June 6, 2011 | San Francisco Arts Commission

Full Commission - June 6, 2011

MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, June 6, 2011
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m.

Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston, President
John Calloway
Gregory Chew
Amy Chuang
Dorka Keehn
Jessica Silverman
Kimberlee Stryker
Sherri Young

Commissioners Absent
JD Beltran, Vice President
Mark Breitenberg
Leo Chow
Lorraine García-Nakata
Sherene Melania
Barbara Sklar
Cass Calder Smith
Christina Olague, ex officio
Approval of Minutes
This item was withdrawn.
President’s Report
President Johnston reported that he and Mr. Cancel had met earlier in the day and agreed to cancel the August meeting of the full Arts Commission, though committee meetings will continue as scheduled. He noted that it is often really difficult to get a quorum in the summer.

President Johnston noted that budget season is a very busy time for Mr. Cancel and staff. Noting that Commissioners had received budget materials, he thought that the budget showed some slight positive growth and was not quite as bad as had been expected. He reported that Mayor Lee had presented his budget on Wednesday, June 1, and found it refreshing to see him do so in the Board of Supervisors’ chamber. He recalled that Mayor Brown had likewise presented the budget in the Supervisors’ chamber for all eight years of his tenure, and that all but one of those budgets were adopted unanimously. President Johnston praised Mayor Lee’s spirit of collaboration, and noted that, although the Mayor’s remarks didn’t gather a lot of headlines, he made a point of thanking all the people who worked with him on the budget and he described the process of holding lots of town hall meetings throughout the city. President Johnston reported that with a Citywide budget somewhat over $6 billion, all departments were impacted by cuts, including the Arts Commission, although the cuts were not as severe as in the past. He noted that Mr. Cancel would discuss the budget in greater detail in his report.

President Johnston reported that there have been many recent activities, including the ArtCare benefit generously hosted by former Arts Commissioner Dede Wilsey at her home. He reported that the San Francisco Fine Art Fair had for a second year dedicated its opening night event as a benefit for ArtCare. He noted that Mr. Cancel, Public Art Project Manager Kate Patterson, and Development Director Rachelle Axel have put in a lot of time drawing attention to the Civic Art Collection and its needs, coinciding with recent press attention. Noting that attention to the needs is welcome, he reported that the first renovation, of the Peter Voulkos sculpture at the Hall of Justice, has just been successfully completed. He congratulated staff for that accomplishment.
Director’s Report
Mr. Cancel reported that Mayor Lee had just presented to the Board of Supervisors his proposed budget for the coming fiscal year beginning July 1. Mr. Cancel reported that it included several positive surprises for the Arts Commission and, by extension, for the cultural community at large.

He reported that the dire capital needs of the Cultural Centers got modest but positive resources. He distributed a summary of the positive and negative changes to the Arts Commission budget proposed by the Mayor. Mr. Cancel noted that the budget proposed by the Mayor would be heard by the Board of Supervisors Budget Committee later in June, and the full Board is scheduled to vote to adopt the final budget in July.

Mr. Cancel reviewed the summary document, explaining that $500,000 was allocated to the Bayview Opera House capital project. He said that this represented acknowledgement by the Mayor’s Budget Office of the Commission’s argument that for the Opera House to continue to operate, the wall discovered last fall to be seriously compromised must be replaced. He explained that this year, studies are being done to determine how to shore it up, and there were serious concerns about how this very expensive repair would be funded. Mr. Cancel explained that the Bureau of Architecture submitted its report and plan, and he was pleased to have a positive response from the Mayor’s Budget Office. He noted that this funding for the Opera House repair represented the lion’s share of the increase for that line in the budget summary document, and that without it, the line item would show a small reduction from the previous year.

Mr. Cancel explained that other modest but important improvements in the budget included an increase of $22,000 in maintenance funds for the Civic Art Collection, to a total of $75,000. He said that this represented a positive response to the Commission’s argument for the importance of conserving the City’s collection, noting that only a few years ago, the appropriation was only $15,000. He characterized the increase last year to $22,000 as a baby step forward, and this year’s increase as another baby step forward.

Mr. Cancel described the remaining budget changes as technical adjustments. An increase in WritersCorps funding was matched by an equal decrease in Public Art funding. He explained that these funds were mistakenly allocated to Public Art instead of WritersCorps in the previous budget, and this budget corrects that error. He explained that this will mean more teachers, with a positive impact for teens in San Francisco. Mr. Cancel explained that the budget summary include other technical adjustments, mandated health and retirement increases, and reductions related to work orders from the Department of Technology.

