Wilsey; Absent: Stanlee Gatti, Dugald Stermer.

Staff Present
Nina Dunbar, Jessica Goodson, Rupert Jenkins, Anna Kvinsland, Debra Lehane, Natasha Garcia-Lomas, Tonia Macneil, Jill Manton, Judy Moran, Susan Pontious, Rommel Taylor, Kristen Zaremba.

Note: All votes are unanimous unless recorded otherwise.

The meeting commenced at 3:18 p.m.

  1. Consent
    1. Motion to approve six original poster designs for 24 posters by artist J.R.R. Blevins for exhibition in 24 kiosks on Market Street from May 17 to August 15, 2002, for the Market Street Art in Transit Kiosk Poster Program 2002.
    2. Motion to approve an Artist Selection Panel pool for the Library Bond Art Enrichment Program, to include Enrique Chagoya, Ann Chamberlain, Saudy Sanchez, JoeSam, Leah Levy, Ana Novakov, and Beau Takajara, to select an artist pool for six new and renovated library branches.
    3. Motion to approve the 2002 Bayview Hunters Point Youth Art Mural Project coordinated by Heidi Hardin and Betsy Miller Kusz.
    4. Motion to authorize the placement of funds from the following PUC art enrichment projects on reserve for future use at PUC sites mutually approved by the Arts Commission and PUC: Lane Street Pump Station, Crocker Amazon Pump Station, Potrero Heights Chlorine Station Project, Baden Pump Station, Hetch Hetchy Water Treatment Project, Harry Tracy Water Treatment Plant Residuals Thickening, Calaveras Potassium Permanganate Facility.
    5. Motion to approve the design concept of the art project at India Basin Shoreline Park by lead artists Moriah Ulinskas and Santiago Giraldo-Tobon, funded by the Goldman Fund, with recommended changes by curatorial staff, and pending approval by Recreation and Park Department.
    6. Motion to approve the mural design by Jason Gilmore at 4527 Mission Street, funded by Neighborhood Beautification and Rebuilding Together.
    7. Motion to approve the mural design by Mel Simmons at 1205 Mendell Street, funded by Neighborhood Beautification and Rebuilding Together.
    8. Motion to approve the mural design by Peter Collins at 555 Thompkins Avenue, funded by Neighborhood Beautification and Rebuilding Together.
    9. Motion to approve tree grate designs by Jenne Giles and Peaceful Streets for the Church Street Transit Center at 1 Church Street, funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Bridge Housing.
    10. Motion to allow the DeYoung Museum to remove and store and/or display three statues/monuments, Lion, Sundial, and The Pool of Enchantment, from Golden Gate Park during construction of their new building with the condition that all works will be re-installed in the Park and that all sites are to be approved by the Arts Commission.
    11. Motion to approve the loan of three works by Lucien Labaudt titled Radio, 1934, Spirit and Reality, 1934, and The Accordian Player, 1935 to the exhibition On-Ramps: Transitional Moments in California Art, June 1-September 1, 2002 at the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

    Motion: Motion to move the consent calendar item.
    Moved: Wilsey/Stauffacher Solomon


  2. Collections
    Civic Art Collection Program Director Debra Lehane reported that the replacement of the Spider Pelt sculpture by Dustin Shuler has been installed at Moscone Center parking garage. The repair of Ray Beldner's Playland sculpture should be complete within approximately three weeks. And finally, Ms. Lehane reported that renovation of the Garfield monument in Golden Gate Park should begin soon.

    Ms. Lehane said that community member and project coordinator John Caulder, landscape architect Allan Caulder, and artist Dan Macchiarini were here today to give a presentation of a proposed gift to the City of a statue of Emperor Norton designed by the late Peter Macchiarini. Ms. Lehane said that John Caulder had called her some time ago to find out about the process of giving a gift to the city. And since that time, through a process of community meetings and neighborhood events, Mr. Caulder has garnered much support for this project. Ms. Lehane reminded the commissioners that today they were only seeking approval of the design concept. Ms. Lehane introduced John Caulder, the project coordinator.

