October 3, 2011 | San Francisco Arts Commission

Full Commission - October 3, 2011

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

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:06 p.m.

Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston, President
Mark Breitenberg
John Calloway
Gregory Chew
Leo Chow
Amy Chuang
Lorraine García-Nakata
Dorka Keehn
Sherene Melania
Jessica Silverman
Barbara Sklar
Cass Calder Smith
Kimberlee Stryker
Sherri Young
Commissioners Absent
Christina Olague, ex officio
Approval of Minutes
RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-246: Motion to approve September 12, 2011 Minutes.
President’s Report
President Johnston reported that the Executive Committee had met just prior to this meeting, trying to stay on schedule with the executive search. At their regular meeting on September 26, they reviewed a big stack of applications, and continued that process at today’s special meeting. He explained that because of the confidential personnel discussion, the meetings were held in closed session. He did report that there were more than fifty applications, and praised Department of Human Resources (“DHR”) staff for yeoman’s work organizing them as to qualifications, and presenting them to the Committee in a helpful way. President Johnston reported that the Committee was on track, and hoped to narrow the applicant pool and conduct interviews by the end of October, and bring a final recommendation to the full Commission in November. He reiterated that this is a tight schedule, but so far the Committee is still on schedule.
Commissioner Keehn asked how many candidates would be presented to the full Commission; President Johnston replied that they intended to present only a single final candidate. She asked about the guidelines being used in narrowing the field. President Johnston replied that there are a number of guiding principles, a result of discussions with DHR staff, and Arts Commission staff, and surveys submitted by Arts Commission staff in July. He said that the Commission had reached out to the community in holding two stakeholder meetings, which were recorded for posting on the agency’s website. While the response to that invitation was not as strong as it was hoped to be, he thought that much of the community input was coming to Commissioners individually. He said that the intention was to have an open process in which everyone could participate. He added that the Committee had held open meetings discussing the search process, and that some Commissioners had sat in on one or both of those. He explained that any Commissioner was welcome to sit in and participate in the discussions, but for the sake of fairness and consistency, he wanted to have only the five members of the Executive Committee participating in the interviews. President Johnston explained that the Committee hoped to further narrow the field after the interviews, introduce the final candidate or candidates to the Mayor, and then come back to the full Commission in closed session to discuss the finalist (or finalists). He added that DHR staff has participated in the closed sessions, and that Arts Commission staff has given lots of feedback to the Committee. All of that input, and lots of suggested questions, are being distilled into a template for the interviews in order to have the same starting point for each of the candidates.

Commissioner Sklar asked why the Committee’s goal was to come down to a single candidate. President Johnston said that the question could be revisited, but that the idea was to have the five dedicated Committee members willing to sift through more than fifty applications, then go through hours and hours of interviews, with all of them there for every interview, so that they can vote from a knowledgeable perspective. He explained his concern with asking a large group to vote with only scant familiarity with the candidates. His hope is that the Executive Committee can serve as the personnel committee and see the process through to the selection of a single candidate, and ask the full Commission to vote up or down on that one candidate.

Commissioner Sklar was concerned that if there was significant ambivalence in the Committee about the final selection, they would not have the flexibility to bring more than one finalist to the full Commission.

President Johnston said that the Committee could indeed come in with two or even three finalists if the final ranking was very close, or tied. He thought it was important for the Commission to delegate these duties to the smaller body, and reiterated that it was extremely time-consuming work, and the Committee members spent their weekend with a lot of homework reviewing the applications.

Commissioner Melania pointed out that in the previous search, the Committee came down to three candidates submitted to the Mayor, who had a strong voice in the selection. President Johnston said that this was a different process, and that this Mayor’s directive was to be thoughtful in the decision. He added that the Mayor certainly deserves the oppportunity to interview the person who will head the department, and he reminded Commissioners that the Arts Commission is somewhat unusual in that the Commission appoints the department head.

Finally, he said, the Commission would meet as a whole, since obviously everyone needs to weigh in on the decision. He added that he wanted to be sensitive to everyone’s concerns, saying that, as the July meeting made clear, everyone takes this responsibility seriously. President Johnston said that he wants to come out of this process with staff morale, and friendships, intact.

Commissioner Chew added that the Committee has powered through more than fifty applications, and many of them are pretty strong.

