July 12, 2010

MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, July 12, 2010
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:03 p.m.
 

1. Roll Call
   Commissioners Present
   P.J. Johnston, President
   JD Beltran
   John Calloway
   Gregory Chew
   Leo Chow
   Amy Chuang
   Astrid Haryati
   Sherene Melania
   Jessica Silverman
   Barbara Sklar
   Cass Calder Smith
   Sherri Young
   
   
   Commissioners Absent
   Maya Draisin, Vice President
   Lorraine García-Nakata
   Ron Miguel, ex officio
    
2. Approval of Minutes
   RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-156: Motion to approve April 5, 2010 Minutes.
   RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-157: Motion to approve May 3, 2010 Minutes.
   
   The remaining items were withdrawn.
    
3. President’s Report
   President Johnston reported that Mr. Cancel would have a lot of good news. He reported some positive movement from the Mayor’s office on filling the open seat on the Commission, but that they have not yet scheduled the swearing-in. He was enthusiastic about the pending appointments, and noted that they would be particularly important for the Civic Design Review Committee, which has had issues making its quorum. He expected the new Commissioners to be sworn in before the next full Commission meeting.
   
   
4. Director’s Report
   Mr. Cancel began his report with an update on the budget, which was at a critical stage, with the Board of Supervisors scheduled to take their first-round vote the next day. He said that in the morning’s department head meeting, the Mayor explained that a number of budget items were still unresolved between the Mayor and the Board; the Board wanted to include about $40 million in expenditures beyond the Mayor’s budget, and the question of how to pay for that—in cuts or enhanced revenue—was in contention. Mr. Cancel said that the difference would have to be resolved within the next week, by the second reading of the budget bill on July 20, with the final vote to adopt the budget set for July 27.
   
   Mr. Cancel added that there was as yet no indication that the Board wished to change the Arts Commission’s budget, either by increasing or decreasing it. He was hopeful that it would continue to be supported by the Board. President Johnston added the good news that the department presentations went well, and that the Budget and Finance Committee did not make any additions or subtractions. Mr. Cancel said that he and Director of Finance Kan Htun had been called only to the first hearing, and answered the Committee’s questions at that time. He explained that the Mayor’s restoration of cuts to the Cultural Centers and grants was not an issue so far. He added that everything was still open to question until the final vote on the budget, and he remained hopeful.
   
   Mr. Cancel reported that Bayview Opera House received a federal grant from Save America’s Treasures which will fund much-needed restoration work. Because Save America’s Treasures focuses on historic preservation, a requirement of the grant is an easement ensuring protecting the historic elements of the building for fifty years. Changes to the building will need to be approved by the City and by a local historic preservation organization specified by Save America’s Treasures. He explained that the City Attorney’s office is reviewing the easement, and with an extension from Save America’s Treasures, the easement should be completed by August. Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff explained that this is on a fast track, with a deadline of August 31, and that the easement may come before the Executive Committee at its August meeting. Mr. Cancel agreed that the easement will come to the full Commission for its approval soon.
   
   Mr. Cancel explained that last year, after discovering several leaks, emergency repairs were made to the Opera House’s roof, thanks to the efforts of Facilities Manager Tom Petersen, Department of Public Works staff and others. Since then, mold has been discovered in the wall behind the stage, which was saturated before the leaks were repaired. Mr. Cancel explained that the health issues posed by the mold are being evaluated, and that the Bureau of Architecture is undertaking a study on how best to repair the damage and is providing a cost estimate.
   
   In response to a question from Commissioner Young, Ms. Nemzoff explained that programs are currently taking place outside the building in a tent, since the building’s floors are being worked on. All the flooring is being removed and whatever can be saved will be restored and replaced, and new flooring will be installed to replace the rest. Ms. Nemzoff explained that programming was already displaced by this project.
   
   Mr. Cancel pointed out that there is always a price to pay for deferring maintenance expenses for such a long time.
   
