Full_Commission
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, October 1, 2007
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416
Minutes
President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:07 p.m.
- Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston
Andrea Cochran
José Cuellar
Maya Draisin
Leonard Hunter
John Kriken
Alexander Lloyd
Sherene Melania
Lawrence Rinder
Dede Wilsey
Sherri Young
Commissioners Absent
Janice Mirikitani
Beverly Prior
Jeannene Przyblyski
Pop Zhao
Dwight Alexander
- Approval of Minutes
The following Resolutions were moved, seconded, and unanimously adopted:
RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-252: APPROVAL OF MINUTES ADOPTED
RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby approve the Minutes of the Meeting of September 10, 2007.
NOTE: ALL ADOPTIONS ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
- President’s Report
President Johnston began by mentioning the Mayor’s Art Award event to follow the afternoon’s meeting.
He announced that Commissioner Cochran would be leaving the Commission, praising her hard work, her knowledge, and her skillful chairing of the Civic Design Review Committee. He noted that she has won several prestigious professional awards recently, that her business is requiring more of her attention, and added that he was personally sorry to see her leave the Commission. Commissioner Cochran thanked him, and said that it had been a joy to work with such a committed staff and Commission over the past seven years. She would have continued except that her own office has become so busy.
President Johnston reported the sad news of the death of SomArts Cultural Center Director Jack Davis, who had been in ill health over the last year. President Johnston had spoken with Mr. Davis’s daughter, Sarah, who asked him to announce a memorial on November 18 at SomArts. The family has requested donations to a college fund in lieu of flowers. President Johnston mourned the great loss of this special person from the community.
Returning to the Mayor’s Art Award event, he explained that Vice President Draisin would speak on behalf of the Arts Commission, as he would have to miss the beginning of the event. He expressed his hope that this event will become a tradition, celebrating the mission of the Arts Commission, and his appreciation of the Mayor’s support. He thanked the staff for their hard work on the event, particularly over the last few days.
Reporting on the progress of the search for the permanent Director of Cultural Affairs, he said that the search firm has received nearly a hundred applications. He explained that he planned to meet with the search firm at the end of the week to pare down the list before the Executive Committee’s regular meeting on October 17. The Committee will go into closed session to review applications and then schedule interviews. He would like to send the final names to the Mayor’s office for review about a week later, and be able to move to appoint the candidate at the full Commission’s November meeting. He advised that a special meeting might be necessary to finalize the appointment before Thanksgiving. In closing, he thanked the staff and Interim Director Nancy Gonchar for their work and for their grace during the months of transition.
- Interim Director’s Report
Interim Director of Cultural Affairs Nancy Gonchar reported that most of the last month had been taken up with preparations for the Mayor’s Art Award event, working with Assemblymember Mark Leno’s office, Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office and with Ruth Asawa and her family. She said that staff is excited about the event, whose goal is for the exhibiting artists and grantees to meet each other and to celebrate the work that they, the agency and the Commission do.
She thanked Public Art Program Director Jill Manton and her staff for their many weeks of work on resolving the design of the Homey mural.
Ms. Gonchar noted that the hiring process is proceeding for the Civic Design Program Associate and the Collections Registrar.
Finally, she reported on the meeting she attended with Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff and San Francisco Unified School District staff. She said that the new Superintendent, Carlos Garcia, strongly supports arts in the schools, and is working with the Arts Commission to spend arts education funds to provide art for every child in every school every day.
- Consent Calendar
President Johnston asked if there were a motion to sever item 22 on the agenda, the motion regarding the Homey mural. There was none, and the Consent Calendar was approved as follows.
RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-253:
Approval: RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby adopt the following items on the Consent Calendar and their related Resolutions:
Approval of Committee Minutes
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-254: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of August 15, 2007.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-255: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of September 11, 2007.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-256: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of September 12, 2007.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-257: Motion to approve the Executive Committee Meeting Minutes of September 18, 2007.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-258: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of September 19, 2007.
Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (September 11, 2007)
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-259: Motion for Interim Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Katharine Gin to produce the 15th anniversary visual and audio exhibitions for WritersCorps, to provide photography workshops for WritersCorps students, and to document the WritersCorps program in an amount not to exceed $75,000.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-260: Motion to approve a grant for $5,000 for the San Francisco School Alliance for the Young at Art Youth Arts Festival.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-261: Motion to pay the San Francisco Study Center $15,000 to translate and publish the Arts Education Master Plan into a multilingual publication.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-262: Motion to increase the grant agreement to the Bayview Opera House, Inc., for a total grant not to exceed $103,466 for July 1–October 30, 2007, contingent upon a budget revision.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-263: Motion to increase the 2007-2008 grant agreement to Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts for a total grant not to exceed $522,179, contingent upon a budget revision.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-264: Motion to increase the 2007-2008 grant agreement to South of Market Cultural Center and sub-grantees for a total grant not to exceed $775,530, (including $583,012 to SomArts, $96,259 to sub-grantee Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center, and $96,259 to sub-grantee Queer Cultural Center) contingent upon a budget revision.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-265: Motion to increase the 2007-2008 grant agreement to African American Arts and Culture Complex for a grant not to exceed $466,331.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-266: Motion to approve a $12,000 grant to CompassPoint Nonprofit Services to provide workshops and technical assistance.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-267: Motion to approve a $22,000 grant to SomArts Cultural Center exclusively to support maintenance and facility repairs.
Street Artists Committee Recommendations (September 12, 2007)
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-268: Motion to approve resolution commending Street Artist Fernando Hechavarria for bravery.
Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (September 17, 2007)
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-269: Motion to approve 525 Golden Gate Avenue, San Francisco Public Uutilities Commission New Administration Building, Phase 2.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-270: Motion to approve Lake Merced Pump Station Essential Upgrade, Phase 1.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-271: Motion to approve Calaveras Dam Replacement, Electrical Control Buildings, Phase 1, contingent upon the creation of consistent rooflines.
Executive Committee Recommendations (September 18, 2007)
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-272: Motion to approve the budget for the $550,000 Board of Supervisors’ addback to the Arts Commission’s FY 2007-2008 budget.
Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (September 19, 2007)
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-273: Motion to approve the six final poster designs by the artist team of Packard Jennings and Steve Lambert, to be installed on Market Street from November 12, 2007 to March 13, 2008, for the Art on Market Street 2007 Kiosk Poster Series.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-274: Motion to approve the completed artwork Six Degrees, by artists Reddy Lieb and Linda Raynsford, an assemblage of glass and metal circular elements, as installed on the wall of the lobby in the Glen Park Branch Library and to accept the artwork into the Civic Art Collection.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-275: Motion to approve revised design as proposed by HOMEY for mural located at 24th and Capp Streets.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-276: Motion to approve an honorarium of $2,000 to Amber Hasselbring for her participation in the Winter Workshop, November 9–December 22, 2007.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-277: Motion to approve an artist honorarium in the amount of $500 to Rene Yanez for his efforts in coordinating the Day of the Dead installation at Grove Street. November 2–December 22, 2007.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-278: Motion to approve location proposal for Harvey Milk Memorial sculpture on a south-facing wall in the Van Ness lobby of City Hall, pending approval of the site by the Harvey Milk City Hall Memorial Committee and the City Hall Preservation Advisory Committee.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-279: Motion to approve the final design of two rolled-metal arches by artist Isis Rodriguez, one to be installed over an entryway gate at Rolph Playground and the other over an entryway gate at the Potrero del Sol Park.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-280: Motion to approve the design development documents and mock-up of artist Hung Liu’s proposal for San Francisco International Airport.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-281: Motion to approve the final design of artwork by Jon Rubin and Jim Goldberg for Minnie and Lovie Ward Recreation Center.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-282: Motion to approve the final design of artwork by Bean Finneran for the west façade and both conceptual and final design for additional artwork at the northeast corner of Junipero Serra clubhouse.
- Committee Reports
- Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
- President Johnston reported that the Committee had held an interesting and lengthy discussion at its last meeting, and he directed Commissioners to the minutes. He reported that they discussed the committees, particularly the Visual Arts Committee, including the question of how much policy discussion could and should take place and how that affects the other work of the committee, and whether there should be more members or more frequent meetings. He said that this topic grew out of conversation with Commissioner Przyblyski, and encouraged input from all Commissioners about how this structure is working and how it can be improved. Recalling the Mayor’s recent request for resignations of all Commissioners whom he appoints, he is disinclined to make any changes until January. He noted that Commissioner Cochran’s departure will require quicker action on the Civic Design Review Committee, adding that the discussion will continue.