President Johnston explained that Commissioner Chew sat in on the Committee’s discussions, and repeated that any Commissioner is welcome to sit in on the discussion, but only the five Committee members can vote. He added that Commissioner Chew has seen the applications, but not taken them home. In order to respect the privacy of the applicants, only the five Executive Committee members have the application packets and are responsible for safeguarding them.

Turning to another issue, President Johnston reported that there has been some controversy over the selection of an artist, through the competitive panel review process, to do major installations for both San Francisco General Hospital and then for the Central Subway. Since then, he explained, it has come out that some 34 years ago, the young artist got a dog from a shelter and shot it on film. This incident has since been picked up by the press, and staff has received untold numbers of e-mail messages. President Johnston said that the Mayor has reacted rationally, not calling for immediate recission of the contracts, recognizing that both projects are already well underway. The Mayor has asked the Commission to suspend further action on the projects while the Commission and the other relevant City agencies investigate the options, legal obligations and other responsibilities, and input from the public. President Johnston is working with Arts Commission staff, and the agency has reached out to the heads of the Municipal Transportation Agency (“MTA”) and the Department of Public Health, the departments responsible for the Central Subway and General Hospital. While staff is familiar with the process, he said, he wants to make sure that the department heads and senior staff have their questions answered. He reported that he plans to convene the legal advisors for the three departments, to determine what they might do, and how, if the decision is to change course. President Johnston hopes to meet with MTA General Manager Ed Reiskin soon, and he expects to be able to make a fuller report to this Commission at its next meeting, with a recommendation or announcement of a hearing or other action. He is committed to treating this issue responsibly in concert with the other City departments.

Commissioner Breitenberg asked if Commissioners would have an opportunity to weigh in. President Johnston said absolutely, he wanted the participation of everyone in the decision. He added that this is an intense period in what has been an intense year, and emphasized that the Commission really needs full participation from all its members. He appreciated the full attendance at this meeting, and noted that the Commission has some big issues before it.

Commissioner Silverman asked whether the artist’s controversial past project was discussed when the commission was awarded. President Johnston said no, the process starts with a call for artists, facilitated through the Public Art Program staff. There are many opportunities for comment and review on a huge project like this. The panel included a Commissioner, department representatives and others. The panel review is open to members of the public. First the applicants were reviewed, then the project proposals from the selected artists were reviewed. Throughout the many meetings, the subject never came up, and neither panelists, staff nor Commissioners were aware of this incident in the artist’s past. President Johnston said that perhaps this fact is one of the complex issues that the agency needs to address. As he told a member of the press, the Visual Arts Committee, and the Arts Commission as a whole, are focused on the art and less so on the artist; certainly less on the artist’s background. He said that the Commission does not do background checks, looking for any criminal or moral history. While this is not to say that it shouldn’t do so, but that, he said, is one of the issues to be addressed.

President Johnston said that it was a very unfortunate incident, and understood that everyone had a strong reaction to it. He said that it took place 34 years ago and it was a question how the incident should affect the decision. He explained that no one has questioned the process or the proposal, that work by the artist has been very well accepted in the New York City subway and the San Jose zoo, and that there is no question that this is a world-class artist. President Johnston said that the question is now moving from looking at the proposal to looking at the artist’s personal background.

President Johnston added that the question of limiting projects to artists from San Francisco comes up periodically, and while it generally lacks merit, it is completely moot in this case. He explained that this is a federal project and prohibits restriction to local artists. He added that the Arts Commission has a good history of working with local artists on public art projects, and that this is a big project with lots of opportunities.

Commissioner García-Nakata thanked President Johnston for taking on interviews and press contacts despite being sick.

Finally, President Johnston announced that he would be introducing “Ruth Asawa: Roots of an Artist,” a film on the former Arts Commissioner and first recipient of the Mayor’s Art Award. The film showing was at the Academy of Art University on October 12. Commissioner Keehn commented that she had seen the film and thought it was beautiful.
Director’s Report
In the absence of Interim Director JD Beltran, who was out of the country, Deputy Director Rebekah Krell made the report. She first reported that the Controller’s office had sent preliminary draft findings on their review of the Arts Commission, and Arts Commission staff was looking forward to the final report. She explained that there would be some back-and-forth, with an opportunity for the Arts Commission to comment, concur or disagree with the findings.
Ms. Krell reported that she is working on an updated organization chart, and that she and Ms. Beltran will meet with DHR staff when Ms. Beltran returns.

