Full_Commission
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, September 12, 2005
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416
Minutes
President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:09 p.m.
- Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston
Maya Draisin
Leonard Hunter
John Kriken
Alexander Lloyd
Jeannene Przyblyski
Lawrence Rinder
Ethel Pitts Walker
Dede Wilsey
Commissioners Absent
Andrea Cochran
Blanche Brown
José Cuellar
Janice Mirikitani
Beverly Prior
Pop Zhao
M. Sue Lee
- Approval of Minutes
The following Resolution was moved, seconded, and unanimously adopted:
RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-183: APPROVAL OF MINUTES ADOPTED
RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby approve the Minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting of August 1, 2005.
NOTE: ALL ADOPTIONS ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
- President’s Report
President Johnston noted that Commissioner Mirikitani was unable to attend the meeting because they are overwhelmed at Glide Church with helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
He welcomed the Honorable Min Paek of the Taxi Commission, who brought visitors from Korea: Taeho Lee, director of the Busan Biennale, and Hyun Chung, professor of sculpture at Hongik University, Korea.
President Johnston reported that the Executive Committee and staff have discussed having a joint Commission and staff retreat, within the limits of public notice and Sunshine laws, early in 2006, to develop a working document incorporating plans and proposals for the next year. He noted that finding time for long-range planning is difficult in the bustle of the day-to-day, particularly for staff.
President Johnston announced the unveiling of the tiled steps on Sixteenth Avenue, saying that of all the noteworthy stairways in the city, these are the only ornamented ones.
He announced that he was challenging the Commissioners to raise $1,000 collectively toward the Gallery’s annual fundraiser on October 21, and that they were on the host committee. He noted that the 2004 event was a great success, enjoyed not only by staff, Commissioners and the Gallery board, but also by the many members of the public who attended.
President Johnston reported that he, Commissioners Rinder and Draisin, and Deputy Director Nancy Gonchar had attended recent meetings of the Arts Task Force. The Task Force will be holding district-specific town hall meetings, with the district’s Task Force member and Supervisor.
Public Art Program Director Jill Manton sent out announcements of the SculptureSite opening near Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; the reception is set for September 15. The Mayor is proclaiming that day as Save our Sculpture Day. President Johnston explained that this private gallery will be working in partnership with the Arts Commission, raising funds for the restoration or conservation of artworks in the Civic Art Collection.
He distributed invitations to the ArtTable luncheon October 21, honoring Commissioner Wilsey. He explained that the organization promotes the accomplishments of professional women in the visual arts.
President Johnston announced that staff will be making presentations at the next several full Commission meetings to help familiarize Commissioners with the specific programs. Each meeting will highlight one program.
- Director’s Report
In the absence of Director of Cultural Affairs Richard Newirth, Deputy Director Nancy Gonchar made this report. She listed several recent successful events. The Gallery opened shows in City Hall, 401 Van Ness and the 155 Grove Street windows; Ms. Gonchar noted the wonderful job done by Gallery Manager Meleksah Henderson and the Gallery Board managing the program for three months while the Gallery Director’s position is vacant.
She thanked Arts Education Officer Rachelle Axel for organizing the second annual Arts Education Resource Fair at City Hall on August 24, with remarks by outgoing Superintendent Ackerman and President Johnston. She noted an inspiring talk by Mark Slavkin, Vice President of Education at the Los Angeles Music Center, on the successful effort to convince the Los Angeles County Board of Education to allocate $500 million, in spite of overall budget cuts, to integrate the arts into the K-12 curriculum. He argued that we devalue the arts when we don’t demand a substantial budget.
Ms. Gonchar reported that the opening of Octavia Boulevard on September 9 was well-attended, and that both the Mayor and City Administrator Ed Lee mentioned the Po Shu Wang sculptures commissioned by the Arts Commission.
She reported that the City Planning Department levied a fine of $50,000 on a developer. The Hayes Valley community overwhelmingly recommended the funds be used for more public art programming at Hayes Green.
Ms. Gonchar reported that the Henry Moore sculpture at the corner of Van Ness and Grove, in front of Davies Symphony Hall, was repaired, cleaned and waxed before the Symphony opening. The sculpture is due for major restoration. She also announced that the restoration of the Hidalgo monument in Dolores Park is complete, and a ceremony is scheduled for September 17. She reported that the Pioneer Monument was recently vandalized.