   Turning to the Transbay Terminal, Mr. Cancel explained that thanks to Director of Programs Jill Manton, the Arts Commission was selected to oversee all of the public art going into the terminal. He said that this major project, perhaps the biggest west of the Mississippi, will have a very significant budget. He reported that five artists have been selected, including James Carpenter, who will do lighted sculptures in Shaw Alley; Julie Chang, a young San Francisco artists who will create a 24,000-square-foot terrazzo floor; Jenny Holzer, who will create LED installations; Ned Kahn, another San Francisco artist who will create a jet fountain in the garden that echoes the movement of buses on the floor below; and Timothy Hawkins, who plans to recycle and reuse some of the material salvaged from the demolished ramps of the old terminal in a 40-foot-high sculpture outside the building (his proposal has not yet received final approval). Mr. Cancel reported that Ms. Manton has made her report to the Transbay Joint Powers Authority’s (“TJPA”) Steering Committee; the full TJPA will vote soon on the proposed artworks.
   
   Ms. Manton recalled that the Commission had seen the artists’ proposals at its March meeting, and explained that the proposals would be presented to the full TJPA on July 15. She added that everything goes through the steering committee, and that Mr. Cancel and Commissioner Beltran are members of that committee. She invited everyone to the TJPA meeting at the Board of Supervisors chambers.
   
   Commissioner Calloway asked whether there was a housing component in the project. Mr. Cancel explained that the original conception of the project included a tower with residential and office space; at the time, the strong real estate market led to the expectation that this component would generate revenue. Now that the real estate market is much weaker, the tower development has been separated from the terminal project and put on hold.
   
   Mr. Cancel introduced a presentation from the Arts Commission’s Communications and New Media workgroup. He explained that he has focused on developing informal cross-program workgroups to tap into the rich talent pool of the Arts Commission staff. He explained that he initiated three workgroups: Information Technology and Database; Community Initiatives; and Communications and New Media. Anyone on the staff can join these groups, and he described it as a fabulous opportunity for staff to polish their expertise in various areas and to mentor other staff. He found the groups remarkably successful, positively tackling several problems for the agency.
   
   Public Art Project Manager Kate Patterson, co-chair of the Communication and New Media group, began by reporting on successes over the past year. She explained that a primary challenge was a lack of broad awareness of the Arts Commission and what it does; only the Gallery had a robust publicity program. Over the last year, she said, the overall agency’s visibility has improved by leaps and bounds.
   
   As more and more interaction takes place online and on mobile platforms, the workgroup has spearheaded an institutional shift to Web 2.0, providing a resource for programs. The approach is holistic, incorporating new media and traditional media. The Arts Commission has embraced Web 2.0, and is committed to fresh and frequently updated content on multiple platforms. Ms. Patterson reported that there are over 12,000 names in the PHP database used for e-mailing newsletters and other information. In addition to targeted mailings by program or interest, she explained, this allows staff to combine lists for special projects like the Mayor’s Art Award, as an example.
   
   Ms. Patterson reported on the unprecedented number of press and media mentions, which she credited partly to increased efforts by individual programs. Community Arts and Education, for example, had several new initiatives, including StreetSmARTS, Art in Storefronts, and Art Impact, which they needed to publicize.
   
   Ms. Patterson reported on some media highlights for the Arts Commission, including four articles in the New York Times, several front-page stories in local newspapers and The Los Angeles Times, and a number of appearances in “best-of” articles. She listed some of the highlights in television coverage: Ms. Nemzoff and Mr. Cancel appeared separately on Comcast, discussing Art in Storefronts and StreetSmARTS; Zhang Huan’s Three Heads, Six Arms drew every TV station in the Bay area; all of the Art in Storefronts site launches were covered, including in the ethnic press; the TV coverage for Laguna Honda Hospital was dedicated just to the public art. Ms. Patterson added that Eye on the Bay on July 19 would cover the Art in Storefronts in Chinatown.
   
   Finally, she discussed radio coverage, including an in-depth report on Art in Storefronts on KALW, and statewide broadcast of the California Report, also featuring Art in Storefronts.
   
   Ms. Patterson said that the Arts Commission is getting more engagement, including with City Hall, with a growing number of friends, fans and followers.
   