Ms. Krell announced plans for a retreat for staff on Thursday, November 17, and for senior staff and Commissioners on Friday, November 18.

She reported that the recent ArtFabric and SlideSlam events were very successful, drawing over 100 and 250 participants, respectively. Reporting on the progress of the Arts Commission book being published by Heyday, she said that Commissioners should have recently received an e-mail with the sample design and sample chapters.

Finally, Ms. Krell introduced Deputy Director for Planning, Policy and Development Jill Manton to give an update on the Diller Scofidio + Renfro project, Facsimile, at the Moscone Center. Ms. Manton reported with great pleasure that the mechanism has been repaired, not to its original state, but to the point that it can operate in a limited area, smoothly and without noise. She reported that a local mechanical engineer, who understands the LED technology, the scheduling system, and the very complex motion system, is now working on the piece. She is hopeful that with all of that expertise in a single person, the piece will be running shortly. Ms. Manton explained that the artists, originally struck by the idea of a public commission for the outside of a private building, worked with the concept of bringing what was inside to the outside. She explained that they built sets, including hotel rooms and a conference room, to create fictitious scenarios, which would be recorded and shown on the moving screen during times when the building was dark. At other times, she explained, a camera captures a rooftop view, and the idea is that the outside screen shows what is going on inside the building, while the inside-facing screen shows what is happening outside.

Gallery Director Meg Shiffler announced the upcoming Passport fundraising event to be held in the Castro on October 23. She explained that the passport was a custom Moleskine journal being sold for $25, and that participants would walk a three-block course in the Castro and visit local businesses where artists were stationed to stamp the passports with original artwork stamps. She said that the selected artists included superstars of the art world generally, and artists well-known specifically in the LGBT community. Ms. Shiffler explained that this year’s course was more compact, in response to complaints in past years, and she added that the event was intended to support business development as well as raising funds for the Gallery. She reported that several passports were sold at the recent Castro Street Fair, and Gallery staff planned to sell them at other events in the coming weeks, as well as online; her goal was to sell 400 passports this year.

In response to a question from President Johnston, Ms. Shiffler explained that the party this year would be held after rather than before the event, partly in order to allow the artists to meet one another. She added that the party at Q Bar will feature a DJ, photo booth and a raffle with prizes like Cirque du Soleil tickets. Ms. Shiffler added that a “concierge passport” is available for $125; Gallery staff will deliver a completely stamped passport for that price, and she noted that previous years’ passports are selling for $200 on eBay.

Finally, Ms. Shiffler announced that Shift, an exhibition on race in America, recently opened to great acclaim. She thanked the Cultural Centers, who will be hosting showings of the video work of one of the three artists, Elizabeth Axtman, over the next several weeks. She explained that artists Travis Somerville’s work is at 155 Grove Street, and David Huffman’s work is at the main Gallery space, 401 Van Ness. She announced that You Look Familiar, a photo show in partnership with PhotoAlliance, would open in a few days; the photos already hung in the ground floor of City Hall, awaiting labels.
Consent Calendar
Item 6 was withdrawn from the Consent Calendar.
The remaining items were approved as follows.

RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-247:
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. 1003-11-248: Motion to approve the Civic Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes of July 18, 2011.
2. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-249: Motion to approve the Civic Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes of August 15, 2011.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-250: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of September 13, 2011.
4. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-251: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of September 14, 2011.
5. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-252: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of September 21, 2011.
  Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (September 13, 2011)
6. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-253: Motion to approve the proposed 2011-2012 Management and Program Plan and budget for the African American Art and Culture Complex, for a grant not to exceed $474,206, contingent upon completion of revisions and submissions.
7. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-254: Motion to approve the proposed 2011-2012 Management and Program Plan and budget for the SOMArts Cultural Center and sub-grantees Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center and Queer Cultural Center for a grant not to exceed $777,697 (including $584,357 to SOMArts, $96,670 to sub-grantee Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, and $96,670 to sub-grantee Queer Cultural Center), contingent upon completion of revisions and submissions.
8. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-255: Motion to approve recommendations to award twelve grants totaling $181,636 in the Creative Space grants to the following organizations, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each for the amounts listed:
  509 Cultural Center/the luggage store, $18,000
  BVHP Center for Arts & Technology (BAYCAT), $16,200
  Center for Sex and Culture, $16,150
  Chinese Cultural Productions/Lily Cai, $16,150
  Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, $18,000
  CounterPulse, $9,000
  Dance Brigade, $18,000
  EXIT Theater, $18,000
  Joe Goode Performance Group, $18,000
  Precita Eyes Muralists Association, Inc., $17,111
  SF Playhouse, $12,750
  Theater of Yugen, $4,275
9. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-256: Motion to approve recommendations to award four grants totaling $390,000 in the Cultural Equity Initiative Level Two grants to the following organizations, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each for the amounts listed:
  Aunt Lute Books, $100,000
  Chhandam Chitresh Das Dance Company, $95,000
  Chinese Historical Society of America, $100,000
  Northern California Music and Art Culture Center, Inc., $95,000
  Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (July 20, 2011)
10. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-257: Motion to approve Phases 1, 2 and 3 of the Uptown Tenderloin Historic District Plaques on the condition that the sidewalk plaques are shifted to the corner of each sidewalk square.
11. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-258: Motion to approve an artist honorarium in the amount of $2,000 to both Reenie Charriere and Tahiti Pehrson for their artistic contributions to upcoming SFAC Gallery exhibitions at our window installation site at 155 Grove Street.
12. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-259: Motion to approve an artist honorarium in the amount of $1,200 to each of the following artists who will participate in an exhibition at the SFAC Gallery: Luca Antonucci, Jonathon Keats, Philip Ross, Heather Sparks and Gail Wight.
13. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-260: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to increase the contract amount with artist Colette Crutcher by $3,000, for a total contract amount not to exceed $38,000 for design, fabrication, transportation and installation/consultation during installation of the exterior artwork for the new Chinese Recreation Center.
14. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-261: Motion to approve Safe Passage, a stenciled pavement mural along eleven designated ‘safe’ city blocks in the Tenderloin neighborhood. The mural is designed by Sylvester Guard and the late John Janois. The project is sponsored by the North of Market/Tenderloin Community Benefit District.
15. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-262: Motion to approve the form of the contract between the City and artist Yumei Hou for conceptual design and consultation during artwork implementation, which shall be substantially in the same form as the contract document provided to Commissioners for review.
16. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-263: Motion to approve the revised artwork locations, placement and proposed materials for an artwork by Yumei Hou for Chinatown Station.
17. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-264: Motion to approve Conceptual Design Phase (artwork locations and placement) for the artwork by Tomie Arai for Chinatown Station.
18. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-265: Motion to approve the loan of Stephen De Staebler’s artwork Stele, 1963, a cast aluminum sculpture, approximately 80 in. x 40 in. x 12 in. (SFAC Accession Number 1964.7) to the exhibition “Matter and Spirit: The Sculpture of Stephen De Staebler” organized by the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Loan dates are January 14, 2012 to April 22, 2012.
19. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-266: Motion to approve the artist Bill Fontana and the artist’s proposal as recommended by the Artist Selection Panel for an artwork at the new North Beach Library pending further development of conceptual proposal in collaboration with Arts Commission staff and the project architect.
20. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-267: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Bill Fontana for design, fabrication, transportation and installation/consultation during installation of an artwork for the new North Beach Library in an amount not to exceed $75,000.
21. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-268: Motion to approve the conceptual design of an artwork by Scott Attie for the Police Memorial for the new Public Safety Building.
22. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-269: Motion to approve the conceptual design of an artwork by Paul Kos for the Community Plaza of the new Public Safety Building.
  Executive Committee Recommendations (September 26, 2011)
23. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-270: Motion to approve the acceptance of 13 individual donations to ArtCare totaling $35,275 for support in restoring and maintaining the Civic Art Collection’s artwork most in need of conservation work. These donors are: Rick Friedman, Kimberlee Stryker, Tom Yasuda, Carolyn Willis Vena and Mike Rissman, Richard and Ruth Rozen, Joyce Friedman, Stuart R. and Lee L. Pollak, The Loube Family, Dr. Stephen Jaffe, Kathleen McCormick, Denise Bouche Fitch, and Matthew Evans. Grants received for ArtCare, which will be processed through the accept/expend legislation, were the Jewish Community Endowment Fund, the Friend Family Foundation, the Berelson Family Fund, the Gerson Bakar Foundation, and the Koret Foundation.
Committee Reports and Committee Matters
1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
  1. President Johnston reported that virtually the entire meeting of the Committee was taken up with the search, as he had earlier reported. The Committee also had updates on some of the topics in Ms. Krell’s report, including the book and the Controller’s report, looking at the finances and management of the agency. He added that the Committee saw this as a welcome opportunity to “clean house” with the Controller’s expertise, and with the benefit of Ms. Krell’s financial background. He said that there will be a period of time allotted for Commission staff to respond to the Controller’s findings before publication of the final report, and that he would report back to the full Commission.
2. Civic Design Review Committee—Cass Calder Smith, Chair
  1. Commissioner Smith reported that the Committee approved Phase Two of the Central Subway Union Square station. The Committee recognized the challenge of creating a really excellent design for this space, and thought the team had settled on a good solution, tucking the station into the park.
    President Johnston thanked Commissioner Smith for his diplomatic comments to the press.
    
