Visual_Arts_Committee
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 Minutes
Commissioners Present: JD Beltran, Greg Chew, Lorraine Garcia-Nakata, PJ Johnston
Staff Present: Luis R. Cancel, Mary Chou, Allison Cummings, Marcus Davies, Carol Marie Daniels, Jennifer Lovvorn, Jill Manton, Judy Moran, Kate Patterson, Susan Pontious
Note: All votes are unanimous unless recorded otherwise.
The meeting commenced at 3:09 pm.
- Consent Calendar
1. Motion to approve an honorarium in the amount of $2000 ($1000 for research and development, and $1000 upon delivery of artwork) to the following artists for newly commissioned artwork for the SFAC Gallery’s 40th Anniversary celebration: Gay Outlaw and Taro Hattori.
2. Motion to approve and accept into the Civic Art Collection Re-Connection/Re-Cognition, 2007, ten fiberglass sculptures by Linnea Glatt, located in the south courtyard of the North Residence at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center.
Motion: Accept consent calendar items.
Moved: Beltran/Chew
- Public Art Program Plan for Tutubi Plaza
Public Art Program Director Susan Pontious reported on the Public Art Program plan for Tutubi Plaza, a pedestrian plaza to be constructed at the corner of Russ and Minna Streets. Part of the Redevelopment Agency’s South of Market Alleyways Improvement Project, the budget for the 15’ x 60’ plaza will include $48,000 for art enrichment, $8,000 of which will be used for project administration while the remaining $40,000 will be reserved for execution of the project. Ms. Pontious explained that as part of the Public Art Program’s recent initiative to scale the program’s project work scope to what a particular project’s administrative budget could support, the program will only be involved in the art selection process for the plaza. The Redevelopment Agency will select a contractor to fabricate the artwork, possibly utilizing materials already in the construction budget.
Director of Programs Jill Manton asked whether, given the project’s administrative budget, guidelines might allow for an abbreviated process in which program staff make artist selection recommendations directly to the client agency. Ms. Pontious replied that while guidelines would allow this approach, the Redevelopment Agency would like to proceed with a paneled selection process. Ms. Pontious then asked the Committee if there were any concerns about proceeding with the process as planned. No concerns were expressed.
Motion: Approval of the following pool of arts professionals for the Tutubi Plaza artist selection panel: Leo Bersmina (artists); Michael Arcega (artist), Johanna Poethig (artist), Rupert Garcia (artist), Owen Smith (artist), Po Shu Wang (artist), Jenifer K Wofford (artist), and Stephanie Syjuco (artist).
Moved: Beltran/Johnston
- Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center Update
Ms. Pontious presented images of artist Beliz Brother’s final design for her back-lit light boxes and front-lit laminated glass artworks to be installed in the North Residence building at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center.Commissioner Garcia-Nakata asked Ms. Pontious about the maintenance needs of the artwork’s lighting elements, to which Ms. Pontious replied that the artwork utilizes standard bulbs used elsewhere in the building, and that the design of the light boxes allows for direct access to the bulbs so that they can be changed with ease.
Motion: Motion to approve Beliz Brothers’ images for the North Residence Building at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center.
Moved: Johnston/Chew
Ms. Pontious also submitted renderings of the final design for artist Diana Pumpelly Bates’ entry gate for the hospital. She explained that the gate, sited at a breezeway through the building and measuring 16’ high by 19’ wide, will be kept closed except for emergency access, and that the intention of the artist’s design was to de-emphasize the gate’s security function and obscure its mechanical mechanisms. Ms. Pontious concluded by informing the Committee that upon their approval, fabrication of the highly burnished stainless steel gate would begin immediately.
Motion: Motion to approve Diana Pumpelly Bates’ final design for the entry gate at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center.