- Civic Design Committee—Andrea Cochran, Chair
- Commissioner Cochran referred Commissioners to the minutes, reporting that the Committee reviewed the Public Utilities Commission’s building, which she described as state-of-the-art, meeting the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (“LEED”) Platinum standard, and the most energy-efficient building in the country; a testament to the City.
She reported that the other major item was the informational review of the new Muni bus shelters; there will be over 1,000 of them, and the modular design was chosen by a competitive process. She said that the goal is not to have one-offs in public furniture, but to have design excellence, a longtime priority for her.
- Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—José Cuellar, Chair
- Commissioner Cuellar reported that the Committee’s greatest concern at the moment is the Cultural Centers, in light of the Native American Center’s funding being withheld, and the passing of Jack Davis creating a transition for SomArts. He noted that only Mission Cultural Center submitted its complete report on time, and that the question of how best to work with the Cultural Centers has been a concern for a long time.
Commissioner Cuellar presented the following motions:
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-283: Motion to approve the following individuals as application review panelists for Cultural Equity Grants:
Ken Foster, Executive Director, Yerba Buena Center for the Art
Jessica Robinson, Executive Director, CounterPULSE
Sharon Tanenbaum, Executive Director, San Francisco Camerawork
June Watanabe, Artistic Director, June Watanabe In Company
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-284: Motion to modify the 2005-2006 Creative Space grant of $20,000 for ODC Theater from the original purpose of purchasing a telescopic theater seating system in the ODC Theater venue to the proposed purpose of repairing the performance floor in Studio B in the ODC Dance Commons venue which is serving as an interim performance venue during the renovations of the ODC Theater venue.
- Public Comment
President Johnston recognized former Arts Commissioner Eddie Marshall, jazz musician and music educator, who spoke about Bayview Opera House (“BVOH”). He said that although he receives frequent requests for recommendations of students to various programs, he is often unable to find students of color to recommend. He believes that BVOH is not fulfilling its potential in the City’s most troubled neighborhood. He enthusiastically recommended Lena Miller of Hunters Point Family as director of BVOH. He described her as a smart young woman, utterly trustworthy, and said that her appointment would give confidence to him and to other artists in the community. Finally, he noted that when he served on the Commission, the Third Street Light Rail project was being developed, and it is gratifying to see it completed.
President Johnston thanked him for his recommendation, saying that it meant a great deal that a former Arts Commissioner would step forward to comment on this question.
- Street Artists Committee—Alexander Lloyd, Chair
- Commissioner Lloyd reported that the Committee had considered some serious questions. First, they heard a proposal to disallow computer-generated paintings on canvas. After hearing arguments on both sides, the Committee decided on the more liberal approach, allowing computer-generated art on canvas to continue to be sold within the program. One persuasive factor was the program’s aim to allow street artists to make a living through selling their work.
Commissioner Lloyd presented the following motion.
- RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-285: Motion to approve proposal by Program Director for temporary winter holiday selling spaces for street artists in the Downtown area and at Harvey Milk Plaza; designation for November 15, 2007–January 15, 2008 (same spaces and same time period as approved for 2006-07).
- Commissioner Lloyd then asked Street Artists Program Director Howard Lazar to give a brief background on the following motion denying the issuance of a certificate to former street artist Paula Datesh.
Mr. Lazar reported that in 2003, the Committee voted to deny renewal of her license, based on several violations, including selling in illegal spaces and selling items she had not made. The Committee was asked to consider issuing her a new license. After lengthy discussions with the City Attorney’s office, Mr. Lazar explained that, according to the statute, the revokee must be able to convince the Commission that she or he is ready, willing and able to comply with all rules of the program. At the Committee meeting, Ms. Datesh brought two people, not street artists, to testify on her behalf. Three street artists testified against her. The Committee voted to deny renewal, based on a lack of evidence that she was ready, willing and able to comply with the program rules.