   She introduced Community Arts and Education Program Associate Robynn Takayama, co-chair of the Communications and New Media workgroup. Saying the Ms. Patterson doesn’t “toot her own horn,” Ms. Takayama credited much of the agency’s media success over the past year to Ms. Patterson’s accomplishments, and her training of her colleagues.
   
   Ms. Takayama said that while the “traditional” media serves as an intermediary, in Web 2.0, including Facebook and Twitter, everyone is “the media.” She explained that primary goals include driving traffic to the Arts Commission’s website, spreading information about the Commission’s programs and events, strengthening the agency’s role as a source for information on arts and culture in the Bay area, and communicating with constituents.
   
   Ms. Takayama gave examples of how staff had used social media, including real-time tweets updating the many interested people unable to attend the sold-out Dynamic Adaptability Conference, and sharing virtual dialogues within the audience. She explained how she learned from a tweet on a Sunday evening that StreetSmARTS artist Chor Boogie had been stabbed while working on his mural. She contacted Mr. Cancel and Ms. Patterson and they prepared a statement, so the agency was ready before reporters called.
   
   Ms. Takayama showed how Art in Storefronts artist Leland Wong kept followers, including the Arts Commission, updated on how his project was going. She discussed how the Arts Commission used Facebook to show fans the progress of Zhang Huan’s Three Heads Six Arms. She discussed how an archival image of a flyer about the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts, from the fractious period of the 1970s, was posted. Rather than trying to ignore it, staff chose to repost it, giving context and shaping the discussion.
   
   Ms. Takayama discussed how the Gallery successfully used Facebook in its Passport fundraiser, collecting 300 fans who helped raise $6,000. She also gave examples of the Arts Commission’s participation in the larger discussion about the arts, including a post on the passing of Lorraine Hansberry Theatre’s co-founder, Stanley Williams; membership in the International Storefront Art Network on Facebook; and drawing attention to artists with whom the agency works by tagging and posting their events on the Arts Commission’s page.
   
   Ms. Takayama displayed graphs showing the rapid growth of Facebook fans and Twitter followers.
   
   Ms. Takayama also discussed Flickr as a resource for photos of Arts Commission artworks and projects. She explained how a variety of photographers posted images, and made them available for the Arts Commission’s use. She said that the dynamic images documenting StreetSmARTS led to better coverage by the New York Times, for example. She showed a very popular photo, of Mayor Newsom spray-painting a portion of Chor Boogie’s mural.
   
   Ms. Patterson discussed YouTube, which the Arts Commission uses primarily to host Culture Wire, without having to purchase additional bandwidth. She described the site as nimble, noting that people can watch on different platforms. She explained that last year, 30 segments of Culture Wire were produced and broadcast on SFGTV in half-hour programs. Now the online audience is the primary target for the program, so two or three mini-episodes of shorter duration will be produced each month, and broadcast between programs on SFGTV cable system, as well as being promoted on the Arts Commission’s Facebook page and its website. Additionally, featured guests link to the segment on their own websites and in their newsletters. She gave the example of Cultural Equity grantee Fresh Meat Productions, whose home page links to the Culture Wire episode of Fresh Mean Artistic Director Sean Dorsey being interviewed by Director of Grants San San Wong; the episode had had over 500 hits. Interest in Culture Wire has grown and there is a south bay cable system that is negotiating with SFGTV to distribute it to their audiences.
   
   Finally, she showed a clip from a recent episode, with Gallery Director (and Culture Wire host) Meg Shiffler talking about the Ethnic Dance Festival.
   
   Ms. Patterson summed up by saying that all of the different platforms are connected, noting that SFGate and Facebook are the most frequent referring sites for the Arts Commission’s website. She presented some statistics: an average of 13,000 unique visitors monthly, two million hits on sfartscommission.org in June, growing web traffic over the past year, increasing numbers of fans and followers on Facebook and Twitter.
   
   Ms. Patterson mentioned some of the other ways the Arts Commission is using new media and upgrading its online presence, including improvements to the website, the Gallery’s List RSS feed of opportunities for artists, and blogs by WritersCorps and Community Arts and Education, all with a focus on engaging with the community. She invited everyone to join the online family of fans, followers and photographers.
   