Moved: Beltran/Chew
Ms Pontious then spoke about the planned purchase of additional two-dimensional artworks at the request of hospital administration. She explained that the hospital has an additional $196,000 in its furniture, fixtures and equipment budget that the Arts Commission may use to purchase artwork for common areas and possibly patients’ rooms. She explained that as a way to maximize these art enrichment funds program staff will consider traditionally editioned prints, as well as licensing limited edition inkjet prints of work by local artists. Ms. Pontious also noted that several of the artists commissioned to create large-scale work for the hospital have created support materials such as drawings and photographs that the Arts Commission owns and plans on displaying at the hospital.
Director of Cultural Affairs Luis Cancel asked if Ms. Pontious had considered displaying flatwork from the Civic Art Collection, to which she replied that a series of watercolors by artist A. Cunnyham have already been identified as appropriate. She then assured the Committee that all work purchased for, or loaned to the hospital by the Arts Commission will be installed with security hardware, and that framing, transportation, installation and labeling will be included in the art enrichment budget.
Ms. Manton concluded by stating that while priority will be given to purchasing art by local artists, artwork included in the program may not be exclusively by San Francisco artists.
- Cayuga Playground
Public Art Project Manager Jennifer Lovvorn announced that artist Eric Powell was chosen by the Cayuga Playground Artist Selection Panel to create a main entry gate for the playground, as well as a side entry gate for the playground’s Alemany Boulevard entrance. Ms. Lovvorn noted that the greatest challenge facing the finalists was the park’s large number of pre-existing sculptures by former park gardener Demetrio Braceros. As Mr. Braceros’ artworks are greatly valued by the community and will be returned to the park after its renovation, artists were asked to submit proposals for artwork which would be compatible with the hand-hewn and playful style of the existing sculptures. Mr. Powell responded by translating Mr. Braceros’ aesthetic into his gate designs, a gesture that panelists felt would preserve the spirit of Mr. Braceros’ creations long after his wood sculptures had deteriorated.
Ms. Lovvorn informed the Committee that it was acknowledged early in the process that the initial Recreation and Parks project budget of $47,000 might be insufficient in realizing both artist-designed gates, but after viewing Mr. Powell’s designs, Recreation and Park Project Manager Marvin Yee informed the panel that he would provide additional funding for the Alemany gate.
Having participated in the selection process, Commissioner Chew commented on the appropriateness of Mr. Powel’s design, in that the artist often works in folk idioms and has clearly conducted an in-depth study of Mr. Braceros’ sculptures. He also noted that the community representative on the selection panel was very excited about the choice of Eric Powell’s design.
THIS MOTION WAS REVISED
Motion: Motion to approve the artwork proposal by Eric Powell as recommended by the Cayuga Playground Artist Selection Panel for Cayuga Playground.
THIS MOTION WAS REVISED
Motion: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a contract with Eric Powell as selected by the Cayuga Playground Artist Selection Panel for design, fabrication, transportation and installation consultation for artwork for Cayuga Playground in an amount not to exceed $78,000.
- San Francisco General Hospital Acute Care Unit – Second Floor
Ms. Lovvorn presented a preliminary design by artist Lena Wolff for a third artwork to be translated into mosaic and installed on the second floor of the San Francisco General Hospital Acute Care Unit. She explained that while two preliminary designs have been developed by the artist and approved by the Committee, further refinement of the project budget has revealed sufficient funds for a third artwork. She then showed images of Ms. Wolff’s designs for the hospital, including the two that have been approved and an example of the translation of the artist’s paintings into mosaic. Ms. Lovvorn reiterated both the artist and selection panel’s satisfaction with the tactile qualities of the mosaic medium. She then showed the original painting of the preliminary proposal for the artist’s third work. Mr. Cancel asked if the Arts Commission possessed all three original proposals. Ms. Lovvorn answered that the contract with the artist included the purchase of the proposals for display in the hospital.
Ms. Manton noted that the central circular element of the new design felt heavy, and that its dark tone weighed the image down and disrupted its vibrancy. Commissioner Garcia-Nakata suggested that this may be mitigated by the transfer to mosaic if the texture of the watercolor design could be translated to the tile. Ms. Lovvorn agreed to discuss this with the artist and assured the Committee that their suggestions would be reflected in the second design proposal.
