Meeting Information

Full_Commission

MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, February 5, 2007
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:12 p.m.

1. Roll Call
   Commissioners Present
   P.J. Johnston
   Andrea Cochran
   José Cuellar
   Maya Draisin
   Leonard Hunter
   John Kriken
   Janice Mirikitani
   Jeannene Przyblyski
   Lawrence Rinder
   Dede Wilsey
   Pop Zhao
   
   Commissioners Absent
   Alexander Lloyd
   Beverly Prior
   M. Sue Lee
   
   
2. Approval of Minutes
   
   The following Resolution was moved, seconded, and unanimously adopted:
   RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-036: APPROVAL OF MINUTES ADOPTED
   RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby approve the Minutes of the Meeting of January 8, 2007, as amended above.
   
   NOTE: ALL ADOPTIONS ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
   
   
3. President’s Report
   President Johnston announced that the Nominating Committee report would be taken before the Consent Calendar, and that, after consultation with the Mayor’s Office, the budget item would be severed from the Consent Calendar and continued for further discussion. He said that the Commission would take public comment on the subject, but would ask for a motion to continue the item. He noted the appearance of some members of the public who had also attended the recent Executive Committee meeting, and invited the public to attend future Committee meetings.
   
   
4. Director’s Report
   Director of Cultural Affairs Richard Newirth said that he would defer his comments on the budget, and would be happy to give them with his report later in the meeting.
   
   He explained that Arts Commission consultant Prudy Kohler was present at the meeting, and that she would discuss the Supporting Neighborhood Artists Residencies guidelines developed with staff and recently distributed to the Commissioners. He believed that the guidelines were close to final, with only a few minor edits required. He hoped that the Commission would approve them at this meeting so that they could be published immediately, to maximize the window for applications before the deadline.
   
   Mr. Newirth congratulated Gallery Director Meg Shiffler on the success and the quality of Lucky Day, the new exhibit at the Gallery.
   
   He announced that Rachelle Axel will start her new position as Development Director when she returns from vacation on February 20, 2007, and that Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff was beginning to interview candidates for the Arts Education Manager’s position.
   
   Mr. Newirth reported that he and Ms. Nemzoff had met with Dwayne Jones of the Mayor’s Office, and they are excited about making a difference with the Communities of Opportunity in the southeast sector of the city.
   
   Mr. Newirth reported that staff was scheduled to meet with the Capital Advisory Committee on February 12, with a request for approximately $200,000, substantially increased from the previous year’s allocation of $15,000. There is also a multimillion-dollar request for work at the Cultural Centers.
   
   Mr. Newirth reported that he and Cultural Equity Grants Program Director San San Wong have been attending meetings of the East Bay Community Foundation's Cultural Data Project. The Pew Charitable Trusts and other Pennsylvania funders collaborated on developing a system for streamlined grant applications to both municipal and private funders. This has been a great success for applicants, as well as a source of data on how various organizations of similar size are doing. The model is being taken up in nearly a dozen states; southern California is farther along than northern California. He believes this is potentially a revolutionary advance for both applicants and funders.
   
   
5. Nominating Committee
   Commissioner Mirikitani gave the report of the Nominating Committee, nominating P.J. Johnston as Commission President and Maya Draisin as Commission Vice President. She presented the following resolution, which was unanimously approved.
   
   
   1. Resolution No. 0205-07-037: Motion to approve nomination and election of P.J. Johnston as Commission President and Maya Draisin as Vice President.
      
      President Johnston and Vice President Draisin thanked Commissioners for their support.
      
      
6. Consent Calendar
   President Johnston severed agenda item 4 from the Consent Calendar; the remaining items were approved as follows.
   
   RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-038:
   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. 0205-07-039: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of December 20, 2006.
      
      
   2. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-040: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of January 17, 2007.
      
      
   3. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-041: Motion to approve the Civic Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes of January 22, 2007.
      
      Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (January 17, 2007)
      
   4. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-042: Motion to increase the total amount of the Municipal Railway Metro East Light Rail Vehicle Maintenance and Operation Facility fabrication contract with the artist team of Anita Margrill and Nobuho Nagasawa from a total not-to-exceed amount of $140,000 to a new total not-to-exceed amount of $160,000, to fund the increased costs of final computer-aided design (CAD) drawings, fabrication and transportation of the artwork curtainwall insulated glass units.
      
      
   5. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-043: Motion to approve the four mosaic sidewalk marker designs by Susan Cervantes inspired by the Twenty Day Signs of the Aztec Calendar and funded by the Fleishhacker Foundation for the following three locations: two markers at Precita Eyes Mural Center at 2981-24th Street; one marker at La Gallinita Market at 24th and Harrison; and one marker at the Mission Neighborhood Center at 3013-24th Street.
      
      
   6. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-044: Motion to approve the temporary installation titled ReCycle Ryoan-ji, by Judith Selby Lang, which is an 18' by 55' replica of the Ryoan-ji Garden in Kyoto, Japan, created using recycled materials, to be located on the west side of Civic Center Plaza for ten days from April 14 through April 24, 2007.
      
      
   7. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-045: Motion to approve honoraria payments to the following artists for participating in the gallery exhibition Lucky Day on view from January 25 through March 24, 2007: Michael Anderson ($400); Claude Zervas ($300); Chris McCaw ($300); and Daniel Tierney ($700).
      
      
   8. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-046: Motion to approve the budget and project list of artworks to be conserved with the $75,000 Board of Supervisors supplemental funding.
      
      
   9. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-047: Motion to approve the preliminary artwork proposal by artist Isis Rodriguez for metal gate enhancements, with a stated fabrication preference of rolled metal over laser cut metal, requiring approval of a laser cut steel sample for final design, and a requirement for a variation in the design for each of the two sites, for installation on the main entrance gates at both the Rolph Playground and the Potrero del Sol Park, and to authorize the artist to proceed to final design of the artwork.
      
      
   10. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-048: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with artist Isis Rodriguez (DBA Good Huevos) for final design, fabrication and transportation of artworks for the Rolph Playground and the Potrero del Sol Park for a total contract amount not to exceed $34,000.
       
       
   11. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-049: Motion to approve the final design by the artist team of Reddy Lieb and Linda Raynsford for an artwork to be installed at the Glen Park Branch Library and to authorize the artist team to proceed to fabrication of the artwork.
       
       
   12. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-050: Motion to approve the revised artwork proposal by artist Helena Keeffe for a kiosk poster series working with Muni bus drivers for the Art on Market Street 2007 Program.
       
       
   13. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-051: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with artist Helena Keeffe in an amount not to exceed $18,000 for design (in collaboration with Muni bus drivers) and printing of posters for temporary exhibition in 24 kiosks on Market Street between Van Ness and the Embarcadero as part of the Art on Market Street 2007 Program.
       
       
   14. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-052: Motion to approve the revised artwork proposal by the artist team of Steve Lambert and Packard Jennings for posters for 24 kiosks illustrating visions of future transportation possibilities in the Bay Area, a related pamphlet and additional programmatic activities for the Art on Market Street 2007 Program.
       
       
   15. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-053: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with the artist team of Steve Lambert and Packard Jennings in an amount not to exceed $25,000 for the research, design, and printing of posters for temporary exhibition in 24 kiosks on Market Street between Van Ness and the Embarcadero, production of a related pamphlet, and additional related programmatic activities for the Art on Market Street 2007 Program.
       
       
   16. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-054: Motion to approve the revised proposal by Hung Liu for an artwork for a gateroom wall at San Francisco International Airport.
       
       
   17. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-055: Motion to approve the proposal by Clare Rojas for an artwork for a gateroom wall in the International Terminal of San Francisco International Airport pending Airport Commission approval.
       
       Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (January 22, 2007)
       
   18. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-056: Motion to approve Van Ness Avenue Streetscape Improvement Project Phase 1 contingent upon clarification of the dimensions of the median strips, feasibility study of upgrading planter box and paver finishes to granite, more detailed drawings.
       