Mr. Cancel called the Commission’s attention to the increase in the Civic Design Review fee, designed to make the review process self-supporting. He explained Civic Design Review is a charter-mandated responsibility of the Arts Commission, and that any City construction, or construction on City property, must go through a three-stage review and approval before groundbreaking. He explained that the program is authorized to charge fees to cover the cost of meeting those responsibilities, and that staff has determined that now is the time to make that process self-sustaining; the fees need to cover all of the staff costs. Mr. Cancel said that other City agencies are responding well to the increase, and they understand that they have to pay these fees.

Mr. Cancel pointed out that the Mayor’s budget represented a small bit of good news for the Cultural Centers, which face a 7.5% reduction, not the 17.5% being applied to most other agencies. He explained that the Commission’s appeal to the Mayor’s Budget Office successfully spared the agency from more substantial reductions, and spared the potential loss of a staff position. While the budget includes a cut, it could have been a lot worse if the appeals had not been heeded.

President Johnston asked whether there were any significant changes, besides the $500,000 for Bayview Opera House, from what was proposed to the Mayor, and what was discussed by the Commission at its earlier meetings.

Mr. Cancel said that the Opera House funding was the big change, adding that there was a real possibility that they would not be able to operate in the coming fiscal year without the repair. He reiterated that he was very grateful to the Mayor’s Budget Office for that significant investment.

President Johnston asked whether the budget was otherwise essentially the same budget that the Commission had previously reviewed.

Mr. Cancel agreed that it was, and that the contingency cut discussed by the Commission was not being taken after all. He recalled that the most dire budget proposal discussed called for a 17.5% cut, with the suspension of one of the Cultural Equity Grants (“CEG”) programs, as well as loss of a staff position. Fortunately, that cut was not being required. He added that there was more good news, in that the Board of Supervisors’ addback of $11,432 to CEG was still in the budget, and it reduced the cut to CEG.

Commissioner Keehn asked for clarification on the Public Art fund reduction; Mr. Cancel explained that it was the correction of an error which mistakenly allocated to Public Art funds which should have been allocated to WritersCorps, and that the two adjustments cancel each other out in the total budget.

President Johnston noted that the budget format had been tightened in recent years, and that he would still like to see a line-by-line budget at the Executive Committee. While he knew this would not happen before the current budget was passed by the Board of Supervisors, he requested a fully fleshed-out budget for review by the Executive Committee in December for the next fiscal year.

Mr. Cancel explained that the collapsed version he presented was supported by a line-by-line budget, which he offered to make available. President Johnston said that the Executive Committee had not gone into detail on the budget recently, and he would like for the Committee to do so. Mr. Cancel agreed.

Turning to another matter, Mr. Cancel reported on a really important success, with the pilot program of SFJAM, the online educational exercise, over the last few months. He explained that the program was developed by Nuvana, a nonprofit organization, and dedicated to active learning. Students go online to compete for points and prizes; to complete their “missions,” they had to go into real-world cultural organizations. Participating partner organizations included the Cultural Centers, the Contemporary Jewish Museum, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, BAYCAT, 826 Valencia, and many others. Mr. Cancel reported that 240 students from several different schools completed some 1400 missions over the six weeks of the pilot period, equivalent to some 7400 visits to arts organizations and events. As a measure of the excitement the project generated, he noted that students made another 2400 visits after the pilot period ended. He reported that staff was very pleased with the results of the experiment, and that while the Commission had invested a modest amount of about $10,000, Nuvana raised the rest of the money. He explained that the pilot program was launched here and in New York City, and that the San Francisco students did really well. He hoped that the program could be expanded to increase the number of participating schools.

Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff added that the School District was very grateful to Mr. Cancel and the Arts Commission for their leadership and support of the project.

Mr. Cancel reported that the City’s graffiti problem has been growing in past years, and that City colleagues at the Department of Public Works have responded favorably to the Arts Commission’s anti-graffiti initiative, as a smarter way to spend some of the $18 million that the City spends removing graffiti and restoring vandalized property each year. Mr. Cancel reported that Where Art Lives, the Arts Commisssion’s anti-graffiti curriculum for fourth- and fifth-graders, has grown, along with StreetSmARTS, the program pairing artists with private property owners to create murals. Mr. Cancel explained that property owners face a serious challenge: if their property is tagged and they don’t remove the graffiti quickly, they face an expensive citation. The StreetSmARTS program matches preapproved urban artists with property owners.

