Meeting Information

I.

Calling of the Meeting to Order – Diane B. Wilsey, President

A meeting of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco was held on Thursday, March 11, 2004, in the 6^th 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.

II.

Calling of the Roll

Present:

Alvin H. Baum, Jr.
George Hecksher
Diane B. Lloyd-Butler, Vice President/Marketing and Communications
J. Alec Merriam, Vice President
Marianne H. Peterson
Michael H. Podell
Shelagh Rohlen, Vice President/Annual Support
Randolph H. Scott, Vice President/Audience Development and Civic Affairs
Diane B. Wilsey, President

Excused:

Richard P. Essey
Nion McEvoy
Robert P. Morrow III
Lonna Wais

Other Trustees in Attendance:

Richard W. Goss II
Steven MacGregor Read
Paul Violich, Vice President/Finance

III.

Report of the President – Diane B. Wilsey

A. Consideration and Possible Action to Approve the Minutes of the January 22, 2004 Meeting of the Board of Trustees

There being no discussion among the Trustees or members of the public, the minutes of the January 22, 2004 meeting of the Board of Trustees, having been mailed in advance to all Trustees, were unanimously approved.

B. Report on Recent Developments Regarding the Building of a New de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park

President Wilsey advised that this matter will be addressed as part of the Executive Committee meeting of the Corporation of The Fine Arts Museums, immediately following this meeting.

C. Report on the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority Underground Parking Facility

1. Report on a Letter to the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority from the President of the Board of Trustees and the Director of Museums Dated March 2, 2004 Supporting Option 1 of the Proposed Concourse Circulation Patterns

President Wilsey reviewed the appended letter dated March 2, 2004 to Michael Ellzey, Chief Executive Officer of the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority.  This letter signed by the President and Director of Museums states the Museums’ opinion that Option 1 of the proposed Concourse circulation alternatives is the best for the New de Young Museum and its visitors.  This option maintains access to the Concourse institutions, while decreasing vehicular traffic through several traffic calming measures.  These improvements, coupled with the removal of surface parking from the Concourse and the addition of over five acres of green space, will make the area more desirable for all Park users while maintaining the level of access stipulated in Proposition J.

Mr. Parker discussed the four proposed Concourse surface circulation options:

Option 1 - Maintains through access between John F. Kennedy Drive and Martin Luther King Drive at all times, and allows for visitor drop-off at the front of both the New de Young Museum and the California Academy of Sciences.  The traffic lane has been reduced from the current three lanes to a single lane with passing capacity and a dedicated bicycle lane.  Option 1 is comparable to the existing circulation pattern.

Option 2 – Involves a loop road from Martin Luther King Drive on the south side of the Park, which runs in front of both museums.  Through access is limited to MUNI, shuttle, emergency vehicles, and bicycle.  There is no automobile through traffic.  Entry into and exit from the Concourse area is from the south side of the Park.  Visitor drop-off to the front of the institutions is only possible from the south side of the Park.

Option 3 – Creates a loop on Martin Luther King Drive (south side of Park) behind the Bandshell and a loop from John F. Kennedy Drive (north side of Park) to the front of the Francis Scott Key monument.  There is no through automobile traffic.  Access is limited to MUNI, shuttles, emergency vehicles, and bicycles; disabled visitor drop-off is possible.
 
Option 4 – Maintains automobile through access between John F. Kennedy Drive and Martin Luther King Drive at all times via two-way traffic in front of the de Young Museum on Tea Garden Drive.  Provides westbound pick-up and drop-off for the de Young Museum with a turn-around for eastbound traffic.  All pick-up and drop-off for automobiles, school buses, MUNI and shuttles via dedicated one-way Academy Drive originating at Tea Garden Drive.  There is a two-way bicycle path around the south side of the Concourse on Academy Drive.

The Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority held a public hearing on the proposed Concourse circulation patterns on Tuesday, March 9^th.  It is anticipated that the Authority will vote to select one of the four options in a month for approval by the Recreation and Park Commission and the Board of Supervisors.  A list of the members of the Golden Gate Park Concourse Authority was circulated for information.

D. Report on the Cancellation of the May 13, 2004 Meeting of the Executive ommittee

President Wilsey reported that the May 13, 2004 meeting of the Executive Committee is canceled.  The next regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting is set for Thursday, September 10, 2004.

  IV.

