June 7, 2010 | San Francisco Arts Commission

Full Commission - June 7, 2010

MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, June 7, 2010
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m.

Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston, President
JD Beltran
John Calloway
Gregory Chew
Amy Chuang
Lorraine García-Nakata
Jessica Silverman
Cass Calder Smith
Sherri Young

Commissioners Absent
Maya Draisin, Vice President
Leo Chow
Astrid Haryati
Sherene Melania
Barbara Sklar
Ron Miguel, ex officio
Approval of Minutes
RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-129: Motion to approve March 1, 2010 Minutes.

The remaining items were withdrawn.
President’s Report
President Johnston said that his report today would not be so gloomy. He began by introducing Commissioner Jessica Silverman, adding that he had had the pleasure of attending the large swearing-in ceremony on the Mayor’s Balcony. President Johnston said that Commissioner Silverman operates the Silverman Gallery on Nob Hill, which shows a lot of interesting work. He said that she has also been involved with the Arts Commission Gallery’s board working with Gallery Director Meg Shiffler, and that she brings a real passion for championing the Gallery as she joins the Commission. Noting that he could not recall a Gallery board member moving onto the Commission before, he thought it was a good precedent for the Mayor to draw from those ranks to appoint someone already involved with the Commission’s work.

Commissioner Silverman thanked President Johnston for his introduction. She said that she was excited and honored to have been appointed, that she looked forward to doing good work and serving well on the Commission, and she hoped to bring in new ideas.

President Johnston announced the appointment of Commissioner Silverman to the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee; he added that Vice President Draisin, chair of that Committee, looked forward to working with her. He expected to fill vacant positions on the Civic Design Review Committee shortly. He has been advised that the Mayor’s office is working aggressively to fill the remaining vacancy on the Commission. President Johnston planned to make new Committee assignments in July, and said he would be asking some Commissioners to move. He predicted an intense year, particularly for the Street Artists Program, as the Recreation and Parks Department proceeds with its planning for Justin Herman Plaza.

President Johnston reported that the Mayor had taken the extraordinary step of delivering his annual budget proposal to the Board of Supervisors in the unusual setting of the Luggage Store Gallery on Market Street. President Johnston explained that the Mayor considers this area, Market Street between Sixth and Seventh Streets, to be a focal point of what is good and bad in the city. He described the task of balancing the budget as Herculean, acknowledging the painful cuts involved. He thought the key was concessions made by the City’s labor unions, and said that there would be some loss of services and staff, though largely by attrition. Even so, he said, that means fewer people to do the work, and means the loss of services.

In this context, President Johnston found it very significant that the Mayor had chosen to restore the cuts made by the Arts Commission at the Committee and staff level, and reluctantly approved by the full Commission. President Johnston said that certainly Arts Commission programs have faced belt-tightening and cuts over the years, but the really painful cuts to the Cultural Centers and to grants have been restored. He congratulated the Arts Commission’s constituents, whose sometimes tearful pleas were heard, and he recalled how difficult it was to face those constituents, friends, and say there was nothing the Commission could do. He congratulated staff for complying with the Mayor’s requests for budget cuts, some just before Christmas, then again in January, amounting to a 30% reduction. He acknowledged that Mr. Cancel and the staff, as part of the City family, met the Mayor’s call for cuts.

President Johnston praised Mayor Newsom’s courage in restoring those cuts. In light of deep cuts in Social Services, Health, Muni, even the Police and Fire Departments, the Mayor came back to the city, the press and stakeholders to say that, even as bad as things are, we cannot sacrifice our arts community, that it is important to the city and to its economic rebound. President Johnston has often said that Mayor Newsom is one of the greatest advocates of the arts, and he asserted that this action was the Mayor’s own decision, after taking into consideration arguments presented by the Arts Commission on the impact of 30% cuts. President Johnston acknowledged that things will still be difficult for the next year or more, but this gives a little breathing room to the Cultural Centers and to grantees and applicants. He added that the Mayor made a real commitment to the arts in a way that he didn’t have to, that it was not just a response to political forces.
Director’s Report
Mr. Cancel applauded the Mayor’s reversal of 30% budget cuts as a major turnaround for the city and the cultural community. He explained that the Board of Supervisors will consider the budget and ultimately adopt it with whatever changes they make. In other words, the Mayor proposes, and the Board of Supervisors disposes. He was hopeful that the Board would concur with the Mayor that the arts are vital to San Francisco’s economy. Mr. Cancel pledged to watch the budget adoption process very carefully.