   Mr. Cancel thanked her and asked her to name the other members of the workgroup: Development Director Rachelle Axel, Senior Registrar Allison Cummings, WritersCorps Acting Program Director Melissa Hung, Cultural Equity Grants Program Associate Lucy Lin, Civic Design Review and Administration Project Manager Vicky Knoop, Gallery Manager Aimee Le Duc, and Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie. Mr. Cancel also thanked Ms. Shiffler for lending her sparkling personality to Culture Wire. He added that there is no full-time IT staff or webmistress/webmaster, and he congratulated the workgroup for its outstanding work.
   
   Mr. Cancel said that as the agency approaches its 80th anniversary, it is time to rethink the logo, to tackle the Arts Commission’s identity, branding and logo over the coming year, with the goal of increasing visibility and awareness in the community.
   
   Mr. Cancel announced that the Gallery would hold its next Passport event on 10/10/10—October 10, 2010—in Hayes Valley. He explained that the benefit party would be held the evening before, and he invited Ms. Shiffler to talk a little about the event. Ms. Shiffler said that she would discuss the event more fully in August or September, but briefly explained that on October 9, a fundraising party would be held, with money from the bar going to the Gallery. Participants can buy a little passport booklet and visit fifteen venues in Hayes Valley to have their passports stamped with original works by fifteen artists. One of the stamps, she said, will be loaned to the Gallery by the estate of Richard Diebenkorn.
   
   Mr. Cancel introduced Alyssa Licouris as the new Program Associate for the Street Artists Program. He also announced that after fifteen years, Janet Heller was resigning as WritersCorps Project Manager, effective July 24. He praised her extraordinary leadership of the program, and her energy, and said that she would be missed. Melissa Hung, who has been serving as Acting Project Manager for the program during Ms. Heller’s leave, will continue in that position, and Mr. Cancel expects to conduct a formal search to permanently fill the position in the fall.
   
   Closing on a personal note, Mr. Cancel said that he and his family appreciate the condolence notes and good wishes from staff and Commissioners on the passing of his father, Juan Rafael Cancel.
   
   President Johnston thanked him, and added that he had recently happened to see Ms. Heller, and thought she had exciting new plans; he agreed that he would miss her.
    
5. Consent Calendar
   RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-158:
   Approval: RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby adopt the following items on the Consent Calendar and their related Resolutions:
   
   Approval of Committee Minutes
   1. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-159: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of May 26, 2010.
       
   2. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-160: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of June 16, 2010.
      
      Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (June 16, 2010)
   3. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-161: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to approve contract budget of Ned Kahn for design of artwork for the interior lobby of 525 Golden Gate Avenue, Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”) Building, in an amount not to exceed $300,000, pending approval by the client agency, the PUC.
       
   4. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-162: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Ned Kahn for design of artwork for the exterior façade of 525 Golden Gate Avenue, PUC Building, in an amount not to exceed $1,137,000, pending approval by the client agency, the PUC.
       
   5. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-163: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to modify existing contract with Ned Kahn to increase scope of work to include the fabrication of interior artwork as well as to increase the budget to include the fabrication and installation of the exterior artwork for total not to exceed $1,462,000, pending approval by the client agency, the PUC.
       
   6. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-164: Motion to approve the installed artwork, Touching Earth, by artist Scott Donahue, consisting of two vessel-shaped concrete and bronze epoxy sculptures, located on either side of the pathway to the Ninth Avenue entrance of the Richmond Branch Library.
       
   7. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-165: Motion to accept into the Civic Art Collection an artwork titled Touching Earth, by artist Scott Donahue, consisting of two vessel-shaped sculptures molded out of concrete, each covered with an epoxy bronze relief map of the Bay Area, each approximately 35 inches high by 50 inches wide at the top, 35 inches wide at the bottom, and embedded with small porcelain enamel ovals with images of various modes of transit, installed on either side of the pathway to the Ninth Avenue entrance of the Richmond Branch Library.
       