Ms. Nemzoff explained that artists are chosen in a competitive panel review process. She reported that in its first year, the program created ten murals, and twenty in the current year, twelve of which are already completed. She explained that established artists work closely with the property owners, and meet with neighbors to show them the design of the mural. This year, she said, there is more of a financial partnership; the Arts Commission pays the artist, and the property owner pays for materials.

Ms. Nemzoff reported that over the two years of the program, murals have been painted in almost every supervisorial district in the city. She showed images of several of the mural sites, including before-and-after photos, and showed works by several of the artists, including Wes Wong, Chor Boogie, Nils Thorsen, Amber Hasselbring, Robert Harris, Nico Berry, Rattlecan Blasters, Vera Lowdermilk and Cameron Moberg. Ms. Nemzoff added that Arts Education Program Manager Tyra Fennell created a partnership with Where Art Lives, recruiting 49er tight end and arts patron Vernon Davis to work with Mr. Moberg and the young people at the Tenderloin Boys and Girls Club on their mural. Showing a photo of Mr. Davis with the young people that had appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, Ms. Nemzoff said that the mural had a huge impact.

Ms. Nemzoff promised to show images of the remaining eight murals still in progress once they are completed, making a total of 30 in the two years of the program.

Finally, she reported that there have been no reports of tagging at any of these sites since the murals have been painted. Mr. Cancel thanked Ms. Nemzoff, and echoed this remarkable observation, that tagging at these sites was effectively eliminated.

Mr. Cancel reported that the May 13 Art on Market Street launch was enormously successful, filling the blocks between Sixth Street and United Nations Plaza with as many as 40,000 people. He praised Ms. Nemzoff, Community Arts and Education Program Manager Robynn Takayama, and the rest of the staff who worked on the event.

Mr. Cancel reported that for the second year, the San Francisco Fine Arts Fair offered its opening night event as a fundraiser for ArtCare. The event, honoring the many years of service by Richard L. Greene on behalf of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, had raised some $13,000 for ArtCare, with more continuing to come in over time. Mr. Cancel thanked Senior Registrar Allison Cummings and Development Director Rachelle Axel for their hard work making this event successful.

Mr. Cancel was pleased to report that the first restoration using ArtCare funds has been completed, on the Peter Voulkos sculpture at the Hall of Justice on Seventh and Brannan streets. He announced that the artwork will be rededicated publicly in July.

He also announced that former Arts Commissioner Dede Wilsey has graciously offered to host a reception at her home later this week to introduce a number of major patrons to ArtCare. He was very grateful for her generosity.

Finally, Mr. Cancel noted a bittersweet moment. He said that he had been fortunate in coming to the Arts Commission to have a staff who had been with the agency for many years, and it was always a sad occasion for someone to retire. He acknowledged Judy Moran, who would retire at the end of June as a Senior Project Manager in the Public Art Program. He said that she had joined the agency fifteen years ago, and had guided some of the largest and most significant public art projects in that time, including the San Francisco Airport boarding area, Third Street Light Rail, Branch Library Improvement Program and many Recreation and Parks Department projects. He explained that one of her first responsibilities was the highly successful Art on Market Street program, which has served to introduce many artists to the public art process. The program has commissioned dozens of posters for display on Market Street kiosks and bus shelters, and its success was recognized with an exhibition at Walnut Creek’s Bedford Gallery in 2009. Mr. Cancel highlighted Ms. Moran’s work with the Central Subway program, budgeted for $14.5 million. He explained that she had overseen the development of a comprehensive arts master plan, and the selection of six artists for the first phase of the project. He praised her efforts as above and beyond the call of duty in recruiting local artists, holding neighborhood workshops, teaching artists how to apply online, and ensuring that resources and materials were available in Chinese and Spanish as well as in English. Mr. Cancel praised Ms. Moran as wise, kind, generous and fair, with the grit and determination to manage these complicated projects with their multiple jurisdictions and funding sources. He said that he and the rest of the staff would sorely miss her, and he thanked her for her fifteen years of service.

