Meeting Information

Visual_Arts_Committee

SPECIAL MEETING OF THE
VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE
Monday, June 7, 2004
2:30 p.m.
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70

Minutes

Commissioners Present
Maya Draisin, Stanlee Gatti, Jeannene Przyblyski, Barbara Stauffacher Solomon, Dugald Stermer; Absent: Dede Wilsey.

Staff Present
Richard Newirth, Director of Cultural Affairs; Rupert Jenkins, Debra Lehane, Jennifer Lovvorn, Jill Manton, Judy Moran.

Note: All votes are unanimous unless recorded otherwise.

The meeting commenced at 2:30 p.m.

1. Consent
   1. Motion to deaccession and return to the artist a work by Judith Linhares titled Turkey, 1978, oil on canvas, 72 x 68 " (1980.5) purchased for the San Francisco International Airport.
   2. Motion to approve the relocation of the Goethe Schiller monument from the north end of the Academy of Sciences in the Music Concourse of Golden Gate Park to a location 200 feet away on the north side of the intersecting pedestrian path that links to the Rhododendron Dell.
   3. Motion to approve Wang Po Shu and Douglas Hollis as part of the juror’s pool for the Stern Grove and Pine Lake Park Project. 
      
      
      Motion: Motion to adopt the consent calendar items.
      Moved: Przyblyski /Solomon
      
      
2. Art on Market Street Program
   Project Manager Judy Moran announced that the artist selection panel for the Art on Market Street 2005 Kiosk Poster Series met and selected Maria Forde; artist team Jessica Hobbs and Felecia Carlisle; artist team Julio Morales, Jonas Melvin and Claudio Michelo; and Kamau Amu Patton; with Art Hazelwood as an alternate.  Ms. Moran presented slides of past work for each finalist and described each of their proposals. She explained that each of the artists will be creating specific designs which will be brought back to the Visual Arts Committee for approval.
   
   Artist team Jessica Hobbs and Felecia Carlisle propose to take classical photographs of gay and lesbian couples who were married at City Hall earlier this year.  The photographs will feature the couples at well-known landmark locations around San Francisco.
   
   Maria Forde, a painter who creates drawings and paintings in thematic series, proposes to create paintings of women pickpockets who worked near Market Street at the beginning of the 20th Century. Each poster will incorporate an image of a pickpocket, her name and method of operation, based on historic photographs.
   
   Artists Julio Morales and Jonas Melvin have teamed up with high school student Claudio Michelo to propose a project inspired by Herb Caen's classic question of San Francisco residents: "What's new?"   Claudio Michelo will photograph and record on audiotape his experiences, as well as answers by other pedestrians and workers to the question, "What's new?” on Market Street on his way to school.  Julio Morales and Jonas Melvin would then digitally collage the imagery and text to create the poster designs.
   
   Kamau Amu Patton proposes to create a series of poster designs similar to advertisements for a new film or television show.  The posters will include human figures, animals and magical beasts interacting in their own world, creating an urban mythology.
   
   Alternate, Art Hazelwood proposes to create two color linocut prints depicting six protest marches that have occurred along Market Street, including: The General Strike, The Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam Antiwar Protests, and The Gay Rights Movement.
   
   Commissioner Gatti stated that he was concerned that this year's proposed poster design concepts are political and wondered if there was a discussion regarding that issue at the selection panel meeting.  Ms. Moran stated that no specific direction regarding political content was given to the selection panel and that each year's Market Street poster series reflects the values and aesthetics of that year's panel, although the panel is informed that it must follow the selection criteria stated in the Request for Proposals.  Public Art Program Director Jill Manton stated that the Market Street program was designed to allow for artwork with more sensitive content since the exhibitions are temporary.  She added that the request for proposals calls for artists to respond to the Market Street context.   Commission Przyblyski responded that this year's proposals do meet that criterion. She stated that the artwork of Art Hazelwood is very appropriate to Market Street and its history.  She suggested that the proposal by the artist team of Julio Morales, Jonas Melvin and Claudio Michelo needed further development and wondered how much curatorial guidance was provided to the Market Street poster artists by the staff. Ms. Moran explained that staff does provide curatorial guidance and feedback to each artist as they develop their designs, so that the designs reflect the artist's approved proposal concept, and are high quality artworks appropriate for Market Street. She further explained that the designs must be approved first by Public Art Program staff, then the Arts Commission, before the posters are printed. Commissioner Gatti stated that although we do not want to censor the artists, he would like to see more artworks that are uplifting and make people feel good.  He feels that the political content of some of the current Kiosk Poster proposals is problematic at this time, when the City is undergoing severe financial difficulties. 
   
   Motion:Motion to approve the proposals of Maria Forde; artist team Jessica Hobbs and Felecia Carlisle; artist team Julio Morales, Jonas Melvin and Claudio Michelo; and Kamau Amu Patton; with Art Hazelwood as an alternate, for posters for the Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series 2005.
   Moved: Przyblyski/Draisin
   
   Motion: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into separate contracts with Maria Forde, artist team Jessica Hobbs and Felecia Carlisle; artist team Julio Morales, Jonas Melvin and Claudio Michelo; and Kamau Amu Patton for the development of six final designs and printing of 24 posters for installation in 24 kiosks on Market Street for consecutive three months exhibition periods from February, 2005, to February 2006, in an amount not to exceed $8,500 per contract.
   Moved: Solomon/Przyblyski
   
   
3. New Business
   
   
4. Old Business
   
   
5. Adjournment
   As there was no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:55 p.m.
   Submitted by Jennifer Lovvorn, Public Art Program Associate
   Approved by Richard Newirth, Director of Cultural Affairs, 6/18/2004

6/18/2004

Notices
Explanatory documents are available for public inspection and copying at the Arts Commission office, 25 Van Ness Ave, Suite 240, San Francisco CA 94102 during regular business hours. Tel: INFO: (Jennifer Lovvorn 415-252-2594).

Public comment in regard to specific items will be taken before or during consideration of the item.

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