   8. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-166: Motion to rescind Resolution Number 0301-10-084 approving The Chinatown Journey, a two-year multi-artist, multimedia art project proposed by the Chinese Culture Center for the Central Subway Temporary Art Program’s Chinatown Pilot Project for 2010-2011, and authorizing the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with the Chinese Culture Center for an amount not to exceed $80,000 to implement the project. The resolution is rescinded due to a technical error regarding geographic application restrictions in the original Request for Proposals which required reissuing the Request for Proposals and conducting a new selection process.
       
   9. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-167: Motion to approve a grant for The Chinatown Journey, a two-year multi-artist, multimedia art project proposed by the Chinese Culture Center for the Central Subway Temporary Art Program’s Chinatown Pilot Project for 2010-2011, as recommended by the Central Subway Temporary Art Program Chinatown Project Selection Panel, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with the Chinese Culture Center for an amount not to exceed $80,000 to implement the project.
       
   10. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-168: Motion to approve the public art approach and artist selection plan for Palega Recreation Center as detailed in the Palega Recreation Center Public Art Project Outline.
        
   11. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-169: Motion to approve the following arts professionals as potential selection panelists for the Palega Recreation Center Public Art Project: Jennifer Easton, Public Art Administrator, San Jose Public Art; Julia Hamilton, Program Director, Neighborhood Public Art Grant at Richmond Art Center; Carrie Lederer, Curator of Exhibitions and Programs, Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek; Ellen Oh, Executive Director, Kearny Street Workshop; and Dana Zed, artist.
        
   12. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-170: Motion to approve the selection of artist Moto Ohtake for the Fulton Playground Public Art Project as recommended by the Fulton Playground Artwork Selection Panel.
        
   13. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-171: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Moto Ohtake to commission an artwork for Fulton Playground in an amount not to exceed $38,000.
        
   14. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-172: Motion to approve proposed relocation of existing artworks within Boeddeker Park: Untitled by Anthony Smith; Ark (or Ark San Francisco) by Bruce Hasson; and Redding School, Self Portrait by Ruth Asawa.
        
   15. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-173: Motion to approve final artwork design of Evolves the Luminous Flora, by Kathryn “Jovi” Schnell for Tutubi Plaza.
        
   16. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-174: Motion to approve and accept into the Civic Art Collection, B F I L R Y D, 2010, twenty-six glass panels (eight 5'x10' panels of fritted glass; sixteen 2.5'x10' sandblasted panels, and two 8'x 8' clear glass laminated panels with photographic interlayer) by Bob Zoell, commissioned for the secure connector between Terminal Three and the International Terminal at the San Francisco International Airport.
        
   17. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-175: Motion to approve the following pool of arts professionals for the Memorial Court project: Susan Harrison, Program Director, United States General Services Administration; Stanley Saitowitz, architect; Michael Willis, architect; Rupert Garcia, artist; Karen Tsujimoto, Senior Curator, Oakland Museum of California; Helene Fried, independent curator; and Walter Kitundu, artist.
       
        
6. Committee Reports and Committee Matters
   1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
      1. President Johnston reported that the Committee cancelled its meeting because Mr. Cancel had just lost his father. There was no further report.
          
   2. Civic Design Review Committee—Cass Calder Smith, Chair
      1. Commissioner Smith had nothing new to report. He said that the Committee was proceeding ahead, and he was glad to hear that they will have some help.
          
   3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Maya Draisin, Chair
      1. In the absence of Vice President Draisin, Commissioner Young reported that Flax art and design was hosting an exhibit of StreetSmARTS artists’ work through July. She announced that several artists and property owners will participate in a talk on Art in Storefronts in at the Chinese Culture Center on July 17.
         
         Commissioner Young presented the following motion.
          