After a round of applause, Ms. Moran thanked him, and said that she left with mixed emotions. She said that she will really miss the people she has worked with, that she has grown so much, and that she felt privileged to work with the Arts Commission. She promised to continue observing from the sidelines, promoting and rooting for the Commission’s support of the arts.

Ms. Manton thanked her and announced that there would be a farewell celebration for Ms. Moran, that the date would be set shortly, and she hoped Commissioners would drop by.

President Johnston said that he was really grateful to Ms. Moran for her service.

Turning to another subject, Commissioner Keehn asked about the status of the pending memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) with the Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”). Mr. Cancel replied that staff was still working on it, and it would soon go back to the PUC. Ms. Manton added that it would be heard by the PUC on June 28, and that Mr. Cancel and the Visual Arts Committee were making their final review. He offered to present the final document to the Visual Arts Committee. In response to President Johnston’s question, Ms. Manton explained that the Commission did not necessarily have to formally adopt the MOU. In response to Commissioner Keehn’s and President Johnston’s request, Ms. Manton offered to send the document to the Visual Arts Committee members before it was finally signed. President Johnston offered to attend the PUC meeting, if necessary.
Consent Calendar
The Consent Calendar was approved as follows.

RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-132:
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. 0606-11-133: Motion to approve the Civic Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes of April 11, 2011.
2. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-134: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of May 10, 2011.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-135: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of May 11, 2011.
4. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-136: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of May 18, 2011.
  
  Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (May 10, 2011)
5. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-137: Motion to approve recommendations to award six grants totaling $15,000 in the Arts For Neighborhood Vitality grants to the following organizations, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each for the amounts listed:
  OMI Cultural Participation Project, $2,500
  Excelsior Action Group, $2,500
  Marigold Project, $2,500
  Richmond District Neighborhood Center, $2,500
  Genryu Arts / Gen Taiko, $2,500
  Urban Solutions, $2,500
6. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-138: Motion to enter into a 2011-2012 grant agreement with Community Initiatives in an amount not to exceed $50,000 to sustain arts education programs.
  
  Street Artists Committee Recommendations (May 11, 2011)
7. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-139: Motion to approve re-issuance of former certificate number (#899) to street artist Kathy Hallinan (currently #8396).
  
  Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (May 16, 2011)
8. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-140: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Lafayette Park Renovation and Maintenance Building.
9. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-141: Motion to approve Phase 1 of the San Francisco County Jail Guard Station and Bus Shelter contingent on moving the drain pipe from the from of the building, aligning the windows, slots and doors on the bus shelter, and integrating the building into the opening of the fence.
10. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-142: Motion to approve Phase 2 of Firehouse No. 1.
11. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-143: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Tesla Portal Protection with the condition that the structure be angled, not stepped, and that the crane be painted a contrasting color.
  
  Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (May 18, 2011)
12. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-144:Motion for the Director of Cultural Affairs to approve the mural design for FAMILIA, a 150' x 15' painted mural by artist Victor Reyes. The mural is to be placed on the wall of San Francisco General Hospital’s Community Health Network Building located at 2789–25th Street which faces Potrero del Sol Skate Park. This project is a collaboration between San Francisco General Hospital, the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department and Buena Vista Elementary School Parent-Teacher Association.
13. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-145: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs, Luis R. Cancel, and Commissioner Gregory Chew to work with Studio 1500 to redesign the San Francisco Arts Commission logo and make the recommendation for adoption to the full Arts Commission.
14. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-146: Motion to approve the selection of the following artists as recommended by the Public Safety Building Artist Selection Panel for the public art projects associated with the Public Safety Building: for the Police Memorial, artist Shimon Attie; for the Fire Station, artist team Merge Conceptual Design; and for the South Plaza, artist Paul Kos.
15. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-147: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Shimon Attie, selected by the Public Safety Building Artist Selection Panel for design and engineering of an artwork for the Public Safety Building: Police Memorial in an amount not to exceed $74,000.
16. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-148: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Merge Conceptual Design, selected by the Public Safety Building Artist Selection Panel for design and engineering of an artwork for the Public Safety Building: Fire Station in an amount not to exceed $50,000.
17. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-149: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Paul Kos, selected by the Public Safety Building Artist Selection Panel for design and engineering of an artwork for the Public Safety Building: South Plaza in an amount not to exceed $95,000.
18. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-150: Motion to approve the installation of an artwork, titled Lily Pod, by Laurel True, at Hayes Valley Playground.
19. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-151: Motion to accept into the Civic Art Collection an artwork, titled Lily Pod, 2011 by Laurel True, commissioned for Hayes Valley Playground. The sphere-shaped sculpture is approximately 36” high x 44” diameter and is covered with glass, tile and mixed media mosaic.
20. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-152: Motion to approve the following artists for the 2011-2012 Prequalified Artist Pool: Jose Antonio Aguirre, Ryan Alexiev, Kathy Aoki, Michael Arcega, John Bankston, Suzy Barnard, Brian Barneclo, Eliza Barrios, Jerry Barrish, Mark Baugh-Sasaki, Linda Beaumont, Chris Bell, Laura Boles Faw, Val Britton, Elaine Buckholtz, Mona Caron, Susan Cervantes, Freddy Chandra, Colab Studio, Adriane Colburn, Randy Colosky, Ilana Crispi, Maria Cristalli, Colette Crutcher, Paz de la Cazalda, Roberto Delgado, Alicia Escott, Flaming Lotus Girls, Bill Fontana, Chris Fraser, Stephen Galloway, Bencia Gantner, Karen Ganz, Ann Gardner, Mariana Garibay, Cliff Garten, Carmen Lomas Garza, Nataly Gattegno, Tracy Ginsberg, Stephen Glassman, Brian Goggin, Doug Hall, Michael Hayden, Gerald Heffernon, Jenny Heishman, Oliver Hess, Cameron Hockenson, Robert Horner, Yumei Hou, Joyce Hsu, Suzanne Husky, Ed Inks, Cynthia Innis, Packard Jennings, Henrik Kam, Sheila Klein, Ching Ko, Paul Kos, Philip Krohn, Adam Kuby, Yoon Lee, Carrie Leeb, Hugh Leeman, Mary Lucking, Whitney Lynn, David Maisel, Sue Mark, Jet Martinez, John Melvin, Merge, Julio Cesar Morales, Anna Murch, Masayuki Nagase, Susan Narduli, Ali Naschke-Messing, Tony Natsoulas, Kelly Ording, Erik Otto, Erin Palmer, Jackson Patterson, Lisa Levine and Peter Tonningsen, Eric Powell, Ann Preston, Konstantin Prishep, Christopher Puzio, Rebar Group, Peter Richards, Ricardo Richey, Riza A+D, Lordy Rodriguez, Leah Rosenberg, Sterling Ruby, Ruben Rude, Norie Sato, Ron Moultrie Saunders, Donna Schumacher, Shan Shan Sheng, Bonnie Ora Sherk, Leslie Shows, Buster Simpson, Emanuela Sintamarian, Savanna Snow, Chris Sollars, Charles Sowers, Miriam Stahl, Eric Staller, Jennifer Starkweather, Roger Stoller, Stephanie Syjuco, Kana Tanaka, Joe Thurston, Cynthia Tom, T.W. Five, Paul Tzanetopoulos, Camille Utterback, Kerry Vander Meer, Catherine Wagner, Megan Wilson and Jody Zellen.
21. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-153: Motion to approve the Design Development Phase deliverables (mosaic mural design modified to fit within the building design and revised budget) by Kelly Ording for an interior artwork for the Palega Recreation Center.
22. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-154: Motion to approve the artist selection panel’s recommendation of the following artists as finalists for the SOMA West Skateboard Park art opportunity: Michael Arcega, Yoon Lee and Jovi Schnell, with Ricardo Richey as an alternate, and to authorize the payment of an honorarium not to exceed $500 to each finalist to develop preliminary artwork proposals.
23. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-155: Motion to approve revised design and final text for Shan Shan Sheng’s artwork for the interior of the Chinese Recreation Center.
24. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-156: Motion to approve the design proposal for the glass History Panels to be installed on the exterior façade of the Bayview Branch Library.
  
  Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (May 25, 2011)
25. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-157: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Davies Symphony Hall Poster Holders.
26. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-158: Motion to approve Phase 2 of the Central Subway Chinatown station with the following conditions. The entry to the station should have reduced columns, revised signage, and an overall simplified design. The sculptural curved bench should not be broken up or divided. On Stockton Street, the angle of the glass in relation to the concrete base should be more resolved. The glass should be coplanar with the solid structure above it. The solid structure above should appear to be monolithic so that its material or art covering should be on its exterior faces and its bottom surface. The concourse level should be rethought to account for crowds. The curved wall on the concourse level should resolve to the floor in a way that does not present the need for handrails. The handrails in the station should be minimized and handled creatively. The massing of the transit-oriented structure design should be proposed by the architects in clearly delineated drawings. This illustration is to be part of the Phase 3 submittal and will be used to promote future design that is complementary to the design of the station.
Committee Reports and Committee Matters
1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
  1. President Johnston reported that the Committee met, although it had no action items. He reported that they discussed the memorandum of understanding with the PUC, as did the Visual Arts Committee. He explained that it was initiated by the PUC, which is embarking on a major capital sewer program. He explained that the Committee discussed the PUC’s community benefit program and its relation to art enrichment. They also discussed some elements of the proposed agreement, and the idea that the PUC, as an “enterprise department,” did not have exactly the same requirements for “percent for art” as other City departments. President Johnston compared the proposed MOU to the Commission’s agreements with other enterprise departments like the San Francisco Airport and the Port of San Francisco.
    
    President Johnston explained that the Commission hoped to come to an agreement that would allow funds from these capital projects to go to a relatively broad variety of artworks. He said that the Commission continued to make the case that there are many ways besides the permanent installation of artworks to enrich communities with the arts. He mentioned Community Arts and Education, the Cultural Centers and arts activities as community benefits. He praised Ms. Manton and Public Art Program Director Susan Pontious for a lot of work on this project. He was hopeful that soon the agreement would be in place.
    
    Mr. Cancel commented that this was a tremendous opportunity for the Arts Commission, that the PUC voluntarily chose to engage the Commission to administer the very substantial funds generated by their projects over the next decade.
    
    President Johnston noted that both agencies share the same basic concerns.
    
    He reported that the Committee also discussed the Mayor’s Art Award, begun a few years ago, and originally awarded on October 1 to coincide with the start of National Arts and Humanities Month. He noted that Mayor Newsom had been very interested in the award, and that Mayor Lee was very interested in continuing the tradition. President Johnston said that the Committee typically considers several names, forwarding a few to the Commission and the Mayor. He said that the Committee would like to see a variety of artistic disciplines represented over the years, and noted that the award honors a lifetime of achievement. He added that it is wonderful that all of the honorees have expressed such pleasure at receiving the award. Noting that Carlos Santana has a hundred Grammys, he attended last year’s ceremony and seemed to really appreciate the honor from the City.
    
    President Johnston asked Commissioners to forward any nominations to him, to Mr. Cancel or to Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, reminding them to focus on San Francisco, not the greater Bay Area. Mr. Cancel added that the event is currently scheduled for October 1.
2. Civic Design Review Committee—Cass Calder Smith, Chair
  1. In the absence of Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Stryker reported that the Committee has been engaged in interesting dialogue with the designers of the various projects. At the last meeting, the Committee lost its quorum before completing its agenda, so she was presenting the following two items for approval by the full Commission.
    
    She reported that the Committee reviewed a small project which is important for the protection of the City’s water system. The Committee found the design simple but nicely done. She reported that the Committee held a full discussion of the restoration of the Cabrillo clubhouse, in an effort to make the play area and park more interactive for very young children, as well as encouraging further development of the landscape design.
    
    After Commissioner Stryker presented the following motions, President Johnston explained that while few of the Commissioners are architects, it is appropriate for the Committee to forward its recommendation, and that of staff, to the full Commission in this case. Typically, he said, the Commission would take a look at the motion and ask any questions of Civic Design Review colleagues to determine that they are comfortable with the Committee’s recommendation. President Johnston added that he is generally confident in the recommendation of staff and the Committee.
    
    Commissioner Stryker thanked him for this clarification, and briefly reviewed the first project, at Boeddeker Park. She explained that this was an important park for the Tenderloin, and that a lot of thought had gone into the design to open up a children’s play space. She said that the Committee found it a very handsome and well-thought-out project, with strong support from the community.
    
    Commissioner Young thought it looked good. Commissioner Stryker added the Committee had spent a good deal of time working with the design team on the project. President Johnston thought that it was an ingenious solution to a challenging site with two separate lots, which he thought must have been difficult to design for. He added that the final design seemed both interesting and attractive.
    
    There was no further discussion, and the motion passed unanimously.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-159: Motion to approve Phase 3 of Boeddeker Park and Clubhouse contingent on the ceiling not being painted and the play equipment colors matching the building.
    