    Commissioner Smith presented the following motion, explaining that the Committee had lost its quorum at its last meeting before it could take up this project.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-271: Motion to approve Phase 3 of the Golden Gate Transit Sign and Kiosk redesign with the contingency that the project use existing street poles for signage whenever possible.
3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Sherri Young, Chair
  1. Commissioner Young reported that the Committee had not met over the summer, having cancelled meetings in July and August. She reported that at its September meeting, the Committee discussed the Management and Programming Plans (“MPPs”) for the Cultural Centers. She explained that these documents present the plans, programming and budget for each Center, and discuss how they plan to grow and improve on what they have been doing for year. She said that the review of MPPs was an important opportunity for the Committee to give feedback to the Centers. Because of a technical problem with the Mission Cultural Center’s MPP which rendered the document illegible, the Committee gave that Center an extension to resubmit at the October meeting.
    Commissioner Young reported that, as always, there was a thorough presentation on Cultural Equity Grants. This time, there were presentations from three applicants for Cultural Equity Level Two grants, the program aimed at capacity-building and infrastructure development. She reported that Aunt Lute hopes to develop online and print-on-demand capabilities allowing them to decrease expenses and increase opportunities for authors to work with them. She reported that Sue Lee, of the Chinese Historical Society, explained that they intend to work on development, donor cultivation and strategic planning. Third, she reported that Northern California Music and Art Culture Center, Inc. (NCMACC), based in the Western Addition and focused on Korean arts, has done a lot of work to bring the Korean-American and African-American communities together. She said that the organization plans to use grant funds to expand their development efforts and to work toward increasing their space.
    
    Commissioner Young reported that Cultural Equity Grants Program Associate Beatrice Thomas reported on Creative Space applicants, and that twelve of the eighteen were recommended for funding. Commissioner Young explained that this grant funds capital improvements, and the Committee saw proposals including performance and gallery spaces, both indoors and outdoors. She concluded that staff does great work that really has a positive impact on San Francisco.
4. Street Artists Committee—Gregory Chew, Chair
  1. Commissioner Chew reported that the Committee recently had a very lively meeting, and referred Commissioners to the minutes prepared by Street Artists Program Associate Alyssa Licouris. He reported that the Committee considered four cases of alleged violations, and that most were dismissed. He also thanked Commissioner Chuang for stepping in to serve as an impromptu translator.
    Commissioner Chew presented the following motion, explaining that the returning artists create ceramics and caricatures.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-272: Motion to approve requests by former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Barry Prager.
    Turning to the next motion, Commissioner Chow reported that the Department of Public Works (“DPW”) had repainted yellow zones at Union Square, and this motion seeks to request that the Board of Supervisors redesignate the spaces there, which are crucial for holiday season selling.
  3. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-273: Motion to approve request to Board of Supervisors for re-designation of twenty-two (22) street artist spaces on Grant Avenue, O’Farrell to Sutter Streets, with exemption from regulation of Police Code Section 2405(c)(8)(2) which prohibits selling adjacent to a yellow zone.
    Finally, President Johnston recalled that at the September meeting of the Commission, there had been testimony and discussion about a proposed new stop for the F-Line streetcar along Beach Street, and he asked Street Artists Program Director Howard Lazar for an update. Mr. Lazar explained that since then, he and Ms. Beltran have met with representatives of MTA to discuss possible modifications of the plan. He added that he attended the first citizens’ advisory meeting for the plan, along with several street artists. He said that the meeting was packed, and that members of the advisory committee agreed with the street artists. He added that the manager of the Buena Vista Café was present to comment on the proposed stop in front of the cafe. Mr. Lazar reported that the committee agreed with the Arts Commission’s position. He added that there are more meetings scheduled, and he expects to attend them as well.
    