Mr. Cancel reported that the month of May was very busy for the Commission. First, he reported that the installation of Zhang Huan’s Three Heads Six Arms was incredibly successful both in participation and in media coverage, with more than two dozen print mentions. The piece appeared on the front pages of the San Francisco Chronicle, the San Francisco Examiner, and the Los Angeles Times weekend edition (a first for an Arts Commission project), as well as in the Chinese-language press. It also had more than 38 online mentions, and was covered by every television station in the Bay area on the dedication date, including KTVU, KRON and CBS5.

Mr. Cancel reported on the first media tour of the new Laguna Honda Hospital, one of the agency’s largest and most significant projects; both television and print media participated. Mr. Cancel noted that KNTV, the Bay Area’s NBC affiliate, focused their report solely on public art at the hospital. He added that the art plays a significant role, in wayfinding, and in creating communities or neighborhoods within the hospital, which has many long-term residents.

Mr. Cancel reported that San Francisco Weekly’s Best of San Francisco issue praised four Arts Commission-related projects, including Language of the Birds, Art in Storefronts, Art on Market Street, and the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts’ house band, Futuro Picante.

To general applause, President Johnston praised Public Art Program Project Manager Kate Patterson for her great work on media relations.

Mr. Cancel reported that the Art Impact event with San Francisco 49er Vernon Davis was very successful, and that Mr. Davis was so pleased that he would like to do another event next year. Additionally, Mr. Davis’s publicist has approached the Arts Commission about working with another of her clients. Mr. Cancel said that Arts Education Program Manager Tyra Fennell has already begun working on the next Art Impact event, and she welcomed suggestions of other high-visibility speakers accomplished in a non-arts field, but for whom the arts are personally important.

Turning back to the budget, Mr. Cancel was very pleased that Mayor Newsom presented the very good news that he was restoring the Arts Commission’s budget cuts. If the budget as it stands is adopted by the Board of Supervisors, Mr. Cancel explained, those cuts will not be made to the Cultural Centers and to grantees. He reiterated President Johnston’s statement that the City’s budget is still very tight, and that the Board will shape the final budget over the next few weeks. He said that staff have encouraged constituents to be in touch with their representatives about their priorities.

Mr. Cancel said that the Board’s Finance Committee’s hearing on the Arts Commission’s budget was scheduled for June 21, and that staff was preparing for the presentation. In response to a question, he explained that the Finance Committee was holding hearings on the entire budget, and that the June 21 hearing would cover many other related agencies along with the Arts Commission. He explained that the Finance Committee would make its recommendations to the full Board of Supervisors in July, and the Board would vote to adopt the final budget at the end of July.

President Johnston added that over the course of the hearings, the budget analyst gives a report on each department’s budget, as does the department’s staff. He explained that the budget analyst gives suggestions about cuts, how the department might do things differently, and that the Board may accept some of those suggestions. He said that the Board might also add back money to some department’s budgets according to the Board’s own priorities. In the last couple of years, he said, the budget has been so tight, so delicately balanced on labor concessions, that it has been difficult for them to find much to change. Nonetheless, he said, the Board can still express its priorities, and the budget analyst may not understand the nuances of how each agency works. He said that June 21 was an opportunity to be heard by the Board.

Mr. Cancel noted that staff cannot lobby the Board, but that this was the time for constituents and Commissioners to engage the Supervisors and encourage them to hold San Francisco’s cultural community harmless in the budget.

Mr. Cancel said that there had been concern about a shortfall in the WritersCorps budget; the Library continued to support the program but at a reduced rate, and the Department of Children, Youth and Families returned to supporting the program, but there was still a shortfall. He reported that the Mayor proposed closing the funding gap to reach the same level of support as in the current fiscal year.