    Mr. Caulder began his report by explaining that Peter Macchiarini, the artist who created the design of the statue of Emperor Norton, passed away on July 7, 2001. After Mr. Macchiarini's death, Mr Caulder, his brother Allan, and Mr. Macchiarini's son Daniel, all got together and decided that they wanted to do something in tribute of Mr. Macchiarini. They felt that by creating Mr. Macchiarini's statue of Emperor Norton, they would be memorializing him as well as paying tribute to an icon of San Francisco's past, Emperor Norton. Mr. Caulder explained that Emperor Norton was known as the "Grandfather of eccentricity and openness" and that he was an icon for tolerance. Mr. Caulder introduced Daniel Macchiarini. Mr. Macchiarini said that since the age of nine, he had worked with his father in his shop. Peter Macchiarini originally designed the sculpture of Emperor Norton in the 1930s. In so doing, he accepted a somewhat political stance, since at that time, there was a general lack of tolerance. Peter Macchiarini chose to do a sculpture of Emperor Norton because of what the man stood for. The sculpture will be of Renaissance proportions--12 feet tall with a 4 foot base. The bronze will be 8 feet tall. The Emperor's two dogs, Lazarus and Bummer will flank him on either side. One sculpture was a collaboration between father and son, the other sculpture was created recently by Dan Macchiarini. The grouping will sit atop the Peter Macchiarini steps in the North Beach neighborhood at the junction of Kearny and Vallejo.

    Allan Caulder, landscape architect and brother of John, reviewed the plan view of the memorial with the Commissioners. He explained that the site where the statue would be installed is a flat area with a bulb out into the street. Decorative cut stone and paving would be added to the landing surface, and concrete, brick, and stone would be used at the site as well. The memorial will also include native plants, seating and a watering site for four legged friends. Mr. Caulder said that he lived in San Francisco from 1989 - 1999 and during that time he worked as a professional landscape architect and was involved with such organizations as SLUG and SF Beautiful.

    John Caulder then showed photos of the community meetings and events from the website that he has created for the Emperor Norton project. He explained that after design approval, the next step would be to fundraise for private contributions. He plans to fund raise in the style of Emperor Norton and print Emperor Norton money (something that Emperor Norton actually did). Individuals could purchase the currency for face value then redeem it with local merchants who would be participating in the fundraiser. The merchants would be able to receive a tax deduction. The project organizers also plan to cast a limited edition of small model statues for sale. Mr. Caulder mentioned that he, his brother, and Daniel Macchiarini were all volunteering their time to this project. Commissioner Wilsey asked how much they thought this project would cost. John Caulder estimated that the memorial would cost between $4-500,000.

    Commissioner Guggenheim asked what kind of materials would be used in this project and if they were durable. Mr. Macchiarini answered that the sculpture would be cast out of bronze with a stone base. Ms. Lehane added that bronze was a very durable material, and while she wasn't sure what kind of stone would be used, that there were several protective coatings that could be added to stone to improve durability. Ms. Lehane also said that an endowment would be created for ongoing maintenance and that low maintenance plants would be used.

    Commissioner Guggenheim then asked for public comment. Sherry O'Donnell, a neighborhood member for the past 20 years, said that she looks forward to something whimsical and wonderful at that site. Gerry Crowley, President of the Telegraph Hill Dwellers, said that her association unanimously voted to support a memorial to Emperor Norton. Bob Planthold, a member of E. Clampus Vitus, said that Emperor Norton is an icon for his group. Mr. Planthold approves of this project because he feels that the process has been inclusive of all community members, whether they be disabled, dog walkers, elderly, or whatever. He said that he helped investigate hidden impacts that would be of concern to the project, such as hidden underground pipes, by reviewing maps of the site at the Department of Public Works.

    Commisioner Guggenheim said that the project design looks great, but that he would like to see the philosophies and ideas of Emperor Norton somehow expressed. John Caulder answered that he planned to create a "Life and Times of Emperor Norton" bilingual coloring book as a companion piece to the sculpture, and possibly even incorporate some rubbing plates of the coloring book pages into the site for school children to use. Commissioner Wilsey added that she liked how they're including Emperor Norton's dogs into the design, and John Caulder responded how Emperor Norton's dogs were an important aspect of his persona.