Motion: Motion to approve the preliminary design illustration by Lena Wolff for a third artwork to be translated into mosaic and installed on the second floor of the San Francisco General Hospital Acute Care Unit.
Moved: Beltran/Chew
- Mission Playground Public Art Project
Ms. Lovvorn presented a new public art project opportunity, which is associated with the renovation of Mission Playground -- a 98,078 square foot park located off of 19th, Linda and Valencia Streets in the heart of the Mission District. She reported that Arts Commission staff met with the Mission Playground Project Manager to explore possible opportunities for artwork. As part of the park renovations, there are plans to install ornamental fencing along the perimeter of Mission Playground and within the site to divide space uses, such as entry plaza, children’s play area, walkway, and soccer field. The heights of the ornamental fencing range from 3 to 8 feet with the majority of the fencing at around 4 feet high. There is an opportunity to integrate artist designed decorative fence panels into the playground’s ornamental fencing. This approach would help maximize the art budget by providing artistic enhancements across a greater area of Mission Playground. The art enrichment budget would fund the project artist’s design of approximately 8 – 10 art fence panels for integration into the street-facing fences along Valencia Street and 19th Street. The artist’s designs would then be fabricated and installed by a separate contractor paid for and managed through the Recreation and Park Department Renovation Project. The art budget would also cover the delta cost of producing the art fence panels in lieu of the specified ornamental fence panels.
Ms. Lovvorn reported on the proposed artist selection process which would entail a preliminary selection panel meeting to identify three finalists who would be invited to produce proposals, of which one would be selected for the project at a second panel meeting. Based on the size of the budget and the tight timeline, Public Art Director Susan Pontious and Commissioners recommended that rather than conducting a two phase selection process, staff should conduct a single selection panel meeting to select the artist on the basis of qualifications and that artist would then be placed under contract for design.
THIS MOTION WAS REVISED
Motion: Motion to approve the public art project approach as detailed in the Mission Playground Public Art Project Outline and revised by the Committee.
Moved: Beltran/Johnston
Motion: Motion to approve the following arts professionals as potential selection panelists for the Mission Playground Public Art Project: Maurizzio Hector Pineda, Gallery Coordinator, Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts; Jafon Hakkinen, Receiver Gallery; Raquel de Anda, Associate Curator, Galeria de la Raza; Justin Hoover, Curator of Visual Arts, SOMArts; Michelle Mansour, Administrative Director, Root Division.
Moved: Johnston/Beltran
- Potrero Branch Library
Public Art Program Project Manager Judy Moran withdrew her presentation due to pending refinement of the artwork’s installation.
THIS MOTION WAS WITHDRAWN
Motion: Motion to approve the final installed artwork, here and past here, 2009, a hanging sculpture which includes four elements: a balsa wood circular stem, a basket-like woven pod with a rope extension, a metal woven partial pod casing, and a metal donut shape, by artist Gina Telcocci at the Potrero Branch Library.
THIS MOTION WAS WITHDRAWN
Motion: Motion to accept into the Civic Art Collection the final installed artwork, here and past here, 2009, a hanging sculpture which includes four elements: a balsa wood circular stem, a basket-like woven pod with a rope extension, a metal woven partial pod casing, and a metal donut shape, by artist Gina Telcocci at the Potrero Branch Library.