Director’s Report - Harry S. Parker III

A. Consideration and Possible Action to Approve Loan Requests

1. Request for a Loan of a Painting to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for Her Congressional Office (In Process)[1]

Mr. Parker discussed a pending loan to Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s Congressional office.  He noted that Museum policy allows for the loan of artworks to the offices of public officials, who have been elected to office by San Francisco voters.  Minority Leader Pelosi expressed an interest in a loan of a Wayne Thiebaud painting for her Congressional office.  Since the Museums’ holdings do not include a late Wayne Thiebaud painting, the artist was approached and agreed to loan Uphill Streets, 1992-94, to the Museums.  The Museums, in turn, will loan the painting to the Minority Leader Pelosi’s Congressional office.  The painting will be under the care of the House of Representatives in Washington, DC, and it is anticipated that the House will also insure the painting during the period of the loan.  The painting needs to be returned at the end of October 2004 in order to honor a previous commitment to display it in an exhibition.

From: Congressional Office of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi

For: Public Display of a painting in the Capitol Office of Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi:  3/4/04 – 10/31/04

Wayne Thiebaud (American, b.1920)
Uphill Streets, 1992-1994
Oil on canvas
60 ¼ x 48 ¼ in.
On loan to the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco by the
Paul Thiebaud Gallery

Stipulations: The painting will be accompanied by a FAMSF courier to Washington, DC, and return to San Francisco in early November to honor a commitment to display the painting in an exhibition.  All related expenses will be paid by the requesting organization.

2. Request for a Third Venue for a Loan Approved by the Executive Committee on September 11, 2003

Mr. Parker presented an additional venue for a loan approved by the Executive Committee on September 11, 2003 as follows:

From: Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX

For: Masterpieces of Seventeenth Century French Painting from the Museums of the French Regional American Museums Exchange (FRAME)

Portland Art Museum, Portland, OR:  10/11/03 – 1/5/04
Birmingham Museum of Art, Birmingham, AL:  2/1/04 – 4/1104
Meadows Museum, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX:
5/2/04-7/25/04

a. Eustache Le Sueur (French, 1617 – 1655)
Sleeping Venus, circa 1638 – 1639
Oil on canvas, 48 x 46 (121.9 x 116.8 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Museum Purchase, Mildred Anna Williams Collection
1977.10

b. Georges de La Tour (French, 1593 – 1652)
Old Woman, circa 1618 – 1619
Oil on canvas, 36 x 23 5/8 (91.4 x 60 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Roscoe and Margaret Oakes Collection
75.2.10

c. Georges de La Tour (French, 1593 – 1652)
Old Man, circa 1618 – 1619
Oil on canvas, 35 7/8 x 23 ¾ (91.1 x 60.3 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Roscoe and Margaret Oakes Collection
75.2.9

d. Louis Le Nain (French, 1600 – 1648)
Peasants Before Their House, circa 1641
Oil on canvas, 21 ¾ x 27 ¾ (55.2 x 70.5 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Mildred Anna Williams Collection
1941.17

Stipulations: The four paintings will be accompanied by a FAMSF courier to Portland and return from Dallas, and must be supervised byexhibition courier between venues.  All related expenses will be paid by the requesting organization.

3. Request for an Additional Work of Art for a Loan Approved by the Board of Trustees on June 26, 2003

A second artwork, The Annunciation, circa 1445-1450, was requested by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in addition to the loan of The Meeting of Saint Francis and Saint Dominic, circa 1430, by Fra Angelico, which was approved by the Board of Trustees on June 26, 2003:

From: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY  

For: Fra Angelico
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY:  10/24/05 – 1/30/06

Artist:  Master of the Lanckorónski Annunciation (Italian,
Active 1445 – 1450); Attrib. to:  Francesco Pesellino (Italian,
1422-1457)
The Annunciation, circa 1445-1450
Tempera on wood panel, 10 x 13 1/16 (25.4 x 33.2 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of The de Young
Museum Society
54.3

Fra Angelico (Italian, 1400-1455)
The Meeting of Saint Francis and Saint Dominic, circa 1430
Tempera on poplar wood panel, 10 ¼ x 10 ½ (26 x 26.7 cm)
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Gift of Samuel H. Kress
Foundation
61.44.7

Stipulations: The works will be accompanied by a FAMSF courier to New York City and return.  All related expenses will be paid by the requesting organization.