President Johnston reported that Omar Vizquel—headed for the Hall of Fame, he thought—has become a great supporter and partner of WritersCorps. President Johnston recounted a phone call from Mr. Vizquel in Chicago, about a sculptor he wanted President Johnston to know about.

Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff thanked Mr. Cancel along with Director of Programs Jill Manton and the Mayor’s budget office for the restoration of the budget. She added that WritersCorps has seven teachers in thirteen sites serving nearly 800 young people. She introduced WritersCorps Acting Program Manager Melissa Hung to talk about the apprentice program. Ms. Hung described the apprentices as the elite, the cream of the crop. She explained that they come to the Arts Commission offices after school because they love writing and they get special help. She said that the apprentices have been working on a yearlong project, a book idea they came up with. The book will be a travel guide, called City of Stairways: A Poet’s Field Guide to San Francisco, featuring seven sections, with seven walking maps. She announced that they are raising funds online for the project, with Kickstarter.com. Mr. Cancel added that the apprentices have posted video about the project on Kickstarter.com, and they have four more days to raise $3,800; he had sent a link to the site to the Commissioners.

Mr. Cancel reported on the launch of ArtCare with the lifetime achievement award for gallerist Ruth Braunstein. He explained that the City’s multimillion-dollar Civic Art Collection gets only $15,000 a year for maintenance, and this amount is mostly quickly consumed by graffiti abatement. He reported that a number of significant artworks in the public space need to be conserved and restored. ArtCare, he explained, is an initiative to identify the top twenty such artworks and seek private contributions to fund the necessary work. He reported that the launch event, coinciding with the Fine Arts Fair’s lifetime achievement award for Ms. Braunstein, raised $20,000. He found the event a great success, and said that Ms. Braunstein was very pleased with the award. He added that Walter Newman had donated $3,000 to conserve the Holocaust Memorial by George Segal.

Mr. Cancel reported that staff is exploring the possiblity of opening an account with Intersection for the Arts as a fiscal sponsor for a “friends of the arts” organization. Among other things, this would allow the Arts Commission to accept credit card donations for ArtCare and other programs, which the City does not currently allow.

Mr. Cancel reported that the agency had submitted a significant request of $250,000 to the National Endowment for the Arts (“NEA”). This is a multidepartmental initiative focused on developing the central Market Street area as an arts district. He noted that the Arts Commission was invited to apply for the funds after NEA director Rocco Landesman met with the Mayor on a visit to the city, so he was hopeful about this exciting opportunity. Mr. Cancel thanked Development Director Rachelle Axel for her work on the complex proposal, which has some seventeen partners, including the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, Grants for the Arts, the Redevelopment Agency, the Planning Department, SPUR, Public Architecture, and others. He noted that many partners will help with matching funds, and he expected to hear from the NEA by late June or early July.

Finally, Mr. Cancel announced the opening of Now and When at the SFAC Gallery on Friday, June 11. He praised the show as phenomenal and intriguing, demonstrating Gallery Director Meg Shiffler’s visionary curatorial capabilities. He noted that this was part of the cycle of 40th anniversary exhibitions at the Gallery.

President Johnston thanked him, adding that he was very happy to have good news in both of their reports.
Consent Calendar
RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-130:
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. 0607-10-131: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of May 12, 2010.
2. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-132: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of May 19, 2010.
  
  Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (May 17, 2010)
3. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-133: Motion to approve Phase 3 of 525 Golden Gate Avenue.
4. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-134: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Forest Hill Pump Station Upgrade with the contingency of modifying the planter and removing the curb and recess around the building.
5. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-135: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Crystal Springs Pump Station with the contingency of removing the portal from the end of the building and extending the height of the door up to the score line.
6. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-136: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Crystal Springs Control Building with the contingency to have a minimum one foot distance between the steel wall and end of the concrete wall, to revise the paving and river rock, and to remove the small strip of grass.
7. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-137: Motion to approve changes to the Art Enrichment Allocation report to include disclosure about existing artwork and to require project teams to work with the Civic Art Collection staff if the existing artwork will be affected by construction.
  
  Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (May 19, 2010)
8. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-138: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into agreement with Stephen Galloway for design of art glass for General Hospital Acute Care Unit: Fourth Floor in an amount not to exceed $21,000, which shall include an artist fee of $7,000 and reimbursable expenses of up to $14,000.
9. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-139: Motion to approve a pool of selection panelists for the Central Subway Temporary Art Program project in Chinatown, to Ellen Oh, Executive Director of the Kearny Street Workshop; Kevin Chen, Artist Director of Intersection for the Arts; and Mark Johnson, Director of the Fine Arts Gallery at San Francisco State University.
10. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-140: Motion to approve the selection of artist Cliff Garten and his proposal for the General Hospital Acute Care Unit Entry Drive Median as recommended by the General Hospital Artist Selection Panel.
11. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-141: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Cliff Garten, selected by the General Hospital Artist Selection Panel for design, fabrication, transportation and installation/consultation during installation for an artwork for General Hospital Acute Care Unit: Entry Drive Median in an amount not to exceed $400,000.
12. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-142: Motion to approve the final design by Tom Otterness of Mother with Children for the Potrero Avenue pedestrian plaza and the series of Hearts sculptures for the pedestrian walkway at General Hospital.
13. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-143: Motion to approve the art glass design by Mildred Howard for the General Hospital Acute Care Unit: 3rd Floor curved glass element and light court windows.
14. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-144: Motion to approve the proposed placement of artwork fence panels by Michael Bartalos for Mission Playground as follows: set of ten (10) panels to be installed on the Valencia Street frontage and, pending construction bid results, a second set of ten (10) panels to be installed on the 19th Street frontage.
15. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-145: Motion to Approve Owen Smith’s final clay molds and approval to proceed to casting relief sculptures for Laguna Honda.
16. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-146: Motion to approve Walter Kitundu’s design for Bird Song Benches and Musical Bird Mural for San Francisco International Airport (“SFO”) Terminal Two Children’s Area.
17. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-147: Motion to approve project outline for artist-designed terrazzo for SFO Boarding Area E pending determination of any applicable federal guidelines.
  
  Community Arts, Education & Grants Committee Recommendations (May 26, 2010)
18. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-148: Motion to approve recommendations to award fifty-six grants totaling $629,978 in the 2009-2010 cycle of Organization Project Grants to the following organizations and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each for the amounts listed:
  
  3rd i South Asian Independent Film Festival, $12,000
  African & African American Performing Arts Coalition, $12,000
  Arab Cultural and Community Center, $12,000
  Arab Film Festival, $12,000
  ArtSpan, $12,000
  Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (APICC), $12,000
  Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts & Technology (BAYCAT), $12,000
  Bindlestiff Studio, $12,000
  Campo Santo, $12,000
  Charming Hostess, $9,563
  Chhandam Chitresh Das Dance Company, $12,000
  Circuit Network, $12,000
  Contraband/Mixed Bag Productions, $12,000
  CounterPulse, $12,000
  Crowded Fire Theatre Company, $4,250
  Cutting Ball Theatre Company, $12,000
  DanceArt, Inc., $12,000
  Deborah Slater Dance Theater/Art of the Matter, $12,000
  Door Dog Music Productions, $12,000
  Ensambles Ballet Folklorico de San Francisco, $12,000
  Epiphany Productions, $12,000
  Flyaway Productions, $12,000
  Galería de la Raza, $12,000
  Golden Thread Productions, $12,000
  inkBoat, $12,000
  Joe Goode Performance Group, $12,000
  Kid Serve Youth Murals, $12,000
  La Pocha Nostra, $12,000
  Margaret Jenkins Dance Company, $12,000
  Mary Sano and her Duncan Dancers, $2,990
  ME’DI.ATE, $4,400
  Museum of Craft and Folk Art, $12,000
  Museum of Performance and Design, $12,000
  Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu, $12,000
  OngDance Company, $12,000
  Other Minds, $12,000
  Out of Site: Center for Arts Education, $12,000
  PhotoAlliance, $12,000
  Push Dance Company, $6,375
  Queer Women of Color Media Arts Project, $12,000
  Radar Productions, $12,000
  Root Division, $12,000
  SAFEhouse, $12,000
  San Francisco Camerawork, $12,000
  San Francisco Hip Hop Dance Festival, $12,000
  San Francisco Independent Film Festival, $8,000
  San Francisco Mime Troupe, $12,000
  San Francisco Silent Film Festival, $12,000
  Shadowlight Productions, $12,000
  Sixth Street Photography Workshop, $12,000
  Southern Exposure, $12,000
  Stephen Pelton Dance Theater, $12,000
  The Bay Bridged, $6,400
  Voice of Witness, $12,000
  Z Space Studio, $12,000
  ZACCHO Dance Theatre, $12,000
19. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-149: Motion to approve a grant to the African American Art and Culture Complex for 2010-2011, not to exceed $78,666, with remaining grant allocation approved upon review of Management and Programming Plan and Budget.
20. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-150: Motion to approve a grant to Bayview Opera House, Inc. for 2010-2011, not to exceed $51,481, with remaining grant allocation approved upon review of Management and Programming Plan and Budget.
21. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-151: Motion to approve a grant to the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts for 2010-2011, not to exceed $86,606, with remaining grant allocation approved upon review of Management and Programming Plan and Budget.
22. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-152: Motion to approve a grant to SOMArts Cultural Center and sub-grantees for 2010-2011, not to exceed $128,626 (including $96,696 to SOMArts, $15,965 to sub-grantee Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center and $15,965 to sub-grantee Queer Cultural Center).
Committee Reports and Committee Matters
1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
  1. President Johnston reported that the Committee did not meet in May, and he presented the following motion, requesting that Mr. Cancel discuss it.
    