       
   19. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-057: Motion to approve Hamilton Pool and Recreation Center Phase 2.
       
       
   20. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-058: Motion to approve Palo Alto Pump Station Upgrade Phase 3 Administrative Review.
       
       
   21. President Johnston began the discussion of the Executive Committee’s budget recommendation by explaining that, following recommendations from many sources, including the Arts Task Force, the Board of Supervisors added $1,000,000 to the Arts Commission’s 2006-2007 budget. The Mayor decided to annualize it beginning with the 2007-2008 budget. President Johnston noted that, as in any discussion of money, there are different views and interests. He explained that the Executive Committee voted at its January meeting to approve the 2007-2008 spending plan first reviewed at its December meeting. President Johnston intended to sever the budget item from the agenda, and was requested as well to do so by the Mayor’s Office, which he noted ultimately has sole discretion over spending.
       
       Mr. Newirth pointed out that the budget on the current agenda was for 2007-2008, and that the 2006-2007 supplemental allocation spending plan was already discussed and approved at the November 6, 2006, meeting of the Executive Committee. It was further discussed at the Commission's December and January meetings.
       
       At its January 16, 2007, meeting, the Executive Committee considered the proposal for 2007-2008. The budget must be submitted to the Mayor's Office by the end of February. At that meeting, there was a great deal of discussion of the Arts Commission’s priorities, and of continuing and/or substituting grants programs. The greatest interest was in the Community Arts addback funding, the plan for which is already largely implemented.
       
       President Johnston asked Arts Task Force Chair Debra Walker to begin the public comment. He noted that she had been instrumental in the work of the Task Force. After several months of meetings, the Arts Task Force produced a large document addressing many needs, which he said could still result in significant changes if implemented. The budget increase was only one of these.
       
       Ms. Walker said that $1,000,000 was great as a one-time addback, but was not nearly enough on an annualized basis. She said that most of the items in the budget proposal were included in the Arts Task Force recommendations. She felt that the issue was one of picking and choosing from those recommendations, and a lack of community input. She said that the Task Force wanted a neighborhood arts program supported by the neighborhoods, but she felt that it came too late in the year. She noted that many Cultural Equity Grants (“CEG”) applicants were not funded, and said that staff had proposals that would have quickly implemented the priorities. She said that she wanted to see art in every community and to keep artists in San Francisco. She asked the Commission to sit down now with the community and come up with a plan they will buy into, to come up with a long-term goal, and to find ways to spread out into the community. She would rather be fighting about how to spend $10,000,000.
       
       Ellen Gavin, founder and Artistic Director of Brava!, spoke next. She said that there was never a more important time to address this issue, citing eight recent murders in her area. She was very surprised at the Executive Committee’s decision, saying that the Commission had cherry-picked issues that serve the Arts Commission and the City infrastructure. She said that, of course, the Cultural Centers are important, but she felt that $800,000 should go to the community and only $200,000 to administration; that the proposed spending plan was very skewed. She said that as she looked at the Commission, it is a fabulous group. She thought that the Communities of Opportunity must be a pet project of the Mayor’s, and that $650,000 to do such things as circulating art in City offices was inappropriate; and she said she didn’t know what the Dewey Crumpler mural was. She said that $40,000 could go to twenty organizations, and that only five artists getting all of the grant funds, at $50,000 each, was wrong.
       
       Jeff Jones, of the Queer Cultural Center, said that he had originally proposed the Cultural Equity Grants Program. He urged the Commission to reject both spending plans. He said that it was not a program but a smorgasbord that meets bureaucratic needs. He said that of 250 e-mails received, only two supported the plan. He said that the plan should be rejected because it doesn’t deal with the needs of the community. He said that the Commission needs community support in order to advocate for funding at the Board of Supervisors. He said it was criminal that the plan had sat on someone’s desk for eight months. He said that in November, there was a draft plan, calling for $200,000 to go to the Cultural Centers, $200,000 for administration, and the rest to existing programs, including CAE and CEG grants for this year. He said that for 2007-2008, the Commission should establish a public process that would allow the community to state its needs. He said he was happy to assist in bringing people to testify. He said that this plan takes even more money into Arts Commission administration, and that the funds would not have been allocated without community partners.
       