    Motion: Motion to approve the design concept for the Emperor Norton Memorial for Telegraph Hill on Kearny Street at the top of the Macchiarini steps.
    Moved: Wilsey/Stauffacher Solomon

  3. PUC Art Enrichment
    Public Art Program Director Jill Manton began by giving some background information regarding this agenda item. Ms. Manton said that a few years back, PUC staff contacted her about their interest in restoring the murals at the Sunol Water Temple. Ms. Manton referred them to Ms. Lehane, and Ms. Lehane suggested that they speak with Ann Rosenthal, a professional conservator whom the Arts Commission had worked with in the past. At that point in time, the Arts Commission had not received any information about upcoming PUC projects that would generate art enrichment funds, and there never was a formal agreement that the Arts Commission would pay for the restoration of the murals. Lena Chen, the PUC project manager, went ahead with the restoration of the murals, not knowing the full cost until project completion. As a measure of good will, Ms. Manton agreed to apply $11,000 in PUC art enrichment funds from the Castlewood Pump Station towards the cost of restoring the murals. The final cost to restore the murals was $131,975, much higher than the PUC had expected. In December 2001, Ms. Manton had learned that Ms. Chen had, without the Arts Commission's permission, intended to apply the full cost of restoring the murals to the Arts Commission's pool of reserved PUC art enrichment funds. Because there was never a formal agreement between the Arts Commission and the PUC, and because she was never consulted about the costs of restoring the murals, Ms. Manton recommends that the Arts Commission honor the $11,000 already pledged to the project, as well as 2% of the final cost of the overall temple restoration for a total of $41,000. Ms. Manton said that Wendy Iwata, a representative from PUC staff, and Lena Chen, former project manager, were here today to present their side of the situation.

    Ms. Iwata began by saying that the PUC had gotten off to a rocky start with the Arts Commission. She said that until just recently, it has been difficult to tell how much the PUC would owe the Arts Commission for art enrichment. The total of CIP projects was always increasing, and only recently the PUC finalized a total figure of $4.5 billion. $550,000 in art enrichment money has already been transferred to the Arts Commission, even without a MOU. Once the final CIP figure is approved, the PUC will work together with the Arts Commission to establish a master plan for the use of the pooled funds. Ms. Iwata admitted that the PUC should have approached the Arts Commission for approval to restore the Sunol Temple murals, and that there should have been a formal agreement from the start, but now that the restoration is complete, they believe that because the murals are artwork, that the Arts Commission should pay the full cost. Ms. Iwata said that Ms. Chen was available for questions. No one had any additional questions for Ms. Chen.

    In response to a request from Commissioner Guggenheim to repeat the figures, Ms. Manton replied that the total cost of the mural restoration was $131,975 and the total amount transferred from the PUC to the Arts Commission to date is $550,000. She added that the PUC never informed the Arts Commission that the money had been transferred, and only after Public Art Program Assistant Anna Kvinsland had worked with PUC accounting, was she able to confirm the receipt of the funds. Ms. Manton confirmed that contributing $41,000 toward the mural restoration would be the first draw against the $550,000 in PUC art enrichment funds.

    There was no further discussion of this item.

    Explanatory Document: Memo: PUC Art Enrichment Funds for Sunol Temple

    Motion: Motion to approve a total of $41,000 to be contributed towards Sunol mural restoration cost ($11,000 from Castlewood Pump Station and $30,000 from Sunol Temple Restoration Cost).
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

  4. Gallery
    Gallery Manager Natasha Garcia-Lomas began the Gallery Report by showing slides of the work of artists who will be involved in the Grove Street Windows installations from May through October 2002. Ms. Garcia-Lomas explained that Lo-Profile, a collaboration by artists Laure Cuvillier and Eefje Theeuws, have proposed to feature life-size two-dimensional figures created out of plastic and Ziplock bags. To make their installation interactive and semi-performative, the artists will ask passer-bys to donate an item of clothing to the installation. Artist Kim Turos has proposed to create an installation of contrasting ecosystems by creating large-scale pieces referencing plants, flowers, and pollen. She will create jungle scenes in the windows with a combination of live plants and sculptural pieces created from discarded road material. The lighting will change from day to night. Marina Vendrell has proposed creating a childlike installation featuring stuffed animal wall sculptures created out of recycled fur coats.