    Mr. Cancel said that some of the Commissioners would remember the economic impact study done a couple of years earlier by Americans for the Arts. He explained that this had been very useful reference work in discussing the economic impact of the arts with the business community and other non-arts audiences, providing a basis for the economic claims of the arts. He reported that Americans for the Arts will do the next round of economic impact study beginning in January, 2011, releasing the final report in the spring of 2012, coinciding with the Arts Commission’s 80th anniversary. The motion below authorizes the funds to participate in the study. The total cost will be $7,000, and Grants for the Arts will split the cost with the Arts Commission.
    
    Commissioner Beltran suggested that the results of the study would support the Mayor’s decision to return funds to the Arts Commission’s budget. President Johnston said that the study was needed, and that the Commission needed to participate in it. He thought the money was wisely spent.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-153: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Americans for the Arts that will allow the City of San Francisco to participate in their next Arts and Economic Prosperity study, starting in January, 2011, and paying the participants’ fee of $7,000.
2. Civic Design Review Committee—Cass Calder Smith, Chair
  1. Commissioner Smith reported that the Committee has been moving swiftly through a number of projects, including the glass mural for the façade of San Francisco Airport Terminal Two. The Committee had requested that the Public Utilities Commission and the Bureau of Architecture present a current project to the full Commission.
    
    Commissioner Smith introduced Anastasio (“Tasso”) Mavroudis, Public Utilities Project Manager, Gary Hoy, director of the Bureau of Architecture, and Michael Pierron, senior project designer.
    
    Commissioner Smith explained that while the Civic Design Review Committee reviews large projects like Terminal Two and General Hospital, they also review small structures like pump stations that are seen only by a few City staff and by livestock, in places like Tracy, far from the city. These parcels are owned by the City as part of its water system. Commissioner Smith explained that some of these structures are like bunkers, not seen by the public, while others are quite visible to the public, who can walk right up to them.
    
    He explained that the Committee and staff have been working to make the design review process more collaborative with the client and the architecture team, who are sometimes City architects and sometimes private firms, like Gensler. The Committee has held a number of design charrettes which have been very successful. The Committee has set a very high bar on some projects and wanted to show an example to the entire Commission.
    
    Mr. Hoy first explained that he had been project manager on the Laguna Honda construction, working on it for years and years. When he takes people on tours of the hospital, he said a bit ruefully, they only look at the wonderful art. He thanked Commissioners Chow and Smith for spending so much time.
    