- Central Subway
Ms. Moran presented images of past work by artists and alternate artists recommended by the Central Subway Artists Selection Panels to prepare preliminary artwork proposals for the Central Subway Chinatown, Moscone and Union Square/Market Street Stations. Ms. Moran prefaced her presentation by informing the Committee that the artists selected were ethnically and geographically diverse, and that both national and local artists were represented. She also listed the following panelists as having taken part in the selection process:
Chinatown Station
Abby Chen, Curator, Chinese Culture Center
Greg Chew, Commissioner
John Funghi, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Central Subway Program Manager
Judy Hu, Communication Manager, Chinese Historical Society of America
Mark Johnson, Gallery Director, San Francisco State University
Cathie Lam, Senior Community Organizer, Chinatown Community Development Center
Luis Zurinaga, Consultant, San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Moscone Station
Natasha Boas, Independent Curator, Acting Director of the Craft and Folk Art Museum
René de Guzman, Visual Art Curator, Oakland Museum of California
John Funghi, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Central Subway Program Manager
Dara Solomon, Associate Curator, the Contemporary Jewish Museum
Luis Zurinaga, Consultant, San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Union Square/Market Street Station
Caroline Diamond, Executive Director, Market Street Association
Margie O'Driscoll, Executive Director, American Institute of Architects
John Funghi, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency Central Subway Program Manager
P.J. Johnston, Commission President
Ellen Oh, Executive Director, Kearny Street Workshop
Lawrence Rinder, Executive Director, Berkeley Art Museum
Luis Zurinaga, Consultant, San Francisco County Transportation Authority
Ms. Manton acknowledged Ms. Moran’s outreach to local, monolingual artists who were encouraged to apply. Commissioner Chew also commended the Chinese Cultural Center for their role in encouraging the community to become involved in the process.
Motion: Motion to approve the recommendation of the following seven artists and two artist alternates as finalists for two art opportunities at the Central Subway Chinatown Station by the Chinatown Station Artist Selection Panel: Ming Fay, Yomei Hou, and May Sun, with alternate Arlen Huang, for the landmark station opportunity, and Carl Cheng, Tomei Arai, Yunfei Ji, and Faye Zhang, with alternate Chusien Chang, for the way finding art opportunity, and to authorize the payment of an honorarium not to exceed $8,000 to each finalist to develop preliminary artwork proposals.
Moved: Beltran/Chew
Motion: Motion to approve the recommendation of the following six artists and two artist alternates as finalists for two art opportunities at the Central Subway Moscone Station by the Moscone Station Artist Selection Panel: Brian Tolle, Joyce Hsu, and Catherine Wagner, with alternate artist team Rosario Marquardt and Roberto Behar, for the landmark station opportunity, and Tom Otterness, artist team Mildred Howard and Michael Bogan, and Michele Oka Doner, with alternate Janet Zweig, for the way finding art opportunity, and to authorize the payment of an honorarium not to exceed $8,000 to each finalist to develop preliminary artwork proposals.
Moved: Beltran/Chew
Motion: Motion to approve the recommendation of the following six artists and two artist alternates, as finalists for two art opportunities at the Central Subway Union Square/Market Street Station by the Union Square/Market Street Station Artist Selection Panel: Brian Goggin, Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, and Erwin Redl, with alternate Lawrence Argent, for the landmark station opportunity, and artist teams Michael Davis and Susan Swartzenberg, Jim Campbell and Warner Klotz, and Keith Godard, with alternate Christian Moeller, for the way finding art opportunity, and to authorize the payment of an honorarium not to exceed $8,000 to each finalist to develop preliminary artwork proposals.
Moved: Beltran/Chew
- Airport Update
Ms. Pontious began her report on the status of artist Janet Echelman’s project for Terminal Two at the San Francisco International Airport by introducing Blake Summers, Director of the San Francisco Airport Museums, and Judy Mosqueda, San Francisco International Airport Project Manager. She then informed the Committee that the purpose of her presentation was to review new studies for lighting and fan elements, as well as revised renditions of the artwork’s sculptural shapes. She also explained that Ms. Echelman’s work is characterized by a dynamic interplay of color, light and movement, and reminded the Committee that because the usual position of the Public Art Program is to support the artist in their expression within a particular site, it would be unfortunate to commission an artwork that did not represent the artist’s best work.
Addressing the Committee via video conference call, Ms. Echelman presented new renderings of the artwork’s shape. Ms. Pontious pointed out that in the newly proposed design the sculptural elements would be aligned with planned skylights and would include a circle of red netting where the sculptures met the skylights. She also noted that she was waiting for the architect’s design intent for the terminal’s rear wall, and that at a previous meeting both the artist and Committee had expressed a preference for either a solid blue or white wall finish. Ms. Echelman added that the sculptures will be made of multiple layers of netting in order to achieve a translucent effect that will evoke the fog and mist typical to the local weather. The color palette will be in the range of blue-violet, with brighter, more vivid coloring revealed when looking up towards the skylight. Her intended concept, she explained, was to create a feeling of the sky within the interior of the terminal.