    Turning to the next motion, Commissioner Stryker explained that the Sunol AgPark is a joint project of Sustainable Agriculture Education (“SAGE”) and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (“PUC”), promoting urban agriculture and learning for children. She explained that the project is located on PUC property in Sunol, and that middle school students will be able to visit the site to learn about food, agriculture and healthy eating. She explained that the building will be small and simple, designed by a very sharp young design team, at a remarkable building cost of $25,000. She reported that the Committee was very excited and found the whole idea quite wonderful.
    
    President Johnston commented that this was the most positive project at the Sunol site in many years. Commissioner Stryker added that the sustainable building will use stone and other materials found onsite, and Director of Programs Jill Manton added that the architects completed the design pro bono, as a gift to the City. President Johnston called it a win-win project.
    
    In response to a question, Ms. Manton said that Nash Hurley was the architect. Since there were no more questions, Commissioner Stryker called for a vote; the motion was approved unanimously.
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-160: Motion to approve Phases 1 and 2 of the Sunol AgPark Outdoor Classroom with the condition that the design team look into minimizing the number of handrails and extend the roof southward.
3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Sherri Young, Chair
  1. Commissioner Young reported that the Committee voted to support six festival organizations with grants; the grant program was formerly known as Neighborhood Festival Grants, and has now evolved to Arts for Neighborhood Vitality Grants. She explained that Grants for the Arts supports some of the major festivals, while the Arts Commission supports smaller neighborhood festivals, artwalks and similar events. She reported that some 14,000 people participate in the events, and that all of the grants together total $15,000 going into neighborhoods.
    
    Commissioner Young reported that WritersCorps was twice invited to the White House, which used a photo from one of those visits in a national publication.
    
    She added that Ms. Nemzoff reported great activity on The Artery Project, and that staff was seeking new funding since the National Endowment for the Arts had declined to fund the project’s second year.
    
    Commissioner Young reported that the Cultural Centers were all moving toward greater financial accountability, with full audit reports. Currently, she said, most of them have financial review rather than a full audit. The Committee and staff are discussing full audits for all, even the virtual centers which receive less funding. All of them receive over $250,000, and she reported that Grants for the Arts recommends full audits. Commissioner Young added that the Committee and staff are considering whether to separate the SOMArts subgrantees from the SOMArts grant.
    
    Commissioner Young reported that Vernon Davis Scholarship winner Sheryl Quock was stunned when Mr. Davis added $10,000 to the $5,000 scholarship she was awarded. She will take her $15,000 scholarship to Cornell University.
    
    In response to President Johnston’s question, Commissioner Young explained that the Cultural Center audits would be completed in addition to the Management and Programming Plans (“MPP”) currently required of each Center. Ms. Nemzoff explained that legislation requires an audit of each Center by the City Controller every two years, but this audit looks only at the use of Hotel Tax funds. Mr. Cancel explained that the Centers will now have full and independent audits, as part of the process of making them ready to assume long-term leases. Commissioner Young added that this will strengthen their financial health and stability.
    
    Finally, Commissioner Young presented the following motion.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-161: Motion to approve the following individuals as grants application review panelists for Cultural Equity Grants:
    Ann Dickson, Director of Marketing and Communications, Oakland Museum of California
    PJ Hirabayashi, Artistic Director and Founding Member of San Jose Taiko
4. Street Artists Committee—Gregory Chew, Chair
  1. Commissioner Chew reported that the Committee met on May 11. He reported that the Committee discussed the upcoming fortieth anniversary of the Street Artists Program, and possible plans to celebrate and highlight that anniversary.
    
    Commissioner Chew presented the following motions, and briefly described the artists’ work: beaded bracelets, oil paintings, watercolor portraits, ceramics and other forms.
    
    Commissioner Chew presented the following motions.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-162: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Juan Roman, Ruisen Liang, Dong Ling Song, Florence Hori, Barry Prager, Wan Yu Li, Wei Quiang Kuang, Nicholas Sanguinetti, Qiang Wu, Glendon Codling, Cristiano Rocha, Anna Lichtenberg, Owan Stenzel.
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-163: Motion to approve request by applicant for waiver of 15-day requirement for obtaining a certificate: Jose Luis Ortigoza, Marcia Palma.
  4. RESOLUTION NO. 0606-11-164: Motion to approve honorarium payment of $200 plus cost of paint to Drew Flores and honorarium payment of $200 to David Campos for assisting Program Director in painting street artist spaces in the Fisherman’s Wharf area.
5. Visual Arts Committee—Lorraine García-Nakata, Chair
  1. President Johnston explained that Commissioner García-Nakata was recovering from surgery, and he gave the Committee’s report in her absence.
    