    Gallery Director Rupert Jenkins added to the Gallery Report by explaining that the San Francisco Foundation, sponsor of the 2002 Murphy and Cadogan Award show, has invited Rev. Timothy Taylor, artist and assistant curator at San Francisco International Airport, Stephanie Syjuco, an artist who currently has a show at the Haines Gallery, and Clara Kim, curator at SFMOMA, to juror the show. Last year there were 18 artists involved in this show, and this year, they are expecting fewer participants.

    Mr. Jenkins concluded the Gallery Report by explaining that the last motion on the gallery section of the agenda today is asking that the Commissioners approve the proposed jurors for the 2002 Construct installation award show, and consequently, their selection of artwork. By approving this motion, the artists will have three months instead of two to do their work. The proposed jurors are Julie Deamer, a curator based in Los Angeles, and Paul Kos, a San Francisco artist and educator.

    The following motion was removed.
    Motion:
    Motion to approve the Grove Street Windows exhibition for May 26 - July 7, 2002 called (22:2) which features twenty-two two minute videos by Sergio Brown + Nortec, DJ Boweevill, Geoff Chadsey, Anthony Dicenza, Felipe Dulzaides, 53 esu-san, Paul Flores, ST Guerrero, Daniel Gorrell, The Hit Device, David Huffman, Ruben Lorch-Miller, Chris Oliveria, Eaun Macdonald, Anne McGuire, Pepito, Gina O, Eamon Orallon, Tucker Shwartz, Stephanie Syjuco, Jessica Tully, and JP Villegas.

    The following motion was modified.
    Motion:
    Motion to approve the Grove Street Windows installation by Lo-Profile, Laure Cuvillier, and Eefje Theeuws for May 26 - July 7, 2002
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

    The following motion was modified.
    Motion:
    Motion to approve the Grove Street Windows installation by Kim Turos for July 14 - August 25, 2002.
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

    Motion: Motion to approve the following jurors for the 2002 Murphy and Cadogan Award show, sponsored by the SF Foundation. (Note: approval of jurors would also approve their choices of award recipients for exhibition at the SFAC Gallery July-August 2002.):
    Rev. Timothy Taylor - artist, curator
    Stephanie Syjuco - artist
    Clara Kim - curator
    Moved: Wilsey/Stauffacher Solomon

    The following motion was modified.
    Motion:
    Motion to approve the following jurors for the 2002 Construct installation award show. (Note: approval of jurors would also approve their choices of award recipients for exhibition at the SFAC Gallery October - November 2002):
    Julie Deamer - curator
    Paul Kos - artist, educator
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

  5. 525 Golden Gate Avenue New City Office Building
    Ms. Manton said that Paul Kos was here today to present his second conceptual design proposal for the new city office building at 525 Golden Gate Avenue. She reminded the Commissioners that the theme of Mr. Kos' first proposal was a canary in a coal mine.

    Mr. Kos said that the design his was proposing today was still hypothetical due to the fact that the architects have not yet addressed the lobby. Mr. Kos has designed his proposal for the Redwood Alley and Polk Street side of the building. He hopes that through his idea of making his design as "green" as possible, that this entrance will become the cornerstone of the building. Mr. Kos proposes to use reflective green slate on the floors of the lobby, and on the lobby walls, he proposes to use a combination of different colored stone and ceramic materials to form words, possibly quotes by poets William Carlos Williams or Frederico Garcia Lorca. His intention is that the wording on the walls be discreet and possibly not noticed by the passer-by the first time around. Also part of Mr. Kos's proposal is green tinted windows with sandblasted or laminated words in large cursive letters that would be seen reflected on the floors when the sun hits the south facade at a certain angle. Mr. Kos showed the Commissioners an example of the green slate that he would use on the walls. He said that his wish is that the word walls would not have doorways, because that would only break up the art. Because the architects still have not fully designed this section of the building, it is still not known if this is even possible.