A motion was made and seconded to approve the above loans.  There was no discussion among Trustees.  There was no public testimony.  The Executive Committee voted unanimously to approve the loans subject to the conditions stated.

B. Consideration and Possible Action to Accept a Bequest from Robert Anino of $100,000 for a Monument (Memorial Bench) to Composer Johann Strauss, Jr.

Mr. Parker noted that a bequest of $10,000 -- $5,000 for the Legion of Honor and $5,000 for the de Young Museum -- was received from the Robert Anino Trust in September 2003.  As part of Mr. Anino’s estate plan, he also included a bequest of $100,000 to the City and County of San Francisco for a monument to Johann Strauss, Jr.  The Trustee of the Robert Anino Trust and Robert Singley, a close friend of the late Mr. Anino, determined that this bequest would be most appropriately satisfied by directing the funds to the Fine Arts Museums Board of Trustees for the design, construction, placement and maintenance of a designated memorial bench on the grounds of the New de Young Museum located in or near the Barbro Osher Sculpture Garden.  On March 9, 2004, the Board of Supervisors approved a resolution accepting the $100,000 bequest from the Robert Anino Trust for the design, construction, placement and maintenance of a monument to composer Johann Strauss, Jr., and urging the Fine Arts Museums Board of Trustees to accept and administer the bequest.

Mr. Parker presented the following resolution:

WHEREAS, Robert Anino was a dedicated San Francisco teacher, pianist, composer and scoutmaster who passed away on July 20, 2003; and

WHEREAS, Music was an important part of Robert Anino’s professional and personal life; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Anino was a supporter and patron of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco; and

WHEREAS, Robert Anino’s estate is held in the Robert Anino Trust, dated July 7, 1994; and

WHEREAS, As part of Robert Anino’s estate plan, Mr. Anino generously included a bequest of $100,000 to the City and County of San Francisco “for a monument to Johann Strauss Jr.;” and

WHEREAS, After careful review of options for construction and placement of such a monument, the Trustee of the Robert Anino Trust and close friend of the late Mr. Anino, Robert Swingley, has determined that this bequest would be most appropriately satisfied by directing the funds to the Fine Arts Museums Board of Trustees for the design, construction, placement and maintenance of a designated memorial bench on the grounds of the new de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, with an inscription that reads: “Bob Anino in tribute and to the memory of Johann Strauss, Jr.”; and

WHEREAS, The Trustee has further specified that such memorial bench would need to be located in or near the Barbro Osher Sculpture Garden between the new de Young Museum and the Japanese Tea Garden, as close to Tea Garden Drive as possible and within effective hearing range of musical performances at the Golden Gate Park Band Shell; and

WHEREAS, As an additional recognition for Mr. Anino’s bequest, the Fine Arts Museums’ Board of Trustees shall include a listing of Mr. Anino's name on the de Young donor recognition wall and in the FAMily Room; and

WHEREAS, The Fine Arts Museums Board of Trustees recognizes the generosity of Robert Anino with sincere appreciation; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Fine Arts Museums Board of Trustees, pending the Board of Supervisors' acceptance of this bequest, hereby accepts the $100,000 bequest from the Robert Anino Trust for the design, construction, placement and maintenance of a monument to composer Johann Strauss, Jr., and shall administer such bequest in accordance with the gift conditions.

On motion, duly 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 1485.

C. Report on the 2003 Annual Report of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society Advisory Committee Submitted to the Board of Supervisors

Mr. Parker presented the appended 2003 annual report of the San Francisco Museum and Historical Society Advisory Committee (SFMHS), which was submitted to the Board of Supervisors in January 2004.  He particularly noted that pages 3, 4, and 5 of the report list accomplishments during the past year to establish the proposed San Francisco history museum.  It was pointed out that the Fine Arts Museums organized the speakers for a December 6, 2003 Symposium (keynote speaker Neil Harris, Professor of History, University of Chicago; Barbara Franco, President and CEO, City Museum of Washington, DC; and Robert Macdonald, Emeritus Director, Museum of the City of New York), moved key objects from the SFMHS San Francisco history collection to the Interim de Young storage facility; and completed a project to catalogue and inventory the FAMSF San Francisco history collection totaling 1,550 objects.

In June 2002, the Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance creating the SFMHS Advisory Committee to study the establishment of a major San Francisco history museum.  President Wilsey and Charles Crocker, Past President of The Fine Arts Museums Foundation, represent the Museums on the Advisory Committee.  Ira Michael Heyman, former chancellor of the University of California at Berkeley and former secretary of the Smithsonian Institution, serves as Chair.

