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MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, July 11, 2005
3:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416

Minutes

President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:05 p.m.

Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston
Blanche Brown
Andrea Cochran
Leonard Hunter
John Kriken
Alexander Lloyd
Janice Mirikitani
Beverly Prior
Jeannene Przyblyski
Lawrence Rinder
Ethel Pitts Walker
Pop Zhao

Commissioners Absent
José Cuellar
Maya Draisin
Dede Wilsey
M. Sue Lee
Approval of Minutes
The following Resolution was moved, seconded, and unanimously adopted:
RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-133: APPROVAL OF MINUTES ADOPTED
RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby approve the Minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting of June 6, 2005.

NOTE: ALL ADOPTIONS ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
President’s Report
President Johnston reminded Commissioners about the Summer in the City series at the San Francisco Symphony, which is sponsored by the Arts Commission. He introduced the first concert in the series at Davies Hall, and invited everyone to the free concert at Dolores Park on July 24.

He reported that interviews for Gallery Director were continuing, with some exciting candidates. A common theme for all the candidates has been a desire to involve the entire staff of the agency with the Gallery staff and board, particularly in light of the issues regarding the Gallery space.

Finally, after encouraging Commissioners to keep generally abreast of the Commission’s work in addition to their own committee assignments, he announced that Commissioner Cochran is now the Chair of the Civic Design Review Committee.
Director’s Report
Director of Cultural Affairs Richard Newirth reported that several gatherings made for a good send-off to outgoing Gallery Director Rupert Jenkins. Final interviews for his position were underway, and he expected to make a decision and offer within the next two weeks.

He reported that the budget hearings before the Board of Supervisors had been much less difficult than last year’s. There was an “add-back” of $100,000 to the Administrative Services budget for the Arts Task Force, and he was continuing to try to find out for what purpose it was allocated. It did not appear to be for staffing. He encouraged Commissioners to consider how the Commission as a whole, and not just President Johnston and himself as nonvoting members, plays a role in the Task Force.

In response to a question, Mr. Newirth explained the genesis of the Task Force. In 2004, the Mayor’s proposal to merge Grants for the Arts and the Arts Commission sparked a great deal of debate, and led his budget analyst to propose convening the various arts stakeholders for a conversation. Supervisor Ammiano and others proposed the creation of an Arts Task Force, which was directed to make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor; the recommendations are not necessarily binding. The Arts Task Force has twenty-one voting members and thirteen nonvoting members. He explained that although it was intended to start meeting at the beginning of this year, it did not actually meet until April. It is due to end in November, and has a midterm report due in August. The Task Force meets twice a month, and information about its meetings can be found on the Arts Commission’s website.

Mr. Newirth explained that the utility box project was going forward on a very limited preliminary basis, with initial funding by a corporate sponsor. The Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services and Precita Eyes are both involved. Artists are to paint five utility boxes in the Mission district.

He praised the David Best sculpture in Hayes Green, noting that it has inspired many celebrations and universal appreciation. He thanked Public Art Program Director Jill Manton, the Public Art Program staff and everyone involved.

Mr. Newirth reported that at a recent meeting of stakeholders in the Civic Center, Commissioner Przyblyski facilitated one of three breakout sessions. He was encouraged to see the diversity of people who came together to discuss their dreams for the area.

He reported that he and Deputy Director Nancy Gonchar had recently met with Julian Potter, advisor to the Mayor.

He echoed President Johnston’s invitation to the Dolores Park concert, describing it as a wonderful example of how the Commission's work crosses all kinds of lines in the city, bringing together a great cross-section of San Franciscans.

Finally, he encouraged Commissioners, particular the new ones, to contact him or Program Directors about the various programs.
Consent Calendar
Commissioner Kriken requested a separate discussion of items 6 and 7 on the consent calendar, the Management and Programming Plans (“MPP”) for the Cultural Centers. President Johnston explained that these two plans for Mission Cultural Center and SomArts had been approved by the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee, and would be part of that Committee’s report.