Ms. Datesh rose and spoke to the Commission. She said that she had found the “blue book” with the program rules, and that she now knew it by heart. She said that she wanted to demonstrate that she can follow the rules. She said that although she did not want to address a “closed case,” she could not have committed the violations alleged because she had been in Philadelphia for two years as a research associate at Carnegie Mellon. She said that she has been an artist for her entire life, painting, drafting, and, for the last ten years, making jewelry. She said that in the Street Artists Program, it’s best to have a friend to help you along, but that because she is from the East Coast, her orientation is different. She promised that she would make everything she would sell. She called two witnesses on her behalf.
Kitty Quan spoke, saying that Ms. Datesh makes very good jewelry, that her character is honest and she is trying to make an honest living. She said that she hoped the Commissioners would “have a kind heart” and that Ms. Datesh deserves a second chance.
Richard Ledon, retired San Francisco Police inspector, spoke, saying that he was partially responsible for Ms. Datesh missing her hearing date. He said that he did not know anything about the facts of the case, but he believes she is remorseful and will abide by the code. He said that he hopes she can be a useful member of society rather than a burden.
Michael Addario spoke in favor of the motion to deny renewal. He explained that he has been a street artist for several years. He said that the program includes artists of all ages and all colors: Caucasian, African-American, Asian. Some are disabled, including disabled veterans; there are deaf artists who communicate by lipreading. The artists are straight, gay, married, single parents. Some speak English as a second language. He said that the artists range from the destitute to renters, to homeowners, to owners of rental property. He said that no artist has encountered the amount of difficulty Ms. Datesh has. He said she displays a sense of entitlement and a lack of remorse. He cited a “damning article” in the New York Times, which said that she had served time in jail and accused her of grand theft, stalking and a propensity for fabrication. He said that her threats against Street Artists Program Associate Evelyn Russell have resulted in a restraining order, which requires Ms. Russell to leave the building if Ms. Datesh comes to the office, disrupting the orderly operation of the program. Mr. Addario urged the Commission to deny a license to Ms. Datesh.
Seeing no one else for public comment on this issue, President Johnston said that he had served on the Street Artists Committee for several years, and only recently stepped down from it. He explained that he was somewhat familiar with this issue, and called for discussion among the Commissioners, reminding them to direct any questions to Mr. Lazar or to the members of the Committee, and not to the public. He said that he would call for a vote at this meeting, and that if the motion failed, he would send it back to the Committee.
He said that the Street Artist License is a privilege, not a right. Artists pay into the program, and must abide by its rules, which are largely set by the artists themselves. He said that the program is largely self-policing. He explained that it is very much within the power of the Commission to deny membership in the program, and that the applicant may appeal to the Board of Appeals if the Commission denies the license.
President Johnston said that he has received a great deal of communication from Ms. Datesh’s “character witnesses,” but that their testimony falls flat in light of the ongoing harassment of repeated phone calls. He said that the fact that staff has to have a restraining order flies in the face of the testimony of Ms. Datesh’s character witnesses. He added that a former Commissioner also had an extremely unpleasant experience with Ms. Datesh, including receiving threats to the Commissioner’s family. He closed by saying that anyone who has received these late-night phone calls and threatening e-mails recognizes the disconnect with the testimony of her character witnesses.
Commissioner Lloyd said that his initial inclination is always to give someone a second chance. He referred Commissioners to the copious minutes on the Committee’s long meeting, at which they decided not to renew Ms. Datesh’s license. He said that while the current Committee members have not been threatened, it is clear that others have.
Commissioner Kriken asked if other Street Artist Committee members would speak.
Commissioner Cuellar said that the Committee gave the applicant plenty of time and opportunity to participate in the program. He said she convinced the Committee that she has memorized the “blue book.” He is not convinced that she is capable of adapting to a program run by the members.
Commissioner Melania said that there had been some past behavioral issues, and she asked how Ms. Datesh had changed her behavior. Commissioner Melania said there was no response from Ms. Datesh.
President Johnston said that some of the communication sent to him recently suggests Ms. Datesh’s unwillingness to work with the program.
Vice President Draisin commented that it was difficult to fully evaluate the situation by hearing just the present discussion.