    Mr. Pierron explained that the control building and pump station are located at Crystal Springs, and showed slides of the site and the project. He mentioned that it was a great bicycle ride during the week, but that on weekends, it is so crowded that it’s difficult to ride.
    
    He explained that the design goals were simple: to accommodate recreational users of the area with a visually interesting form. He showed images of the structure, which has trapezoidal forms wrapping around it. The materials are Cor-Ten steel and concrete, separated by a small rockbed. He explained that the landscape incorporates habitat restoration.
    
    He showed views of the building from each side, including from above, explaining that the building is symmetrical when seen from the front or the back, and that the doors are not visible from the trail. He showed images of the landscaping, including native plantings and riparian restoration. Finally, he acknowledged the other members of the team.
    
    Commissioner Chew asked whether signage was necessary. Commissioner Smith explained that homeland security and related concerns made it generally undesirable to identify buildings like this pump station.
    
    President Johnston thanked the Committee and the project team for the presentation, noting that Committee presentations are very helpful to the rest of the Commission in understanding what they are doing.
3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Maya Draisin, Chair
  1. In the absence of Vice President Draisin, Commissioner Young said that the Committee had had wonderful visits from grantees Sean San José of Campo Santo, Juliana Sloane of Voice of Witness on a great book featuring storytelling from women in prison, and Joti Singh of Duniya Dance and Drum Company. The Committee really appreciated their presentations. Commissioner Calloway concurred that all of the presentations were compelling and of very high quality.
    
    President Johnston asked about the Cultural Centers’ Management and Programming Plans. Ms. Nemzoff explained that they had been postponed until the budget is finalized.
4. Street Artists Committee—Sherene Melania, Chair
  1. In the absence of Commissioner Melania, Commissioner Calloway reported that the Street Artists Program is digitizing licenses and moving towards online renewals. He reported that Street Artists Program Director Howard Lazar participated in a focus group held by the Mayor’s office on the goals for Market Street.
    
    Commissioner Calloway reported that the Committee’s meetings have been very spirited, and the Committee’s members would like to see more cooperation and a less adversarial relationship with the Liaison Committee. He said that Mr. Lazar has been subject to attack after attack, and while the artists certainly have the right to express concerns, the Committee hoped not to see the continued personal attacks.
    
    Mr. Cancel added that he has not heard from the Recreation and Parks Department on their direction for Justin Herman Plaza. President Johnston said that he had spoken with the director of Recreation and Parks, and they don’t yet have the final proposal in hand. President Johnston wondered if they would be able to meet their goal of starting the new program by the fall. Mr. Cancel wondered about the number of responses to the Request for Proposals.
    
    Commissioner Calloway presented the following motion.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-154: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Lydia Harari, Jeffrey Walker, Max Seeman, David Aguilar, Amparo Roman, Mary Ann Milburn, Richie Wu, Tianchi Wang, Christian Moffat, Vicky Carp and Ramesh Chindam.
    
    Mr. Cancel reported on staff changes in the Street Artists Program, explaining that Lyla Conrad had been hired some months ago to replace Program Associate Evelyn Russell. He reported that Ms. Conrad made substantial progress in computerizing the program’s operations, and has decided to pursue graduate studies in Chicago. Now the program has hired Alyssa Licouris as Program Associate.
    
    Ms. Manton introduced Development Associate Kathy Judkins, who is working primarily with Development Director Rachelle Axel. Ms. Manton was pleased to have someone with Ms. Judkins’ skills at the agency.
    
    Ms. Shiffler added that both Ms. Conrad and Ms. Licouris had first worked with the Gallery, and she was happy that the Gallery could support the rest of the agency in this way.
    
    Returning to the question of the Liaison Committee, President Johnston said that he would be interested in hearing the evaluation of the Committee at the end of the year of its authorization by the Commission. Commissioner Calloway said that they have chosen a new speaker, Tad Sky, who has toned down some of the hyperbole. Mr. Cancel added that the program continues to get many sunshine requests.
    