In response to Commissioner Kriken’s question, Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff briefly described the facilities maintenance funding for the Centers: part of it comes from the Hotel Tax Fund and part from the tenants of the buildings. All are required to have a facility manager on staff. President Johnston explained that the relationship between the Arts Commission and the Cultural Centers is complicated by the fact that the Commission is both grantor and landlord, and often doesn’t have sufficient money to completely fulfill all of its responsibilities as a landlord. Mr. Newirth explained that before 1996, the Arts Commission was a landlord with no resources at all, and had to request funds each year. In 1996, the Board of Supervisors passed a line item in the City’s budget for programming, operations and maintenance, but there has been no capital dollar allocation. He and President Johnston agreed that they would like to see the City invest in the Cultural Center facilities, and address the facility funding in a new way.

RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-134
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. 0711-05-135: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of June 14, 2005.
  
  Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (June 14, 2005)
2. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-136: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to approve an administrative reimbursement of $23,830 to California Lawyers for the Arts for administration of the Emergency Rent Subsidy grant program.
3. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-137: Motion to approve 43 grants in the Organization Project Grants category for a total of $480,325.
4. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-138: Motion to approve the 2006 Cultural Equity Grants guidelines.
5. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-139: Motion to approve Neighborhood Festival grants of $27,000 from 2005-2006 Grants for the Arts funds to the following organizations pending funding confirmation from GFTA:
  
  Bayview Hunters Point Senior Citizens Center for Andrew’s Boarding and Boarding Care 4th of July Picnic $3,000
  Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, Excelsior Festival $3,000
  Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center, Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema $3,000
  Potrero Hill Neighborhood House, Inc., Potrero Hill Festival $3,000
  Precita Eyes Muralists Assoc., Inc., Urban Youth Arts Festival $3,000
  Richmond District Neighborhood Center, Richmond District Multicultural Children’s Arts Fair $3,000
  Community Development Institute, SOMAfest $3,000
  Sunset Youth Services, Sunset Community Festival $3,000
  Treasure Island Homeless Development Initiative, Treasure Island Community Day $3,000
  
  TOTAL $27,000
6. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-140: Motion to approve the proposed Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts’ 2005-2006 Management and Programming Plan and Budget for a grant not to exceed $465,875, from Cultural Center Line Item Hotel Tax Funds, contingent upon completion of revisions.
7. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-141: Motion to approve the proposed South of Market Cultural Center’s 2005-2006 Management and Programming Plan (“MPP”) and Budget for a grant not to exceed $691,772 ($520,032 to SomArts, $85,870 to sub-grantee APICC, $85,870 to sub-grantee QCC, and no allocation to sub-grantee NACC until MPP and Budget are received) from Cultural Center Line Item Hotel Tax Funds, contingent upon completion of revisions.
  
  Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (July 5, 2005)
  Action
8. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-142: Motion to approve the return and loan for five years of the Bufano sculptures to the Valencia Gardens housing development contingent upon a memorandum of understanding (“MOU”) outlining the terms of the loan agreed to by all the parties.
9. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-143: Motion to approve the six final designs titled “Now Playing” by artist Kamau Patton, for reproduction into four sets of posters to be installed in 24 kiosks on Market Street from August 12 to November 11, 2005 for the Art on Market 2005 Kiosk Poster Series.
10. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-144: Motion to approve an Art on Market Street 2006 Kiosk Poster Series artist selection panel pool, from which three panelists will be asked to participate, to include Julio Morales, artist; Berin Golonu, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Assistant Visual Arts Curator; Maria Forde, artist; Mark Johnson, Director of the Gallery at San Francisco State University; Courtney Fink, Executive Director of Southern Exposure; and John Bangston, artist.
11. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-145: Motion to approve the following individuals as potential panelists for Public Art Selection Panels in 2005 and 2006: Constance Lewallen, Chief Curator at the Berkeley Art Museum; Madeleine Grynstein, Chief Curator at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Susan Gray, Public Art Project Manager at Los Angeles Metro Arts; Kendall Henry, Project Manager, New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority; Eloise Damrosch, Director, Portland Regional Arts and Culture Council; Sandra Percival, Director of New Langton Arts; Su-Chen Hung, artist; Mabel Wilson, artist and architect; Rachel Osajima, Director, Alameda Arts Commission; Darryl Smith, Director, Luggage Store; Al Wong, artist; Rebecca Solnit, writer; Leah Levy, independent curator; Carrie Lederer, Director, Bedford Gallery; Kathryn Reasoner, Executive Director, di Rosa Preserve.
12. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-146: Motion to approve the transfer of ownership of “Grapevine,” by Zhu Qizhan, to the Asian Art Museum.
13. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-147: Motion to accept into the City and County of San Francisco Civic Art Collection “Words Fly Away,” by John Wehrle, as installed at the Ocean View Branch Library.
14. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-148: Motion to accept into the City and County of San Francisco Civic Art Collection the untitled artwork by Amy Blackstone for Hoff Street Playground.
15. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-149: Motion to accept into the City and County of San Francisco Civic Art Collection “Earth, Air, Fire, and Water,” by Amy Blackstone, installed at Helen Wills Playground.
16. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-150: Motion to approve the relocation of “Flight Patterns,” by Larry Kirkland, from the skylight at the entrance of Boarding Area B, to the skylight of Boarding Area C, due to Airport construction of a mezzanine to accommodate a pedestrian bridge from the Airport shuttle train to the terminal.
17. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-151: Motion to approve $100 artist honoraria and exhibition expenses of up to $100 each to Nigel Poor, Lee Walton, Christina Ray, Brad Brown, and David Breskin for the “Marking Time Mapping Thought” exhibition at 401 Van Ness Gallery, June 22–August 13, 2005.
18. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-152: Motion to approve an exhibition at 155 Grove Street by Misako Inaoka for June through August 2005.
19. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-153: Motion to approve a $300 honorarium payment to Misako Inaoka for an exhibition at 155 Grove Street.
20. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-154: Motion to approve the First Amendment to the Branch Library Improvement Art Enrichment Master Plan, to reflect an approximately $60,000 increase in the art enrichment budget, for a new total art enrichment budget of $362,000, resulting from the addition of the Potrero Branch Library as a facility renovation qualifying for art enrichment and an increase in the budget for the renovated Richmond Branch Library.
21. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-155: Motion to approve “ECO,” a collaborative artist project with San Francisco State University Gallery at 155 and 165 Grove Street plus the Civic Center Plaza (Mark Johnson, project curator). Artists to be named later. Approximate dates: October through mid-November, 2005.
22. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-156: Motion to approve the proposal by finalist Catherine Wagner for the Sava Pool Public Art Project.
23. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-157: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Catherine Wagner for an amount not to exceed $71,000 to develop final designs, fabricate and install a work of art for the Sava Pool Public Art Project based on the approved proposal.
24. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-158: Motion to approve the purchase for an amount not to exceed $5,000, and acceptance into the Civic Art Collection of six original acrylic paintings on paper titled “The Pick Pocketers,” which were created for the Art on Market Street 2005 Kiosk Poster Series by Maria Forde.
25. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-159: Motion to approve the collaboration of the Arts Commission with The Exploratorium for “A Trip Down Market Street 1905: A Centennial Celebration,” as part of the Art on Market Street 2005-2006 Temporary Projects Program, including the funding in an amount not to exceed $10,000 for the commissioning of five new films for the project.
26. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-160: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a Grant Agreement with The Exploratorium in an amount not to exceed $10,000 to fund the commissioning of five new films as part of “A Trip Down Market Street 1905: A Centennial Celebration,” for inclusion in a film screening scheduled at Justin Herman Plaza on September 24, 2005.
27. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-161: Motion to accept the recommendation of the Upper Noe selection panel of Troy Corliss.
28. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-162: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Troy Corliss for an amount not to exceed $85,000 to design, fabricate, transport and install artwork for the Upper Noe Recreation Center.
29. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-163: Motion to approve the art enrichment plan for Broadway Streetscape as approved by the Visual Arts Committee.
30. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-164: Motion to approve the following pool of panelists for the Broadway Streetscape public art project: Helen Kwan, Vicki Saulls, Donna Schumacher, Lynn Baer, Richard Berger, Matt Heckert, Donald Fortescue, and Arts Commissioner Leonard Hunter.
31. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-165: Motion to approve the following finalists for the Academy of Sciences Public Art Project and authorization to pay each an honorarium of $3,000 plus reimbursement for travel expenses to attend both a project orientation and subsequent interview in San Francisco: Janet Echelman, Ned Kahn, Maya Lin, Olafur Eliasson, and Susumu Shingu.
32. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-166: Motion to approve sculpture design submitted by Gerald Heffernon for the Stern Grove Public Art Project.
33. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-167: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with Triadigm Technology to finalize the development of the Civic Art Collection website in an amount not to exceed $8,900.
Committee Reports
1. Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
  1. President Johnston reported that the Committee did not meet, but would do so in July.
2. Civic Design Review Committee
  1. Commissioner Cochran reported that the Committee did not meet.
3. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Blanche Brown, Chair
  1. Commissioner Brown reported that the Committee met, and presented the motion below. Mr. Newirth explained that the intent of the motion, which advanced partial payment on its grant, was to ensure the cash flow to Bayview Opera House, Ruth Williams Memorial Theater (“Bayview”), while its Management and Programming Plan (“MPP”) was being finalized. President Johnston explained that MPPs for Mission Cultural Center and SomArts had been completed, and that the staff and Committee were working with Bayview to complete its MPP, which was close to complete but not yet final. Thus, the Committee was not prepared to bring the full amount of the grant to the Commission at this point.
    