       Tina Banchero, of Dance Mission, said that she directs their dance program for youth, which serves a very diverse group. She asked that the Commission allow these funds to come back to the community. She said that she had taken her program from 40 to 400 children. She said that while the San Francisco Ballet is doing great work, it has very limited diversity. She explained that Dance Mission has lots of programs, saying that they are working on the front lines and that the Commission needs to help kids and communities.
       
       Debbie Lammam, of Dance Mission, said that they get money from Grants for the Arts. She said that their building at 24th and Mission is a neighborhood anchor, and that it wouldn’t take a lot of money to make a big difference. She said she was stunned to see so much money going to staff and to development. She said that many organizations in the community are struggling with old buildings, and that while it is great that the Cultural Centers are getting money, the need is broader. She said she agreed with Jeff Jones that the Commission should serve community needs rather than bureaucratic needs.
       
       Maria X. Martinez, Deputy Director of Community Programs at the Department of Public Health, and a member of the Arts Task Force, said that communities can speak best for what their needs are. She said this kind of a meeting is probably the least creative way of sharing ideas. She said that her department has done a great deal of work with organizations and communities, that the product is always better as a result of the process, and that creates effective advocacy. She said that community input is needed. She believes that the proposed grants program is exciting. She said that Communities of Opportunity is not a mayoral idea, and that representatives of the Communities of Opportunity came to present to the Arts Task Force. She said that art is powerful, and that the Arts Commission is serving a broader community. She said the problem was the amount of money, and that because of the process that was not clear until this meeting. She said that if grants were given to five individual artists, it will not be possible to measure the outcome. She said that the Arts Commission needed to engineer a process that allows for evaluation. She said that it is never a good idea to add FTEs, and would ask whether a contract position would be more effective.
       
       Pamela Wu, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center (“APICC”), and Administrator for SomArts, echoed what was said by others, recommending that the bulk of the funds go to the current year’s Cultural Equity Grants. She said that while the number of applications has doubled, the fund hasn’t been increased. She said that Grants for the Arts got a 6% increase, but their organizations didn’t receive an increase, and that APICC actually lost money. She said that they produce a festival that serves 9,000 people, where groups get free rent and technical assistance. When she doesn’t get grants, she needs to charge them, so that lost funding trickles down in increased costs. She said this hasn’t been a public process, and there wasn’t an opportunity to talk about the proposal.
       
       Krissy Keefer, Executive Artistic Director of Dance Mission, and Arts Task Force member, began her comment by saying that she had seen Stanlee Gatti's recent exhibition, and was moved by his comments about how art changes things. She said that San Francisco has a unique arts ecology, that people come from everywhere to live here on very little money and make change. She said that $800,000 going into this community, of adults willing to live on $30,000 a year, would be very important. She said that the California Arts Council, before it was gutted four years ago, was a beacon for art and social change. She said that if there were someone on the Commission who made only $30,000 to $40,000, they would have a different perspective.
       
       Alma Robinson, Executive Director of California Lawyers for the Arts, and a member of the Arts Task Force, said that the subtext was a very strong passion for improving the lives of young people in San Francisco. She talked about her work with girls in the Mission who don’t know artists and have never spent time them, but were very excited to be exposed to photography in workshops. She said that this should not be an unusual opportunity. She cited an article in Benefit magazine, which described how Idris Ackamoor had worked with young people in the Western Addition, but when they lost funding, they had to change their business plan and go out of state. She said that the supplemental funding is seed money, and that a smart development person could bring in money for the Cultural Centers.
       
       John Avalos of Supervisor Chris Daly’s office said that the Budget Committee had allocated the $1,000,000 supplemental funding based on the recommendation of $3,000,000. He said that the funding was intended for neighborhood and community arts, and not for staff in the Arts Commission. He said that Supervisor Daly would like to see the Commission use a maximum of twenty percent for staffing, with eighty percent for neighborhood centers.
       