Commissioner Cochran said that she had served on the Street Artists Committee early in her tenure on the Commission. She found Mr. Lazar to be very committed to trying to help the artists, and so took his comments with a great deal of respect.
President Johnston called for a vote on the motion, which passed.
RESOLUTION NO. 1001-07-286: Motion to deny issuance of certificate to former street artist Paula Datesh; request by Ms. Datesh for hearing to appeal recommendation of denial of issuance of certificate.
- Visual Arts Committee—Jeannene Przyblyski, Chair
- In the absence of Commissioner Przyblyski, President Johnston reported that he had sat in as Chair at the Committee’s last meeting, and would like to have Gallery Director Meg Shiffler repeat her presentation for the full Commission sometime.
He briefly addressed the Homey mural, saying that so much work had gone into this project, the mural needed to be finished and the artists needed to be paid. He said that an amicable, if not perfect, solution had been reached, and he felt that the meeting could not be postponed. The Committee heard from Public Art Program Director Jill Manton and Homey Project Coordinator Nancy Hernandez, who gave an eloquent statement of their vision of the project and the overall organization. There was a great deal of public testimony, some of it eye-opening and some easy to disagree with. He said that there was passion and politics in the room, and that over the wide span of opinions, people were very decent and respectful in sharing their views. Having sat through many meetings, he found this one of the most heartening experiences he has had. While people did not all come to agreement, he believes they ended with a much stronger appreciation of each other’s points of view, of Homey, and of this beautiful piece of art. President Johnston was happy to present the motion to accept the revised mural, noting that it is not unusual for the Commission to specify revision or modification of a project.
President Johnston added that even after the Committee’s vote, people continued their discussion in the hallway outside the meeting room. Some will continue with ongoing dialogue, which he believes will be fruitful and positive for San Francisco.
He said that the vote meant that the artists could be paid, which is important, and that the vote was important to the credibility of the Arts Commission. He again expressed his gratitude to the staff for their hard work, and noted that the mural was covered by the Chronicle and by Channel 2. In closing, he said, as someone who has been through a number of testy meetings, this was a very positive project.
Commissioner Rinder concurred with President Johnston, and was particularly impressed by Ms. Hernandez’s presentation. He quoted a portion of the letter she had read (which was incorporated into the Committee’s minutes). He said that it took great courage for the members of Homey to acknowledge that there could be different paths to their goals.
Commissioner Cuellar raised the concerns he had expressed at the previous month’s meeting. First, he asked a procedural question about what happens if a Committee passes an item, which is then approved by the full Commission, and the Committee wishes to revisit the question. He asked whether the Committee was free to do so, or whether the Committee was required to request approval from the full Commission to reconsider the question. Secondly, he expressed concern about freedom of artistic expression.
President Johnston addressed the second point first, suggesting that it be a topic for broader discussion, particularly for the Visual Arts Committee. On the first point, he suggested that the Commission would work on clarifying its guidelines, noting that the case of this mural was not especially out of the ordinary.
Ms. Manton described the changes made in the mural, as documented in the Committee’s minutes and in Ms. Hernandez’s letter: the keffiyah was wrapped around the woman’s head and not covering her face; the break in the wall was made a more organic shape, like a mountainous terrain; a third olive tree was added growing through the wall as a symbol of peace. She reported that one of the groups which had initially objected to this part of the mural felt that changes addressed their concerns, although another group did not.
President Johnston called for public comment.
Artist Rene Yañez spoke and reported that a portion of the mural had been painted out. [Upon investigation by staff later in the day, this was found to be mistaken.]
- Public Comment
President Johnston called for public commment on other subjects.
Vice President Draisin reported that new media artist Todd Blair was seriously injured in an accident in Amsterdam, and that a benefit would be held for him on October 19, 2007.
Brenda Rasmussen, an artist participating in the Day of the Dead exhibit at SomArts, spoke. She was very sad to see the passing of Jack Davis. She urged the Commission to support the activities at SomArts, particularly the Day of the Dead.
- New Business
There was no further new business.
- Reports and Announcements
There were no other reports or announcements.
- Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:17 p.m.
11/7/07 spr