Ms. Gonchar reported that she and Public Art Program Deputy Director Susan Pontious met with a delegation of ten cultural affairs officials from Jiang Xi Province in China, and gave them a general overview of the Arts Commission, focusing on arts education and public art. They were most surprised that artists here can receive grants, not loans, from the Commission.
Finally, she distributed a list of upcoming events, including the “Trip Down Market Street 1905/2005” film, a collaborative project with the Exploratorium, on Saturday, September 24, and the Gallery Advisory Board’s welcome party for incoming Gallery Director Meg Shiffler on November 16 (since the meeting, the date has been changed to November 6).
- Consent Calendar
RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-184
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. 0912-05-185: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of August 1, 2005.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-186: Motion to approve the Civic Design Review Committee Meeting Minutes of August 15, 2005.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-187: Motion to approve the Executive Committee Meeting Minutes of August 16, 2005.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-188: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of August 17, 2005.
Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (August 15, 2005)
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-189: Motion to approve San Francisco Electric Reliability Project Phases 1 & 2.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-190: Motion to approve Summit Pump Station Phase 3.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-191: Motion to approve Forest Knolls Pump Station Phase 3.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-192: Motion to approve Jos. A. Bank Clothiers Phases 1, 2 & 3.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-193: Motion to approve the MUNI Bus Shelters-Golden Gate Park Music Concourse Phases 1, 2 & 3, contingent upon written confirmation from the project sponsors that the advertisement panels will be omitted.
Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (August 17, 2005)
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-194: Motion to approve the extension of the loan of “San Francisco Nova” (also identified as “Frisco Nova”), by Robert Bechtle to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art so that it may be included in the exhibition, “Robert Bechtle: A Retrospective,” when the show travels to the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., for exhibition from March 4 through June 4, 2006.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-195: Motion to approve the mural design by Mona Caron at 2844 Folsom Street funded by the Mayor’s Neighborhood Beautification Fund.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-196: Motion to approve the design for an extension and restoration of the mural by Betsie Miller-Kusz at the Eureka Valley Recreation Center, funded by the Department of Recreation and Parks.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-197: Motion to approve an exhibition at 155 Grove Street by Andrew Junge for November 18, 2005 through January 13, 2006.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-198: Motion to approve a $300 honorarium payment to Andrew Junge for an exhibition at 155 Grove Street.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-199: Motion to approve the design and site proposals by the following artists for inclusion in “High Five,” a collaborative artist project between the Arts Commission and San Francisco State University Gallery from October through mid-November, 2005: Ann Chamberlain at the north side of the de Young Museum; Lewis de Soto at the Civic Center parking space between the Main Library and the Asian Art Museum; Mildred Howard at the Golden Gate Park Arboretum; John Roloff at 155 Grove Street and a Civic Center flagpole; and Wang Po Shu at the east side of the Civic Center Plaza.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-200: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Larry Kirkland, Kirkland Studios, in an amount not to exceed $90,000 for the removal of “Flight Patterns” from the skylight at the entrance of Boarding Area B, and for the cleaning and re-installation of the artwork at the skylight of Boarding Area C.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-201: Motion to approve artists Mark Brest Van Kempen, Jennifer Durant, and Abner Nolan as finalists, and the artist team of Amanda Hughen and Jennifer Starkweather as an alternate, and their conceptual proposals, for the Art on Market Street 2006 Kiosk Poster Series, as recommended by the Art on Market Street 2006 Kiosk Poster Series Artist Selection Panel.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-202: Motion to approve the inclusion of the artist team of Virginia Hopkins and Victoria Carlson and their proposed Endangered Seed Project as the fourth Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series exhibition, to coincide with World Environment Day 2006.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-203: Motion to approve the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contracts with Mark Brest Van Kempen, Jennifer Durant, Abner Nolan, and the artist team of Virginia Hopkins and Victoria Carlson, each for an amount not to exceed $10,000, to develop final proposals and print 24 posters each for exhibition in the Art on Market Street 2006 Kiosk Poster Series.
