I.
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Calling of the Meeting to Order - Diane B. Wilsey, President
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A meeting of the Executive Committee of
the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco was
held on Thursday, September 12, 2002, in the 6th Floor Conference
Room of the Administrative Offices at 233 Post Street, San Francisco.
A quorum being present, the meeting was called to order at 12:25 p.m.
by Diane B. Wilsey, President. President Wilsey presided; Mrs. Gough
acted as Secretary
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II.
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Calling of the Roll
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Present:
Alvin H. Baum, Jr.
Belva Davis, Vice President/Civic Affairs and Audience Development
Richard P. Essey
George Hecksher
Diane B. Lloyd-Butler, Vice President/Marketing and Communications
Nion McEvoy
J. Alec Merriam
Marianne H. Peterson
Shelagh Rohlen, Vice President/Annual Support
Randolph R. Scott
Lonna Wais
Diane B. Wilsey
Excused:
Robert P. Morrow III
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III.
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Closed Session for Conference with Legal Counsel for Existing Litigation
CONFERENCE WITH LEGAL COUNSEL - EXISTING LITIGATION
People for a New de Young vs. the City and County of San Francisco, the City and County of San Francisco Board of Supervisors, San Francisco Planning Department, San Francisco Planning Commission, San Francisco Park and Recreation Department, San Francisco Park and Recreation Commission, Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority, the Corporation of The Fine Arts Museums, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Filed with The Superior Court of the State of California in and for the County of
San Francisco on February 5, 2002, Case Number CPF-02-500598
President Wilsey advised that on September 11, 2002 California Superior Court Judge A. James Robertson II denied in its entirety the lawsuit filed by the People for a New de Young challenging both the City of San Francisco’s approval process and the environmental analysis of the New de Young Museum. Judge Robertson ruled in the City’s and Museums’ favor on all counts, rejecting all claims asserted by the People for a New de Young.
A. Public Comment on All Matters Pertaining to the Closed Session
President Wilsey stated that public comment would be taken at this time on all matters pertaining to the closed session before the Executive Committee votes to convene in closed session. There was no public comment.
B. Vote on Whether to Hold Closed Session to Confer with Legal Counsel
C. Closed Session Pursuant to Government Code Section 54956.9 and
San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.10(d)
President Wilsey called the closed session to order and introduced Kate Stacy, Deputy City Attorney, who specifically addressed Judge Robertson’s ruling and legal issues associated with the decision.
D. Return to Open Session
1. Possible Report on Action Taken in Closed Session [Government Code Section 54957.1(a)(2) and San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.12(b)(2)]
President Wilsey reported that no action was taken by the Executive Committee during the closed session and that the City Attorney’s Office will continue to defend any further litigation.
2. Vote to Elect Whether to Disclose Any or All Discussions Held in Closed Session [San Francisco Administrative Code Section 67.12(a)]
The Executive Committee voted unanimously not to disclose any of the discussion held in closed session.
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IV.
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Report of the President - Diane B. Wilsey
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A. Consideration and Possible Action to Approve the Minutes of the June 13, 2002 Meeting of the Board of Trustees
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There being no discussion among the Trustees or members of the public, the minutes of the June 13, 2002 meeting of the Board of Trustees, having been mailed in advance to all Trustees, were unanimously approved.
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B. Report on Recent Developments Regarding the Plans to Build a
New de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park
At the request of President Wilsey, Deborah Frieden, Director of the New
de Young Project, reviewed the New de Young Museum activity and construction schedules. Ms. Frieden began by stating that the project is on target with the New
de Young scheduled to open in July 2005.
The activity schedule outlines major events that have occurred since the June 12, 2002 Board meeting and those scheduled up to the opening of the New de Young. The following critical path activities were reviewed:
· The Asian Art Museum (AAM) plans to open in its new Civic Center location on January 23, 2003. It is expected that the Golden Gate Park facility will be fully vacated on January 24, 2003 to allow for hazardous materials abatement to commence on January 27 continuing through mid-May 2003 and then followed by demolition. The AAM intends to begin vacating the Park building next month.
· Almost all of the piers along the perimeter of the New de Young Museum, which form the permanent foundation system, are in place. Each pier is subject to a series of stress tests. This week, the piers will be connected by timber lagging, which will allow digging to very deep levels. Next week, tie-back cables will be inserted into the earth along the perimeter of the building to stabilize the moat wall of the base isolator system.
· Excavation continues through December 2002. Dirt removal will be scheduled at night to reduce the amount of traffic on Park roads during the day.