D. City Budget

The Museums’ City budget is funded by Hotel Tax proceeds.  Mr. Parker noted that an increase in Hotel Tax funds has not occurred because increases in hotel room occupancy have been offset by room rate discounts. 

E. Current and Future Exhibits

Art Deco, 1910 – 1939, opened last weekend on March 6 and runs through July 4, 2004.  Attendance for the first week of the exhibition was under budget projections; however, there appears to be a sense of enthusiasm for the exhibition. Attendance at the Legion of Honor is expected to be strong next week as Bouquets to Art is also scheduled from March 16-19, 2004.

At the suggestion of Mr. Parker, Trustee Baum discussed the exhibition, Between Promise and Possibility:  The Photographs of Adi Nes, which opens in Gallery 1 at the Legion of Honor on March 13 and runs through July 4, 2004.  Invitations will be mailed to a reception and viewing of the exhibition on April 8^th, following the meetings of the Boards of Trustees.  Adi Ness has achieved worldwide fame for his photographs of the heroic male body, especially his compelling depictions of Israeli soldiers. Mr. Parker circulated the exhibition catalogue, which is written in English and Hebrew, and encouraged the Executive Committee to read the central essay written by Daniell Cornell, Associate Curator of American Art.  

V.

Public Comment

Members of the public may address the Executive Committee on items 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.

VI.

Meeting Schedule, Future Events and Current and Future Exhibits

A. Executive Committee Meetings

Date, Time, Location

May 13, 2004, noon, 6^th Floor, 233 Post Street  canceled
September 9, 2004, noon, 6^th Floor, 233 Post Street
November 11, 2004, noon, 6^th Floor, 233 Post Street
December 2, 2004 , noon, 6^th Floor, 233 Post Street

B. Board of Trustees Meetings

Date, Time,. Location

April 8, 2004, 3 p.m., Board Room, Legion of Honor
June 10, 2004, 3 p.m., Board Room, Legion of Honor
October 14, 2004, 3 p.m., Board Room, Legion of Honor

C. Future Events

Date, Event

March 16-19, 2004, Bouquets to Art
March 22, 2004, Family Arts Circle Art Deco Event
April 8, 2004, Opening of Between Promise and Possibility:Adi Nes
April 14, 2004, Annual Luncheon – “Ruhlman:  Genius of Art   Deco” – Jared Goss, Assistant Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art
April 18-25, 2004, Museum Associates Trip to Texas
September 2, 2004, Opening of Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya
October 6-8, 2004, National Council Meeting
October 7, 2004, Back Tie Dinner / Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya
October 15-25, 2004, Museum Associates Trip to Italy

D.Current and Future Exhibitions (*Exhibitions organized by FAMSF)

Title, Date, Gallery

Art Deco Capitalism:  FortuneMagazine in the 1930s*, 01/17/04-06/06/04, Logan
Art Deco, 1910-1939, 03/06/04-07/04/0419-14, A-F/Rosekrans
Between Promise and Possibility: Adi Nes*, 03/13/04-07/18/04, 1
Photo-Image in American Prints 1960-1990*, 03/13/04-07/18/04, 2
Bouquets to Art, 03/16/04-03/19/04, All
Textile Rotation – Art Deco Dresses*, 03/27/04-06/27/04, 3/9/9c/hall case
American Accents (to Charleston, West Virginia), *04/02/03-06/20/04
Textile Rotation – 18^th Century Men’s Suit*, 07/03/04-10/31/04, 3/9/9c/hall-case
Gottfried Helnwein:  The Child*, 07/31/04-11/28/04, 1 and 2
Reinstall Permanent Collection Galleries 10, 14-19, 08/02/04-08/31/04, 10, 14-19
Courtly Art of the Ancient Maya*, 09/04/04-01/02/05, A-F/Rosekrans
Textile Rotation - Waistcoats*, 11/06/04-05/01/05, 3/9/9c/hall case
Bonjour Monsieur Courbet!  The Bruyas Collection from Montpellier, 01/22/05-04/03/05, B-F/Rosekrans

VII.

Adjournment in Memory of Sheila Essey – Diane B. Wilsey, President

There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 1:10 p.m. in memory of Sheila Essey, the wife of Trustee Richard P. Essey.

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.