- Committee Reports
- Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
- President Johnston reported that the Committee met and discussed the status of the Gallery site, which continues to be an open question. The Committee thought it best to bring Ms. Shiffler onboard before making any further decisions; discussions are ongoing. The Committee discussed the Arts Task Force, and noted that it will doubtless make recommendations that could have major implications for the Commission and other arts stakeholders in San Francisco. Finally, the Committee discussed the variety of 1906 earthquake centennial events planned, including attention not only to the quake itself, but to its cultural impact in terms of the City’s response and rebuilding.
- Civic Design Review Committee—Andrea Cochran, Chair
- Commissioner Kriken reported that the Committee met and had several interesting discussions. They discussed the possibility of creating a cultural facilities master plan, identifying sites for cultural facilities and public art, neighborhood by neighborhood. This idea arose in response to the kind of confusion evident when the City was trying to find the appropriate place for the new de Young Museum. Another idea was the creation of guidelines for Public Works projects, a kind of checklist to help ensure that projects have already begun to address the kinds of questions they are likely to face in Civic Design Review before they come to the Committee. Commissioner Przyblyski suggested that Marshall Foster be invited to speak to the Commissioners on this topic. She also reported, as Co-Chair of the SPUR Project Review Committee, that reviewers write letters in response to projects submitted, and these letters are posted on the SPUR website so that people can read them as they submit new projects. President Johnston endorsed both as good ideas, saying that he would like Civic Design Review to be seen as a creative and useful step and not a hurdle.
Commissioner Wilsey cautioned against creating a too-bureaucratic process. Commissioner Kriken explained that, where there is publicly owned land, we don’t want to foreclose the cultural use of that land before having thought it through; Commissioner Przyblyski cited 155 Grove as an example. President Johnston noted that many are unaware of the Arts Commission’s oversight of public spaces.
- Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Blanche Brown, Chair
- President Johnston reported that the Committee held a special meeting on August 1 just before the last full Commission meeting, and that it would be meeting in the community again on September 13, at the African American Arts and Culture Complex (AAACC). He noted that Commissioners were invited to a brief tour of the center if they arrived early for the meeting.
- Street Artists Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
- President Johnston reported that the Committee did not meet, indicating that things are going well. Street Artists Program Director Howard Lazar discussed the second motion below, explaining that each year for the past 24 years, additional spaces are designated for the holiday shopping season. Most are at Union Square, and some are at Harvey Milk Plaza.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-204: Motion to approve former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate with waiver of re-screening of wares: Sarka Holeckova, Juan Kuncar.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0912-05-205: Motion to approve proposal by Program Director for Board of Supervisors designation of temporary winter holiday selling spaces for street artists in the Downtown area and at Harvey Milk Plaza; designation for November 15, 2005 through January 15, 2006.
- Visual Arts Committee—Jeannene Przyblyski, Chair
- Commissioner Przyblyski reported that she attended the opening of the Murphy & Cadogan Fellowships show at the Gallery, noting that one of her favorite pieces knitted the word “Crafts” back into the logo of the California College of the Arts. She introduced Amanda Hughen, Chair of the Gallery’s Advisory Board, who invited all of the Commissioners to the fourth annual fundraiser, Commission 05, to be held October 21.
Commissioner Przyblyski said the Academy of Sciences selection process is moving forward, and that the Committee is eager to discuss how to spend the $50,000 from the errant developer. She said that there will be a temporary exhibit in Golden Gate Park, presented jointly with San Francisco State University, honoring the opening of the new de Young, with details on the opening still to come.
Commissioner Hunter reported that Ms. Manton gave an orientation to the new Commissioners at the Committee’s last meeting, discussing process and procedures, as well as public policy. The Committee also discussed the Civic Art Collection, and continued the discussion of temporary work and where it fits in.
- New Business
There was no new business brought before the Commission.
- Reports and Announcements
Commissioner Wilsey announced that the new de Young Museum will be opening on October 15, and will stay open for the first 36 hours, from noon on Saturday through midnight Sunday, free to the public. It will be in full operation, including the bookshop and galleries, and the Hatshepsut exhibition. She was applauded by all for her tireless work on the museum.
Finally, President Johnston announced that, because of Rosh Hashanah and Columbus Day, the October meeting of the full Commission will be held on Tuesday, October 11 at 4:30 at 25 Van Ness.
- Public Comment
There was no other public comment.
- Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:06 p.m.
9/23/05 spr