· Fong and Chan, principal San Francisco architects, will issue 100% of the construction documents next week. Prior to going out to bid, an intense quality control review was conducted by an independent document reviewer.
· The base isolators have been purchased, and the steel bids are due in seven to ten days. The steel will be procured as soon as possible in an effort to secure the most advantageous pricing and guarantee availability in view of other major State projects.
· The guaranteed maximum construction price will be finalized in December 2002 in order to proceed immediately with the pouring of the foundations following the conclusion of the excavation and shoring phase.
· The contract with the general contractor was executed prior to commencing the excavation, shoring, and placement of the base isolators. The contract commits the contractor to all of the delivery dates with a substantial completion date of October 31, 2004. The final completion date is January 31, 2005, which leaves five months for art installation prior to the New de Young opening in July.
· The construction of the underground parking facility has been delayed. The Concourse Authority anticipates that the draft environmental impact report will be published in mid-November 2002 with the city review and approval process concluding in mid-April 2003. It is expected that the underground parking facility will be completed just before the New de Young opens. It may be necessary to consider a separate landscaping contract to ensure that the completion of the New de Young construction and landscaping coincide.
Trustee Emerita Stephanie MacColl, a member of the Concourse Authority,
reported that the Authority approved proceeding with Phase 1, the construction of the underground parking facility, at its September 9th meeting. Discussions are ongoing regarding the Concourse public transportation plan and Park roadways affected by the parking facility. Mr. Parker emphasized the critical need for access to the main entrances of the New de Young at grade level for the elderly, handicapped, school buses and emergency fire and police vehicles. It was noted that Trustee T. Robert Burke is a member of the Board of Directors of the Music Concourse Community Partnership, a non-profit public benefit
corporation, whose mission is to successfully deliver the project on schedule and on budget.
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C. Consideration and Possible Action to Adopt a Resolution Setting the
Dates of the 2003 Executive Committee Meetings
President Wilsey presented the following resolution setting the dates of the 2003 meetings of the Executive Committee:
RESOLVED, That the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco does hereby set the following dates, times and locations for its 2003 regular meetings:
Date Time Location
Thursday, February 13, 2003 noon 233 Post Street, SF
Thursday, March 13, 2003 noon 233 Post Street, SF
Thursday, May 8, 2003 noon 233 Post Street, SF
Thursday, September 11, 2003 noon 233 Post Street, SF
Thursday, November 13, 2003 noon 233 Post Street, SF
Thursday, December 11, 2003 noon 233 Post Street, SF
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D. Consideration and Possible Action to Adopt a Resolution Changing the Location of the October 10, 2002 Meeting of the Board of Trustees
Because of the parking constraints associated with the popular exhibition, Eternal Egypt: Masterpieces of Ancient Art from The British Museum, at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, it is proposed that the location of the October 10th meeting of the Board of Trustees be changed to the Presidio Officers’ Club, Main Post of the Presidio. President Wilsey introduced the following resolution:
RESOLVED, That due to parking constraints associated with the exhibition, Eternal Egypt: Masterpieces of Ancient Art from The British Museum, at the California Palace of the Legion of Honor, the location of the October 10, 2002 meeting of the Board of Trustees at 3:00 p.m., has been changed to the Presidio Officers’ Club, Main Post of the Presidio, 50 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco, from the Board Room at the Legion of Honor.
A motion was made and seconded. There was no discussion among Trustees. There was no public testimony. The Executive Committee voted unanimously to adopt the above resolution as Board Resolution 1420.
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V.
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Director’s Report - Harry S. Parker III
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A. Consideration and Possible Action to Approve Loan Requests
1. From: John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco
For: Paintings and Works on Paper from the de Kooning Foundation
John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco: 10/9/02 - 11/16/02
Willem de Kooning, American, 1904-1997
Untitled XX, 1977
Oil on canvas, 80 x 70 in.
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum purchase,
Gift of Nan Tucker McEvoy
Stipulations: The painting will be accompanied by a FAMSF courier to and from the John Berggruen Gallery. All related expenses will be
*****
2. From: Linea d’ombra, srl, Casa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy
For: L’Impressionismo e l’Eta di Van Gogh
Cassa dei Carraresi, Treviso, Italy: 11/9/02 - 3/30/03
Vincent van Gogh (Dutch, 1853-1890)
Path between Garden Walls (Auvers Landscape), circa 1890
Charcoal with stumping and graphite on cream laid paper darkened from fixative glue stains and gold remnants from
previous mount
32 x 40.2 cm; 29.8 x 38.7 cm (sight)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Bequest of Ruth Haas Lilienthal
Stipulations: The drawing will be accompanied by a FAMSF courier to and from Treviso, Italy. All related expenses will be paid by the requesting organization.