       Andrew Wood said that he had predicted a couple of months ago that it wouldn’t go well if the supplemental funding went to staff positions. He said that arts groups are doing magnificent work, that they are tough and that the Commission needs to support them. He said that the development position can help the agency grow, then come back to the Mayor and get more funding. He echoed Ms. Walker’s comment about hoping to fight over $10,000,000.
       
       Jess Curtis, of Jess Curtis/Gravity, in the Mission, said that he works in San Francisco as much as he can afford to. He spends much of his time in Europe, and does as much community work in Berkeley as in San Francisco, because there is money there. He said that organizations like his are fortunate if they get to spend twenty percent of their budgets on administration.
       
       Ms. Martinez spoke again, saying that before we can debate spending $10,000,000, we need to clarify who our constituency is. She said that if we fund only individual artists, that is who we’ll have. She asked why the community was not at this meeting, not just the artist community; why not have public health, social services, etc.?
       
       President Johnston reminded everyone that the Commission already took action on the 2006-2007 supplemental funding in November. He reminded everyone that all of the Commission's meetings are public and publicly noticed. He said that there had been a good discussion at the recent Executive Committee meeting, noting that the discussion of FTEs versus contracts can be very arcane.
       
       He also said that he would love to be discussing spending $10,000,000, which is more than the department’s entire budget. He reminded everyone that the Arts Commission has no control over the budget of Grants for the Arts, and discussion at this meeting was to focus on the Arts Commission’s funds. Finally, he noted that there was some disagreement in the public comment about specific elements of the spending plan.
       
       Mr. Newirth reminded the Commission that the budget proposal includes the new grant program, and he urged them to consider that this was proposed as a pilot program. He said that there was some flexibility in how it would be implemented, although the budget had been approved.
       
       The item was continued on the motion of the President.
       
       
7. Committee Reports—Motions
   
   1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
      
      1. President Johnston reported that the Committee met and discussed the budget and the Commission’s priorities and responsibilities, such as the City’s responsibility to maintain its own Civic Art Collection. He said that the Committee will be revisiting the budget.
         
         
   2. Civic Design Committee—Andrea Cochran, Chair
      1. Commissioner Cochran reported that the Committee met and reviewed several items, including Van Ness streetscape improvements and the Hamilton Pool. She said that the Van Ness project will come back to the Committee with more information at a later date.
         
         
   3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—José Cuellar, Chair
      1. Commissioner Cuellar reported that the Committee did not meet. He presented the following motions.
         
         
      2. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-059: Motion to enter into a grant agreement, not to exceed $29,000, for the maintenance and repair of dance studio floors at the Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts.
         
         
      3. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-060: Motion to approve submission of a grant application to the California Cultural and Historical Endowment by the San Francisco Arts Commission to request funding for capital improvements for the Bayview Opera House. The Commission will commit to support and assume responsibility for the implementation of this project as well as continuing maintenance of the building.
         
         
      4. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-061: Motion to approve a grant to the African American Arts and Culture Complex, not to exceed $25,000, from account code PART01, for the maintenance and repair of flooring. This will include replacement of flooring to mitigate tripping hazards in public areas.
         
         
      5. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-062: Motion to approve the following individuals as application review panelists for Cultural Equity Grants:
         
         Amanda Ault, Program & Member Services Manager, National Alliance for Media Arts and Culture
         Rob Bailis, Musician, Director, ODC Theatre
         Kevin Chen, Program Director for the Visual Arts, Literary Series, and Jazz at Intersection, Intersection for the Arts
         Brian Freeman, Playwright, Theater Director and Actor
         Katharine Gin, Writer, Photographer, Educator; Artist in Residence, WritersCorps; Advisor, Nelson Fund at Community Foundation Silicon Valley
         Pam Hagen, founding Executive Director, LINES Ballet/San Francisco Dance Center
         Linda Lucero, Executive/Artistic Director Yerba Buena Arts & Events
         Favianna Rodriguez, Visual and New Media Artist; Owner, Tumis Designs; Founding Member, East Side Arts Alliance
         Diane Sanchez, Program Officer, East Bay Community Foundation
         Joel Shepard, Film/Video Curator, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
         Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Independent Filmmaker, Producer
         Francis Wong, Musician/Composer; Arts Management Consultant
         