    In response to a question from Commissioner Keehn, Mr. Lazar explained that MTA’s original reason for siting the new stop was that their proposed location was exactly equidistant from two other platforms, near Ghirardelli Square. Commissioner Chew added that the street artist spaces in question were historic, even sacred, noting that the late Mayor George Moscone signed their designation. President Johnston promised to keep an eye on this issue.
5. Visual Arts Committee—Lorraine García-Nakata, Chair
  1. Commissioner García-Nakata reported that the Committee discussed several items, including the Central Subway, and artist Yumei Hou’s proposal for the Chinatown station. The Committee discussed reducing the artist’s involvement in the scope of the project to the conceptual design, at her request, and thus limiting her liability. Commissioner García-Nakata appreciated staff’s assurances that this would allow the project to move forward.
    She reported that the Committee also discussed the project by artist Tomie Arai; changes in the project require the artist to consider new locations and opportunities. The Committee has approved the conceptual design, and discussed glass as a possible material, and the possibility of using historical photos in the artwork.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata reported that the Committee heard from Collections staff that one of the City’s artworks will be loaned to the De Young Museum for a special exhibition. She thought this highlighted the quality of the collection, as well as the importance of the agency’s relationships with other institutions. She added that there was a good deal of discussion about the collection, partly sparked by press coverage in recent months. She explained that the Committee discussed the limited staff and resources to manage such a large and varied collection, and heard an update on recent increases in still-limited funding, as well as recent conservation activities. She thanked the staff on behalf of the Committee and the Commission as a whole. Commissioner García-Nakata noted that other highlights included the recovery of the long-missing Mark Adams tapestry with the help of law enforcement, and the fact that the Hidalgo monument escaped harm from a tree that fell onto it.
    
    President Johnston noted that the Committee discussed the North Beach Library, explaining that it has a history of controversy, with efforts to block any changes at either the library or the nearby playground. He reported that the Arts Commission’s review panel recommended the internationally known local artist Bill Fontana for the project. President Johnston recalled Mr. Fontana’s fantastic and magical sound installation at City Hall a few years ago, and explained that the proposal for the library is a sound sculpture. President Johnston said that Mr. Fontana always manages to address complexity, and will embark on a series of presentations to members of the community and stakeholders to help people understand the project, which will be cutting edge, yet extremely successful in the site.
    
    Commissioner Sklar added that some concerns had been expressed about noise. President Johnston said that the Committee wanted the artist to work with staff to refine the proposal to address concerns about ambient noise at this site, a very busy intersection with cable cars and traffic descending from the curviest part of Lombard Street. He expressed his confidence in Mr. Fontana’s consistent ability to find ingenious ways to address where sound is heard, to address any sound confusion.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata thanked President Johnston for his summary, and added that the Committee felt confident that Mr. Fontana was responsive to the concerns and would work to address them, so the project could move ahead.
    
    She reported that the Committee heard a report on the Public Safety building, and the proposal by Scott Attie, for a memorial to honor fallen police officers. The Committee had a few comments on the text and the palette. She reported that the Committee also reviewed a proposal by Paul Kos for the outdoor installation at the same site, and made suggestions to focus and simplify the design, and to work with the architect.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata thanked President Johnston for the way he has dealt with the controversy around artist Tom Otterness, adding that the Committee is doing due diligence, gathering data before proceeding.
    