*****
3. From: The American Federation of the Arts, New York, NY
For: Gerard ter Borch
National Gallery of Art, Washington: 11/7/04 - 1/30/05
Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, MI: 2/28/05 - 5/22/05
Gerard ter Borch (Dutch, 1617-1681)
Portrait of a Gentleman in Black, circa 1639-1640
Oil on copper, 19 1/8 x 14 1/16 (48.6 x 35.7 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of George T. Cameron
Stipulations: The painting will be accompanied by a FAMSF courier to Washington and return from Detroit. All related expenses will be paid by the requesting organization.
A motion was made and seconded to approve the loan requests noted above. There was no discussion among Trustees or members of the public. The Executive Committee voted unanimously to approve the loans subject to the conditions stated.
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B. Report on Re-Accreditation Awarded to the Fine Arts Museums of
San Francisco by the American Association of Museums
Mr. Parker reported that the Accreditation Commission of the American Association of Museums awarded continued accreditation to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. The report of the January 9-11, 2002 Re-Accreditation Visit was distributed to all Trustees in mid-August. The members of the Re-Accreditation Visiting Committee were Henry Adams, Curator of American Art at the Cleveland Museum of Art, and Mimi Gardner Gates, Director of the Seattle Museum of Art.
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C. Report on the Loan of the Guarnerius Violin to the San Francisco Symphony
On August 21, 2001, the Guarnerius violin was loaned to the San Francisco Symphony for a period of three-years to be played only by Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik in Symphony performances at Davies Symphony Hall and the Flint Center in Cupertino. Concertmaster Barantschik played the Guarnerius with great ceremony and respect at the September 4, 2002 Symphony Gala Opening. Heartfelt appreciation was extended to the Museums by Symphony representatives throughout the evening.
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D. Report on Appointments to the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society Advisory Committee and the Study for a New San Francisco Museum and Historical Society Located at the San Francisco Old Mint, 88 Fifth Street, San Francisco
Mr. Parker reported that the Board of Supervisors recently passed an ordinance creating a San Francisco Museum and Historical Society Advisory Committee to study the creation of a major San Francisco history museum. In the future, the transfer of the de Young’s history collection to the newly created San Francisco Museum and Historical Society will be addressed. Mr. Parker introduced James Lazarus, Executive Director of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society.
Mr. Lazarus explained that The San Francisco Historical Society and the Museum of the City of San Francisco merged to form the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society. The San Francisco Museum occupied space in the Cannery in the past, and with the exception of several small exhibits at City Hall, the collection is largely stored at Treasure Island. The Historical Society was a membership-based organization focused on programs and publications. The Society currently has about 2000 members and sponsors monthly programs and a quarterly publication.
The administrative offices are presently in office space South of Market; negotiations are proceeding with the Port of San Francisco for the temporary use of 9,000 sq. ft. at Pier 45. The space would be shared with Musée Mecanique, which must relocate from the Cliff House due to the pending restoration of that historic building. It is proposed that the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society and the Musée Mecanique jointly operate a museum at no charge to the public to be funded by quarters from the Musée Mecanique’s collection of 19th and 20th century amusement devices.
The transfer of the Old Mint located at Fifth and Mission Streets from the General Services Administration to the City of San Francisco has been initiated, and a Task Force of the City’s Economic Development Office is considering the renovation and viability of Old Mint. The San Francisco Museum and Historical Society submitted a comprehensive re-use proposal for the Old Mint, including a visitor center in partnership with the Convention and Visitors Bureau and special exhibit spaces for related collections (such as the history of coins and the Old Mint itself).
The Advisory Committee will include Ira Michael Heyman, former chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley and former secretary of the Smithsonian Institute. Mr. Parker announced that the Fine Arts Museums will be represented by President Wilsey and Charles Crocker. The Advisory Committee will also include two representatives from the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society; one representative from the San Francisco Public Library; one member of the public with significant expertise or experience researching and documenting the history of San Francisco; two members of the public from historical organizations focused on the history of ethnic or racial minorities; and one member of the public with a
professional background in museums, who is not affiliated with the Fine Arts Museums or the Society.