    Commissioner Calloway lamented the adversarial tone, calling it draining instead of moving forward. President Johnston said that meetings are often dominated by an adversarial tone, and staff time is drained by needless public document requests. He pointed out that the artists and staff have worked hand in hand for so much of the program’s 38 years, and would like to move back in that direction.
5. Visual Arts Committee—Lorraine García-Nakata, Chair
  1. Since Commissioner García-Nakata was not at the last meeting of the Committee, President Johnston reported that the Committee kept up its very busy pace, reviewing many projects. He promised a presentation to the full Commission at a future meeting. He reported on two highlights. First, he congratulated Public Art Program staff, particularly Program Director Susan Pontious, on the completion of the Laguna Honda public art program. He recalled the earlier remark of Mr. Hoy about the strong artwork, and described the collection as amazing. He noted that two of the three photos in the San Francisco Chronicle’s story about the hospital focused on the artwork.
    
    Secondly, he noted that several motions approved in today’s Consent Calendar approved artwork for San Francisco General Hospital, and he congratulated Public Art Project Manager Jennifer Lovvorn on the incredibly beautiful artwork there.
    
    President Johnston said that he would like for the Arts Commission to meet at Laguna Honda at some point. He said that one of their goals is to reestablish the hospital as a place where the community comes and goes, and not to remain hidden behind the trees.
    
    Commissioner Beltran added that one of the greatest joys of serving on the Commission is working with the talented and dedicated staff. She reported that Ms. Nemzoff won a Dreamcatcher award for her accomplishments in arts education. The award was given at the annual Young at Art event at the de Young Museum, a collaboration between the museum and the San Francisco Unified School District.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata presented the following motion. In response to Commissioner Chew’s question, Ms. Manton explained that Charles Chan is a community representative.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0607-10-155: Motion to approve Charles Chan, who serves on the Central Subway Outreach Team, as a selection panelist for the Central Subway Temporary Art Program Chinatown Project selection panel.
New Business
There was no new business.
Reports and Announcements
President Johnston announced that Commissioner García-Nakata was honored as a Woman of Conscience, as well as serving with Mr. Cancel on the National Museum of the American Latino (“NMAL”) Commission. Commissioner García-Nakata announced that the NMAL would be meeting in San Francisco on August 19 and 20, and she hoped to set up an event for them with the Arts Commissioners.

Commissioner Calloway announced that despite their limited funds, the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts presented a great float in this year’s Carnaval, featuring their youth band, Futuro Picante. He said he wouldn’t be surprised to see them win float of the year, and that this was one of the best parades he has seen in years; he thought everyone involved could be proud. President Johnston noted that Futuro Picante was also praised as Best Kid Band by SF Weekly, and agreed that they are fantastic.

Commissioner García-Nakata announced that Children’s Book Press would celebrate its 35th year with a gala event at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts on October 7, featuring Henry Louis Gates. She hoped everyone would support that event, and hoped to set up a lunch event that day.

President Johnston announced that Intersection for the Arts was holding its 45th anniversary gala on Saturday, June 12, at the historic San Francisco Chronicle building. He thought the presses were really interesting, and encouraged people to support Intersection by attending the event.

Ms. Nemzoff announced the opening celebration on Friday, June 11, for the last Chinatown site of Art in Storefronts. She explained that Wentworth Alley was being closed off for the event, which will feature live music, food by the Slanted Door’s Charles Phan and neighborhood restaurants, and a tea tasting.

Ms. Shiffler announced the opening of Picturing Power and Potential, a photography show co-presented with the International Museum of Women, on the ground floor of City Hall. Sharing the ground floor exhibition space is Shanghai Candid: Women in Motion, a solo photo exhibit by Liang Yue. Commissioner Beltran added that Now and When, the Gallery’s time capsule show in the main Gallery space and in the Grove Street space, is incredibly strong, and she urged everyone to see it.

Ms. Wong announced that on August 17, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts will host Arts Forum 2010, a town hall meeting intended to educate political candidates at all levels and the community.

Finally, Mr. Cancel announced that the search committee for the Mexican Museum will be interviewing candidates for the position of director of the museum at the end of June.
Public Comment
There was no further public comment.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:35 p.m.
7/29/10 spr