    Commissioner Guggenheim said that he noticed in Mr. Kos' design that the slate floor was cut into squares. Mr. Kos said that he hoped to get 3 foot by 3 foot square sections of green slate for the floors, although he was still uncertain of the availability of this material and its cost. Ms. Manton added that the architects are concerned about the uneven quality of the slate floors because of ADA restrictions and also because the lobby may feature a café, and the scraping of chairs may put undue stress on the slate floor.

    And finally, Mr. Kos said that he would like to incorporate ferns into his proposal to add a bit of nature, and soften the geometry of the design. Commissioner Stauffacher Solomon said that she liked this proposal very much, but didn't think that the ferns were necessary. All of the Commissioners agreed that the design proposal presented by Mr. Kos today, was much better than the first.

    Ms. Manton said that because all of the Commissioners present today were at the special joint Civic Design and Visual Arts Commission meeting held last week, and heard about Ned Kahn's new project proposal at that time, that she would skip a recap in the absence of time.

    Motion: Motion to approve the conceptual design by Paul Kos for the lobby of 525 Golden Gate.
    Moved: Wilsey/Stauffacher Solomon

    Motion: Motion to approve Ned Kahn's new project proposal for 525 Golden Gate.
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

  6. Moscone Center Expansion Project
    Ms. Manton explained that because Mitsubishi repeatedly responded in an untimely manner with information that was frequently inaccurate, artist Ric Scofidio contacted another LED vendor in Sacramento called Multimedia, Inc.. To ensure that no time was lost in the design process, Ms. Manton asked the project engineer to attempt to finish design with Mitsubishi, while simultaneously meeting with Multimedia. If Mitsubishi did not work out, there would be another viable option. Immediately after his meeting with Multimedia, the project engineer called Ms. Manton to say how impressed he was with this company. He and Mr. Scofidio requested that the Arts Commission terminate their relationship with Mitsubishi right away. With Ms. Manton's approval, Mr. Scofidio wrote a letter to Mitsubishi to end the agreement. Upon consulting with the City Attorney, Ms. Manton discovered that city governments may back out of contracts without penalty if it is in the best interest of the public. Ms. Manton said that business wise, going with Multimedia makes more sense because unlike Mitsubishi, all of the parts for the Multimedia system come from one company, which is good from a liability standpoint. Also, Multimedia's price is $200,000 less than Mitsubishi and Multimedia is a local company. She mentioned that Multimedia has two other LED installations in the same block as the Moscone Center at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and the Sony Metreon.

    Ms. Manton said that a large entourage including artist, engineer, AV consultant, electrical engineer, and Moscone representative would be visiting the Multimedia facilities in Rancho Cordova next week.

    Explanatory Document: Project Documents re: Mitsubishi and Multimedia, Inc.

    Motion: Motion to authorize the change of LED manufacturer from Mitsubishi to Multimedia Inc.
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

    The following motion was modified.
    Motion:
    Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Multimedia Inc. for an amount not to exceed $700,000.
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

  7. Zoo
    Project Manager Susan Pontious announced that David Anderson, Zoo Director, has approved the purchase of two sculptures by artist Gwyn Murrill for the Zoo, and has deferred the final artwork selection to the Arts Commission. The Zoo art committee had narrowed the selection of available artwork down to five possible choices. Ms. Pontious showed slides of these sculptures and a sketch of the site and the proposed location of the artwork. The Commissioners chose Tiger 2 (seated tiger) and Cougar III (a crouching cougar).

    Next, Ms. Pontious gave a brief update on the design change of a seat wall terminus to the north pathway in "Split Mound" by Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren. A discrepancy was discovered between the grade of the northern "Split Mound" pathway and where it meets Zoo Street. Ms. Pontious reported that she and Steve Winkel, the project architect, met with Susan Ferrarya, the DPW ADA coordinator, to discuss several options for resolving the problem while still meeting ADA requirements. Ms. Ferrarya would not allow either increasing the slope of the grade nor the addition of steps, because either solution would not provide equal access. To solve the problem, it was decided that a seat wall would be added with a raised grade and additional planting to discourage an implied path to the street.