The purposes of the Advisory Committee are: 1) the management of the City’s history collection; b) defining the relationship between the City and the Society to ensure its continuing existence, financial stability and success; 3) identification of permanent exhibition venues; 4) sources of potential financial support; 5) creation of one or more full-time or part-time positions under the Fine Arts Museums’ budget to conduct a complete inventory of the City’s historical collections; 6) the potential merger of the City’s historical collections with the Society’s collection; and
7) strategies to promote citywide communication and partnership between various local organizations that hold historical/cultural resources.
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E. Report on City Budget
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F. Current and Future Exhibits
Attendance at the Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient Art From The British Museum exhibition at the Legion of Honor has been very strong, averaging approximately 15,000 visitors per week during August 2002. The audio tour has been popular. Merchandising changes in the exhibition store, which performed slightly under budget in August, have been implemented in an effort to increase sales. New memberships total 2,500 since Eternal Egypt opened at the Legion on August 10. The exhibition runs through November 11, 2002.
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G. Other Informational Items
1. Personnel Report
Mr. Parker introduced Dr. Lynn Orr, who was promoted to the position of Curator-in-Charge of European Art this past summer. Formerly, Dr. Orr was Curator of European Painting at the Fine Arts Museums. In her new role, she assumes responsibility for the entire European Art collection, including paintings and decorative art objects. Dr. Orr curated the exhibition, Michael Sweerts: Flemish Master of the Sacred and Profane, which closed at the Legion on August 25th.
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VI.
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Public Comment
Members of the public may address the Executive Committee on items not on the agenda that are within the subject matter jurisdiction of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Speakers may address the Executive Committee for up to three minutes;
the President or the Executive Committee may limit the total comment to thirty minutes. There was no public comment.
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VII.
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Meeting Schedule, Future Events and Current and Future Exhibits
A. Executive Committee Meetings
Date Time Location
2002 November 14, 2002 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
December 12, 2002 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
2003 February 13, 2003 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
March 13, 2003 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
May 8, 2003 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
September 11, 2003 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
November 13, 2003 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
December 11, 2003 noon 6th Floor, 233 Post Street
B. Board of Trustees Meetings
2002 October 10, 2002 3 p.m. Presidio Officers’ Club, Main Post
2003 January 23, 2003 3 p.m. Board Room, Legion of Honor
April 10, 2003 3 p.m. Board Room, Legion of Honor June 12, 2003 3 p.m. Board Room, Legion of Honor
October 9, 2003 3 p.m. Board Room, Legion of Honor
C. Future Events
Date Event
October 19-27, 2002 Museum Associates Trip to Italy
December 6, 2002 Opening of Casting a Spell: Winslow Homer, Artist and Angler
December 11, 2002 An Elegant Evening in the Court of Honor
D. Current and Future Exhibitions (*Exhibitions organized by FAMSF)
Artists Books*
American Accents Tour, Mobile, AL 07/02/02-01/05/03
Eternal Egypt: Masterworks of Ancient 08/10/02-11/11/02 Legion A-F,
Art from The British Museum Rosekrans,10
African Art from The Fine Arts Museums 08/15/02-04/30/03
(Tour to Mexico)
Philip Guston’s Poor Richard* 10/12/02-01/26/03 Legion 1
Fan and Costume Rotation* 10/26/02-ongoing Legion 9 a/c
Casting a Spell: Winslow Homer, Artist 12/07/02-02/09/03 Legion B-F,
and Angler* Rosekrans
Hard Edge: Abstract Prints from Albers 12/12/02-04/06/03 Legion A
to Held*
Big Prints* 01/25/03-05/18/03 Legion 1
Henry Moore’s Sheep from Shalan
Foundation* 02/00/03-05/00/03 Legion 2
Leonardo da Vinci and The Splendor of 03/08/03-05/18/03 Legion B-F,
Poland Rosekrans
Bouquets to Art 03/11/03-03/14/03 Legion All
Black and White Prints from the 1970s* 04/13/03-07/27/03 Legion A
New Barbarians: Primitive Sources of 06/28/03-09/14/03 Legion B-F,
of the Russian Avant Garde
Illuminated Manuscripts 06/07/03-08/24/03 Legion 1
Indian Photography from the Ehrenfeld
Collection* 09/14/03-01/04/04 Legion 1, 2
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VIII.
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Adjournment in Memory of Emeriti Trustees Agnes Albert, Clifford Heimbucher, and John Jacobs - Diane B. Wilsey, President
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. in memory of Emeriti Trustees Agnes Albert, Clifford Heimbucher and John Jacobs.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy Gough
Executive Secretary
Note: These minutes set forth all actions taken up by the Executive Committee on matters stated, but not necessarily in the order in which the matters were considered.
mexcfamsf029
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