Ms. Echelman then showed the Committee a series of light and fan tests as demonstrated on a ¾-scale netting mockup. Addressing the lighting, Ms. Echelman said that the lighting system would be computer controlled to simulate day and evening light levels and would be programmed in place once the artwork was installed. Ms. Pontious noted that investigations are underway as to whether the proposed fans would disturb the airflow of the low velocity air conditioning required to cool the terminal during times of peak traffic. Ms. Mosqueda added that it may be possible to tie the fans to the HVAC system so that they are activated when the system is off. The down side to this, she noted, would be that the fans are activated when traffic through the terminal was at its lowest. Ms. Echelman said that conceptually she liked the idea of the fans being triggered by changes in temperature within the terminal, and that she viewed it as an agreeable compromise if it allowed for inclusion of the fans in her design.
Ms. Pontious asked the Committee for any additional feedback before Mr. Summers reported on the artist’s progress to John Martin, Director of the San Francisco International Airport. Commissioner Garcia-Nakata felt that the materials and the scale of the artwork were appropriate, and was in favor of the coloring, in particular the ring of red at the skylights. Commissioner Beltran agreed that the colors were well-selected, to which Ms. Echelman replied that she was very cognizant of maintenance requirements and that the range of proposed colors is in keeping with her conceptual intent while responding well to maintenance needs, whereas a lighter palette would reveal accumulated dirt and grime.
Ms. Pontious informed the Committee that the design of the terrazzo floors was unresolved. Both Commissioner Garcia-Nakata and Ms. Echelman expressed their desire for a patterned terrazzo responding to the shapes of the hanging sculptural elements. Ms. Mosqueda replied that the architects and some Airport staff were concerned that the patterns might further complicate necessary way finding patterns on the floor. She also stated that the Airport Commission was not expecting a sound element, to which Commissioner Chew reminded the Committee that Commission President PJ Johnston suggested at a previous meeting that sound would likely be problematic and would be unnecessary with the addition of lighting and fan components. Mr. Summers asked Ms. Echelman if the fans could be expected to make noise. Ms. Echelman said that the fans would be housed above the acoustic tile ceiling and would funnel air through nozzles positioned 38 feet above passenger’s heads, so she felt that noise from the fans would not be an issue.
Ms. Pontious concluded by thanking the Committee for their input and informing them that their feedback would be reflected in further iterations of the project’s design.
- New Business
Senior Registrar Allison Cummings announced a new collaboration with the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) and the faculty and students of George Washington High School. In conjunction with SFMOMA’s 75th anniversary in January and Washington High School’s 75th anniversary in 2011, Arts Commission Civic Art Collection staff and SFMOMA conservation staff will work together towards conservation assessments of, and possible fundraising for, the New Deal-era frescos and athletic frieze located within the high school. As part of the SFMOMA’s anniversary celebration on January 18th the museum will present a roundtable discussion about murals in San Francisco in which a representative of the Arts Commission has been asked to participate. Students from George Washington have also been asked to give a presentation on the school’s artwork. Ms. Cummings finished by noting that this project is viewed by both SFMOMA and the Arts Commission as a potential pilot in an ongoing collaborative effort to care for the Civic Art Collection.
Ms. Manton informed the Committee that the Public Art Program had been contacted by Elizabeth Murray, Managing Director of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center, requesting that program staff manage the commissioning of a memorial monument to be placed in the War Memorial Court located on Fulton Street between the War Memorial building and the Opera House. Ms. Manton said that this was an exciting opportunity for the Arts Commission and told the Committee that further details would follow in the coming months.
- Old Business
There was no old business to report.
- Adjournment
The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 pm.
MD 12/16/09
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