    She reported that Grantmakers in the Arts was meeting in San Francisco this week, and that Arts Commission staff was participating in several of their panels, particularly regarding cultural equity. She added that the organization combines both civic funders and private-sector philanthropy, such as family foundations. She was happy to see San Francisco hosting this important organization.
    
    Commissioner García-Nakata presented the following motion. President Johnston explained that the action would allow for reproduction of stunningly beautiful artworks adorning the halls of Laguna Honda; the reproductions installed in resident rooms are a cost-effective way to enhance them. He assured the Commission that Public Art Program Director Susan Pontious and her staff had worked through the details of the process.
    
    The motion was approved unanimously.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 1003-11-274: Motion to pay the following artists an additional honorarium of $500 in return for license to the City to increase the number of limited edition of reproductions of the following artworks for display in resident rooms at Laguna Honda Hospital: Rob Badger’s Horses and Aspens in Fall Foliage; and Jim McVicker’s Luffenholtz Beach.
    Commissioner Smith raised a question about the timing of projects that come before both the Visual Arts Committee and the Civic Design Review Committee, and whether the projects might be better if both Committees reviewed them simultaneously.
    
    President Johnston said that this sometimes comes up with very large projects, like the Airport’s Terminal Two. There was a discussion of possible ways to maximize the value of both Committees’ input, including increasing staff communication with other City departments involved. President Johnston added that the Public Art program tries to include project architects included in the art selection process, since any changes in the architecture can have a significant efect on the artwork.
    
    Ms. Pontious offered that she was happy to address the Civic Design Review Committee at any time, and she assured the Commission that staff works very closely with the architects.
    
    The Commission discussed some of the challenges (including budgetary and scheduling constraints), opportunities that had perhaps been missed, and thoughts about how to improve the coordination between the two Committees and between departments, to produce the best possible art and architecture for the City’s projects. Commissioner Keehn pointed out that she sits on both Committees and tries to share the two perspectives. The Commission requested that staff meet with a few Commissioners to discuss the issue. President Johnston added that the Commission’s architects are at the top of their game and have strong opinions, which can create some tension with departments already committed to design decisions. He reminded everyone that the process is Civic Design Review, not Civic Design Design, and that while creative tension can be productive, conflict is not. To general agreement, he reiterated the request that staff pursue ways to improve the process.
Public Comment
There was no further public comment.
Reports and Announcements
Commissioner Breitenberg announced that Osaka Sister City artist Chiharu Shiota would be presenting her work at an event on the Oakland campus of California College of the Arts (“CCA”) on October 12. He added that CCA is partnering with the Queer Cultural Center on an event presenting the film Black Is, Black Ain’t, by the late Marlon Riggs, and a discussion led by filmmaker and CCA professor Cheryl Dunye. On another note, he reported that the San Francisco Business Times recently listed schools whose graduates had the highest-paying jobs, and that CCA came in fourth in the Bay area, after Stanford, Santa Clara University, and University of California at Berkeley.
Tony Alfidi of the Veterans Affairs Commission, addressed the Commission, and asserted that the positive reaction to Heart of a Soldier, recently performed at the Opera House, indicated that veterans are both an underappreciated audience for the arts, and an unacknowledged pool of artists. He cited a photographer whose work reflected his feelings returning from war, and suggested that the Arts Commission might use its expertise to help mentor these artists. He invited the Commissioners to attend the meeting of the Veterans Affairs Commission meeting later that evening.

Ms. Shiffler announced that Ishmael Reed was scheduled to receive a Litquake award; she was very pleased that he was also contributing to the Arts Commission Gallery’s catalogue for Shift.

President Johnston noted that he had seen Ms. Shiota’s work at CCA and thought it fantastic.

Ms. Manton announced that the proposed revisions to Planning Code Section 429 was scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on October 27, and that some of the Arts Commissioners and the Mayor’s staff would be present at the hearing. She added that she was working with Arts Commission publicist Kate Patterson to get public input on the legislation from as wide a constituency as possible. She announced a public meeting at the African American Art and Culture Complex, and listed partners including the Planning Department, SPUR, AIA, and others. President Johnston explained that the proposed legislation was a revision and expansion of the Planning Code, finally coming to fruition after years of work, especially by Ms. Manton.

There were no further reports or announcements.
New Business
There was no new business.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:37 p.m.

11/16/11 spr