         
      6. Commissioner Cuellar began a discussion on the final motion regarding the proposed new grant and guidelines for Supporting Neighborhood Artists Residencies (“SNAR”) with a comment on making the ethnic identification categories consistent, using “American” with all of them, and adding the category “European American.” Mr. Newirth said that he appreciated the input, and that his comments would be incorporated.
         
         Prudy Kohler, former interim program director for Cultural Equity Grants, explained that she would be the project manager for the new SNAR program. She explained how she and staff developed the guidelines, including consultation with people who run similar programs in other areas, and with artists involved in these programs. This is a pilot program based on the idea expressed by earlier speakers, that art can be a force for social change, and can enliven communities. She explained that the program’s goals are to encourage problem-solving and community involvement, to support artists and to create visible artwork for the neighborhoods. She stressed that the neighborhood must be involved in the process. She explained that the grant would be awarded directly to the artist, who will partner with a non-arts organization in the neighborhood. This is not a case where the artist swoops in, does an interesting project and leaves without involving the neighborhood residents. She outlined the proposed schedule of workshops, deadline for submission, panel review and distribution of funds. She added that she believes this program is really needed and will make the neighborhoods more vibrant.
         
         In response to questions, Ms. Kohler explained that the artists must be from San Francisco, and that emphasis would be given to neighborhoods with less access to the arts. Mr. Newirth explained that staff intentionally set the grant amount at $50,000 to really encourage the artist to give a great deal of time and attention to the project and to the neighborhood. President Johnston referred to the map often displayed by Ms. Walker showing the locations of arts activity in the city, saying that the goal was to go beyond the areas where the arts are, and bring them into areas where they aren’t. Mr. Newirth agreed, adding that the Commission would not fund a project not worth funding.
         
         Commissioner Przyblyski observed that many neighborhoods would consider that they have challenges, and she was reluctant to say categorically that a project in the Marina, for example, would not be funded. Commissioners discussed the program, raising questions about the choice of non-arts organizations as community partners, about making the grants to individual artists rather than arts organizations, about whether it would be better in the short term to increase funds for existing programs, and how to measure whether the program accomplishes what the Commission intends.
         
         Ms. Kohler said that, while this was extensively discussed by staff, the thought was that non-arts organizations may have closer ties with the community. Mr. Newirth reiterated that this is a pilot program, adding that all agree that Hotel Tax Fund money should be restored to the arts, and then perhaps the discussion would be about spending $10,000,000. He explained that the Arts Task Force had identified the need for individual artist funding. He said that, with Ms. Wong joining the staff, this was a good time to evaluate and examine the granting programs; we know that they make a difference, but don’t have specific metrics. This will be the beginning of an evaluation process.
         
         President Johnston added that this was a new program, developed out of long discussions. He pointed out that the Arts Task Force wouldn’t have needed to meet for a year and a half to conclude that $800,000 should simply be put into existing programs. He said this is a new way to address the city’s needs. Mr. Newirth added that in having an existing youth group or other community organization as the collaborating group, the intention is that the artist be definitely embedded into the organization.
         
         Commissioner Hunter questioned whether a two-step process, with an initial letter of application followed by a detailed budget, would be helpful. Mr. Newirth answered that this had been discussed and rejected because of the need to move quickly. He added that the end product could be community workshops or “talkbacks,” as well as more conventional artworks.
         
         Commissioners discussed how the program might be evaluated, and Mr. Newirth reiterated that staff will be looking at all of the granting programs.
         