    Pointing out item 13 on the Consent Calendar approved above, President Johnston reported that the Committee had approved the selection of Studio 1500 to work with Commissioner Chew and Mr. Cancel to redesign the Arts Commission’s logo. He explained that the final design would be brought to the full Commission for its approval. Noting that the current logo has been in use for as long as he can remember, President Johnston thought that it probably was time to revisit the conservative logo design. Since the agency has expanded its reach in terms of public relations and visibility, it made sense to have a more striking logo. The Committee thought that Studio 1500, which will do the work pro bono, was a good match; they have worked on some really successful logos, including the San Francisco Zoo’s. He explained that the idea would be to create a more dynamic logo or set of logos to be used in a variety of applications.
    
    Commissioner Chew added that this was a tremendous gift, that these were very senior designers at a very important design firm. He thought that the upcoming eightieth anniversary was a good opportunity to update the logo.
    
    Mr. Cancel explained that the goal was to present the logo to the Commission in November, so that all materials related to the eightieth anniversary could be printed in December with that new logo, rolling it out for use in the coming year and beyond.
    
    President Johnston agreed that it was a great gift, that these are breakout designers who want to develop their independent reputation, and this will be a great addition to their portfolio. He predicted that the Commission would discuss the logo over the next few months.
    
    Turning to another subject, President Johnston reported that Public Art Project Manager Jennifer Lovvorn is managing many projects in various stages. He reported that the design of the War Memorial complex is moving forward, reminding the Commission that the War Memorial Board had chosen to use the services of the Arts Commission’s Public Art Program under the leadership of Ms. Pontious. He explained that the finalists for the design of the monument would be announced at a reception in the Green Room the next day. He added that he was proud that the Arts Commission was part of this great project.
    
    Ms. Pontious added that the next evening’s event would unveil the design proposals made by the three artist finalists, and they would be on view for two weeks at the War Memorial Veterans Building. She explained that public comment would be taken, including online comment, and that comments would be considered in making the final selection. The reception was scheduled for 5:30 in the Green Room.
    
    President Johnston added that one of the finalists was Andrea Cochran, a marvelous landscape architect and former Arts Commissioner.
    
    On another subject, Commissioner Keehn reported on new developments regarding the Mark Adams tapestries recently reinstalled at San Francisco’s new Terminal Two. She explained that the original tapestries, stolen several years ago, had been recently recovered. They came to the attention of the estate of the artist when someone tried to sell them on Craigslist. The San Francisco Police Department arrested a suspect, and District Attorney George Gascon has decided to prosecute. President Johnston said that staff has worked very hard on issues with the City’s collection, without much credit from the press, and that this was a good story of a successful outcome.
    
    Gallery Director Meg Shiffler announced the opening of As We Live It, a show featuring artworks by participants in the City’s Community Behavioral Health Services. She noted that the Gallery had several partner organizations, and that the very large group of artists were amazingly appreciative of the opportunity.
    
    She also announced the call for entries for artworks by City employees for a show (Hootenanny) at the main Gallery.
    
    President Johnston complimented Ms. Shiffler on a very nice Sydney Sister City event. She thanked him, and added that many Australians came out for the evening, including Australian Consular officials. She also relayed Vice President Beltran’s report that Hugh Jackman recognized the Consul in the audience for his one-man show later that evening, and announced from the stage that the Consul had just come from an important event, the Sister City show at the Gallery.
Public Comment
There was no other public comment.
New Business
There was no new business.
Reports and Announcements
Mr. Cancel distributed copies of the sixth edition of Inside Out, the Community Arts and Education Program’s publication listing arts education resources in the city. Commissioner Keehn pointed out that the resource guide is now online, and that this will be the last printed edition. Commissioner Calloway said that it was a great resource and in important part of the Commission’s work, used by many teachers as a reference. He thanked staff for their work on the guide.

Ms. Manton reported that the proposed Planning Code revision would be introduced to the Board of Supervisors the next day.

There were no other reports or announcements.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:57 p.m.

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