      2. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-176: Motion to approve the following individuals as grants application review panelists for Cultural Equity Grants:
         
         Ellen Bruno, filmmaker
         Santhosh Daniel, Director of Programs for the Global Film Initiative
         Ken Foster, Executive Director, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
         Anjee Helstrup-Alvarez, Executive Director, MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana, writer and curator
         Elaine Katzenberger, Editor, City Lights Books, Inc.
         Jan Masaoka, writer and director and Editor-in-Chief, Blue Avocado nonprofit magazine
         Chuck Mobley, Curator, San Francisco Camerawork and Editor, SF Camerawork Publications
         Ellen Oh, Executive Director, Kearny Street Workshop
         Frances Phillips, Senior Program Officer for Arts and Humanities, Walter and Elise Haas Fund
         Ron Ragin, Associate Program Officer, Performing Arts Program, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
         Fred Salas, Performance and Literary Arts Coordinator, MACLA/Movimiento de Arte y Cultura Latino Americana
         Steve Seid, Video Curator at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive
         Mabel Sikmei Teng, Executive Director of the Chinese Culture Foundation
         Jessica Tully, artist and cultural worker
          
   4. Street Artists Committee—Sherene Melania, Chair
      1. Commissioner Melania reported that the Committee did not meet and she had nothing further to report. She presented the following motions.
          
      2. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-177: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Maria Cisneros, Chan Wen Fat, Rui Sem Liang, Ravit Maman, Alethea Shuey.
          
      3. RESOLUTION NO. 0712-10-178: Motion to approve waiver of 15-day requirement for obtaining certificate: Homan Huang, Enrique Ordaz, Diana Samuelson, Meier Wen.
          
   5. Visual Arts Committee—Lorraine García-Nakata, Chair
      1. President Johnston reported that Commissioner García-Nakata was traveling, and he made the Committee’s report in her absence. He explained that the Committee had met and that most of the Consent Calendar items approved earlier had come out of that meeting. The Committee has been very busy with several big projects. He reported that the Committee’s work on General Hospital was coming to a close, and that Central Subway was beginning in earnest. He said that the Committee also had some smaller projects, including some new ones. He said that the Committee also saw a presentation on 525 Golden Gate, a massive building that will be transformed into the home for the Public Utilities Commission; it presents serious seismic issues.
          
7. Public Comment
   Ernestine Weiss introduced herself as the creator of Ferry Park. She said that Robert Arneson’s Yin Yang should not be a permanent exhibit at its current location. She said that she had warned that vandalism and graffiti would be problems. She said that people are climbing on the statues, throwing dirt into the mouth, and defacing them. She said that the Mayor put plants into part of the area, and that the rest is sand, which makes children think it is a sandbox. She said that the artwork should be moved.
    
8. New Business
   Mr. Cancel reported that on Thursday, August 19, a reception for the National Museum of the American Latino Commission would be held, and he hoped to bring that Commission together with Arts Commissioners. He said that he had spoken with former Arts Commissioner Dede Wilsey about a location for the reception.
    
9. Reports and Announcements
   Commissioner Beltran announced that Maya Lin’s What is Missing? was honored as Best Public Art by the Public Art Network of Americans for the Arts. She added that last year, Brian Goggin’s Language of the Birds was similarly honored.
   
   Ms. Manton reported that the San Francisco Arts Commission has been honored in this way almost every year. She reported that Art in America publishes an annual in the summer, including a small selection of public art, and one or two projects of the Arts Commission is always among the twenty chosen. Commissioner Beltran suggested that this was evidence of the program staff’s amazing good taste.
   
   Public Art Program Director Susan Pontious added that the untitled work by Ann Chamberlain and Ann Hamilton at the San Francisco Public Library, a mural of 50,000 catalogue cards commissioned by the Arts Commission, was selected by the Public Art Network as one of the best in the last 50 years.
   
   Commissioner Young recalled that Ms. Takayama had mentioned the passing of Stanley Williams, and she added that his partner Quentin Easter had passed away only nine weeks earlier. She said that both would be missed tremendously in the Bay area arts scene.
   
   President Johnston congratulated Mr. Cancel and the staff for their report, saying that it was great to see how the Arts Commission is putting its work out for the community to see. He thought it was important to see how the agency is innovating, as well. He said that art is communication, and he was really impressed by what staff is doing.
   
   He also congratulated WritersCorps on a beautiful book, adding that they get better every year. He encouraged Commissioners to take home and review the district report, another way to communicate with others what the agency is doing. He thought it would help Commissioners to more effectively represent the agency and the Commission.
   
   There were no other reports or announcements.
    
10. Adjournment
    There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:06 p.m. in memory of Stanley Williams.
     

8/2/10 spr