    Several members of the public rose to speak on behalf of Bayview, its staff and its programs, including Johnnie Carter, President of its Board of Directors. He gave an overview of the Center’s plans for renovation, and of some of its programs and activities.
    
    In response to Commissioner Pitts Walker’s question, President Johnston explained that the Arts Commission has consulted with the City Attorney’s office and confirmed that capital expansion projects remain subject to City approval and that in some cases certain services must be paid for through professional services contracts rather than through grants. He said that he would call a special meeting of the Committee to finalize the MPP before the full Commission’s meeting in August. Mr. Carter thanked President Johnston for his leadership and expressed his readiness to meet and work out any of the City Attorney’s concerns.
    
    Other members of the public who spoke on behalf of Bayview and its allocation were Bill Barnes, former aide to Supervisor Chris Daly, and Sean Kigrean and Joe O’Donahue of the Residential Builders Association.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-168: Motion to approve a preliminary grant agreement of $69,212 from a total allocation of $276,848 to the Bayview Opera House, Ruth Williams Memorial Theater from the 2005-2006 Hotel Tax Fund grant allocation. Remaining grant allocation will be approved pending approval of revised Management and Programming Plan.
4. Street Artists Committee
  1. President Johnston reported that the Committee did not meet, and he presented the following motion.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-169: Motion to approve former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate and waiver of re-screening of wares: Barbara Ramos, Linda Letts.
5. Visual Arts Committee—Jeannene Przyblyski, Chair
  1. Commissioner Przyblyski reported that the Committee had a very productive meeting, voting to acquire new artwork, including the paintings by Maria Forde which are the basis of the current Art on Market Street poster series. She announced that Commissioner Hunter had agreed to serve on the selection panel for the Broadway Streetscape project. She was excited about the candidates for Gallery Director. She observed that the David Best sculpture has sparked conversations about public art in the city, and that the “offerings” left at the site are part of the temporary and evolving nature of the work, and not a maintenance problem.
    
    Finally, she was pleased to thank and acknowledge John Thomas, in attendance at the meeting, with the following motion.
  2. RESOLUTION NO. 0711-05-170: Motion to acknowledge and thank Department of Public Works landscape architect John Thomas for his extraordinary personal contribution to Public Art projects, including the David Best sculpture and the Turk Hyde Mini Park. His personal donations are above and beyond his consistent professional helpfulness and support during the design and implementation of these and other Public Art projects.
New Business
There was no new business brought before the Commission.
Reports and Announcements
President Johnston reminded everyone of the free San Francisco Symphony concert in Dolores Park on Sunday, July 24, 2005 at 2:00 p.m.
Public Comment
There was no other public comment.
Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 4:05 p.m.

7/25/05 spr

Meeting Information

Full_Commission