         Commissioners discussed the meaning of “embedded” within a community, and how and whether an artist from outside a community can become embedded or immersed in it, and whether there would be an affirmative action element of the program. Mr. Newirth replied that there would be affirmative action in outreach, both to underserved communities, including Bayview and the Communities of Opportunity, and to artists working in traditional art forms, who don’t often see themselves as eligible for funding.
         
         Jeff Jones spoke, conveying the message from Ms. Martinez (who had left) that there was no community input. He said that the Commission meeting was not the place for community input, but that it should come to staff. He expressed several concerns, including that individual artists would be overwhelmed by the requirements of City contracting, and the financial and tax consequences of managing a $50,000 grant.
         
         Ellen Gavin said that she really hadn’t understood that arts organizations would not be eligible for the grant, and was insulted that social service organizations would be considered closer to the community than arts organizations. She asserted that artists who live on $50,000 a year already have their next three years planned and wouldn’t be able to fit such a project in within the grant period. She recommended smaller grants of $25,000 or $30,000. She also argued that the aggregate cost to the arts community of writing the proposals would outweigh the grant amount.
         
         Debra Walker agreed with the concerns raised, and pointed out that Grants for the Arts provides funds for the needs expressed by some arts organizations. She said that part of the job of the Arts Commission is to ensure that there are dots (representing arts activity) in all the areas of the map referred to earlier. She said that over half of the CEG applicants this year were not funded. She said that there were many really good things about putting forward an artist’s residency program, but she thought the grant amount should be reexamined, along with the ineligibility of artists currently receiving grants. She urged action to spend the money, and not to keep talking about it for months. She believes that $10,000,000 is appropriate for neighborhood arts, saying that we need more money and more advocacy. She wants this program to be shaped in a way that will work, and not fail, urging more input from the community to refine the idea.
         
         Andrew Wood referred the Commission to Frances Phillips at the Creative Work Fund, suggesting following that model. He said it was unfair to make the grants for non-arts organizations, and agreed with earlier comments about the process not being open.
         
         Pamela Wu echoed Mr. Wood’s comments, saying that the program was being rushed through and that it was not ready to be voted on. She questioned how this is different from Programs in the Community grants. She said that the idea is a good one, and needs further discussion in order to move forward. She said that many groups are “on the edge” and was concerned that half of the Cultural Equity applicants were not funded.
         
         Krissy Keefer echoed the concern that it would be difficult for an individual artist to manage a grant of $50,000. She was concerned that it would be difficult to find the appropriate marriage between the right artist and distressed, underserved community. She believed that deeply underserved and distressed communities would be better served by smaller grants and more organizations.
         
         Commissioners made summary comments, recommending referral back to Committee for further discussion and consideration of grant amounts, the interface between artist and organization, and standards for program evaluation.
         
         The motion was continued and referred back to Committee.
         
         
   4. Street Artists Committee
      
      1. President Johnston reported that the Committee did not meet. He presented the following motion.
         
         
      2. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-063: Motion to approve former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Marc Melancon, Daniel Hennessey, Eva Letts.
         
         
   5. Visual Arts Committee
      
      1. In light of the late hour, Commissioner Przyblyski did not give her report. She presented the following motions.
         
         
      2. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-064: Motion to approve assignment of mural loan agreement for two untitled murals by Peter Ilyin from Deka Immobilien Investment to 600 California Street property, consistent with the terms provided in the draft assignment agreement; and authorization of Director of Cultural Affairs, or his designee, to negotiate, finalize and execute such assignment agreement, including the negotiation and determination of the appropriate rental fee (including any increases to reflect the change in market value) agreed upon by the parties.
         
         
      3. RESOLUTION NO. 0205-07-065: Motion to approve honorarium of $5,000 to Bill Fontana for startup costs related to temporary sound installation project at City Hall.
         
         
8. New Business
   There was no new business.
   
   
9. Reports and Announcements
   There were no other reports or announcements.
   
   
10. Public Comment
    There was no other public comment.
    
    
11. Adjournment
    There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 5:30 p.m.
    

    2/28/07 spr