    The following motion was modified.
    Motion:
    Motion to approve the design change for a seat wall terminus to the north pathway in "Split Mound" by Jud Fine and Barbara McCarren.
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

    The following motion was modified.
    Motion:
    Motion to approve the purchase of "Tiger 2" at $85,000 and "Cougar III" at $65,000 by Gwyn Murrill for the Zoo.
    Moved: Stauffacher Solomon/Wilsey

  8. Laguna Honda Hospital Project
    Ms. Pontious reported that the Link Building will now be the new main entrance of the renovated Laguna Honda Hospital facility. This section of the building will be fabricated entirely out of glass. The architects want a major artwork to go in this section, and Ms. Pontious feels that she can take $100,000 previously reserved for the pool, and use it for this purpose. She reminded the Commissioners that specially designed handrails by Cliff Garten are already going in this section. She said that there are three options for selecting an artist for the new $100,000 commission. First, she could select an artist from the pre-qualified pool from the original competition. Second, she could ask Cliff Garten to design the new section. Third, she could re-advertise. She explained how the third option was the least appealing option because of the time it would take to go through the full competition process again. Ms. Pontious said that the second option was most appealing to her because she has realized what a strong esthetic Mr. Garten has, and because he has worked so well with the designers and architects. Commissioner Stauffacher Solomon said that she thought that having Mr. Garten design the additional artwork for the link section would be good for consistency. Ms. Manton added that timing is definitely a concern for this project, but that equity may also be an issue.

    Ms. Pontious said that if Mr. Garten chooses not to accept the additional commission, he could be involved in the selection of another artist. She felt that selecting an artist who would complement his strong sensibility may in fact be a challenging task.

    Commissioner Wilsey left the meeting at this point.

    Ms. Pontious concluded her report by saying that Hospital Administrators are extremely pleased with Mr. Garten's handrail design. Mr. Garten is flying to San Francisco on April 8th to meet with Susan Mizner from the Mayor's Office of Disability to hear her concerns regarding his design. The handrail materials also must be approved by OSHPD (the state agency that regulates hospitals).

    The following motion was not voted on because of lack of quorum:
    Motion:
    Motion to approve the method of selecting an artist to develop a design for the glass curtain wall on the link building at Laguna Honda Hospital with a working budget of $100,000.

  9. Ocean View Recreation Center
    Project Manager Tonia Macneil reported that the City is building a new recreation center in the OMI district near City College at Ocean View Park, on a southern facing terrace above a sloping site. The Minnie and Lovie Ward Recreation Center will be located between Capitol and Pilgrim, at Montana. Approximately $68,000 will be available for art enrichment. Ms Macneil said that the project would come before Civic Design in April 2002, and that an open competition to select artists would be complete by August 2002.

    Explanatory Document: Ocean View District Memo

  10. New Business
    Ms. Manton reported that Liz Diller has had to postpone her presentation of the Audio Visual content for the LED screen until the final decision on the LED equipment has been made. As it is now, Ms. Diller is planning on coming to San Francisco the last week in May. Ms. Manton asked the Commissioners if they would be available for a special Visual Arts Committee (VAC) meeting that week so that Ms. Diller could present her proposal. Commissioner Guggenheim suggested that the regular Visual Arts Committee meeting be moved to May 29th to accommodate Ms. Diller's schedule. Ms. Lehane mentioned that pushing the regular meeting to such a late date may conflict with getting VAC consent items included on the Full Arts Commission Agenda for June. Ms. Manton said that she would talk with Ms. Diller to see if her schedule could be a little more flexible. May 22nd was discussed as an alternate date.

  11. Old Business

  12. Adjournment

    As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

    Submitted by Anna Kvinsland, Public Art Program Assistant

    Approved by Richard Newirth, Director of Cultural Affairs, 3/26/02

    3/26/02

     




    contact us  |  accessibility policy  |  disclaimer  |  privacy policy