Full_Commission
2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2003 MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, March 7, 2005
3:00 p.m.
25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 70
Minutes
President Johnston called the meeting to order at 3:15 p.m.
- Roll Call
Commissioners Present
P.J. Johnston
Anne Brauer
Blanche Brown
Maya Draisin
William Meyer
Janice Mirikitani
Jeannene Przyblyski
Dave Stroud
Dede Wilsey
Commissioners Absent
Andrea Cochran
Rod Freebairn-Smith
Barbara Stauffacher Solomon
Ethel Pitts Walker
Shelley Bradford Bell
- Approval of Minutes
The following Resolution was moved, seconded, and unanimously adopted:
RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-045: APPROVAL OF MINUTES ADOPTED
RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby approve the Minutes of the Regular Monthly Meeting of February 7, 2005.
NOTE: ALL ADOPTIONS ARE UNANIMOUS UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.
- President’s Report
Commissioner Przyblyski and President Johnston met with the Mayor to discuss vacancies on the Commission and other issues. He expressed an interest in more public art, and Commissioner Przyblyski briefed him on Arts Commission projects with which he was unfamiliar. They will continue to meet with him from time to time.
President Johnston distributed the new schedule of meetings, and announced that the full Commission meeting will move into City Hall Room 416 beginning April 4. He noted that the room is beautiful and spacious, wired for sound and audiovisual, although it has chairs on the dais for only eleven Commissioners. He suggested that Commissioners would be able to share microphones, if needed.
He distributed the Form 700 Statement of Economic Interests, explaining that Commissioners need to file it by April 1 each year. He also explained that the Ethics Commission training could be viewed on videotape, on DVD or online.
He announced that the Executive Committee will take up the topic of marketing. There was no update on 155 Grove Street; meetings are ongoing.
- Director’s Report
Director of Cultural Affairs Richard Newirth began by congratulating Cultural Equity Grants Program Director Jewelle Gomez on her recent appointment to the Library Commission.
He reported on a meeting with Michael Cohen of the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development on the subject of base reuse at the Hunter’s Point Naval Shipyard site. They discussed the Phase 1 review, and whether there would be a “percent for art” program; there is currently no requirement for one.
He met with representatives of the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services, the Protocol office, the Library and the Department of the Environment to discuss World Environment Day and how the Arts Commission will participate. He is hopeful that a public art project, the Endangered Seed Project, originally approved by the Visual Arts Committee for the Ferry Building in conjunction with the farmers’ market there, could be presented instead at Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.
He also reported on the upcoming celebration of the sixtieth anniversary of the United Nations. Mayors from around the world will be invited to San Francisco; thirty from major cities have accepted already. The challenge is to show as much hospitality as possible, and show off the City’s assets.
There has been another meeting with Supervisor Ammiano’s office and the Cultural Centers. Some of them are seeking legislative changes, although staff hopes to address the issues in question without recourse to new legislation.
Mr. Newirth and staff have met with Commissioner Przyblyski about 155 Grove Street; much is still unknown. Most importantly, the Arts Commission must be actively involved in whatever the project turns out to be.
The Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee just appointed five members of the Arts Task Force, and eight of the supervisors have made their appointments. In addition to the twenty-one voting members, there are thirteen non-voting members. The Task Force must convene within thirty days of the appointment of a quorum, which has now occurred.
Mr. Newirth announced a press conference to be held on March 23 at 11:30 at John Swett Elementary School to announce the Arts Education Master Plan. He introduced Kevin Marlatt, the School District’s consultant. Mr. Marlatt distributed a brochure about the plan, and thanked Mr. Newirth, Community Arts and Education Program Director Judy Nemzoff and Arts Education Officer Rachelle Axel for their work on the project. He described the strongly collaborative effort by all the parties, and assured the Commissioners that the plan would not “sit on the shelf.” He anticipates a draft by August, with pilot programs beginning in September. He asked for the Commission’s support to make this a long-term vision; he expects the plan to evolve over the next few years as it is implemented.
In response to the President’s question, Mr. Marlatt described some of the pilot programs. Most of the initial funding will go to provide staff and supplies in middle schools; some will go to arts providers for programs and field trips. He described the triad of professionals involved: outside providers, school staff, and specialist arts faculty.
President Johnston also thanked Ms. Axel for her extensive work on this project.
- Consent Calendar
RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-046
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. 0307-05-047: Motion to approve the Street Artists Committee Meeting Minutes of February 9, 2005.
Civic Design Review Committee Recommendations (February 28, 2005)
- RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-048: Motion to approve Embarcadero Odor and Corrosion Control Ventilation Elements, Phase 3.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-049: Motion to approve Mission Creek Park North, Parcels NP-4-NP-5 Maintenance Building and Kayak Storage Building, Phase 1.
- Committee Reports
- Executive Committee—P.J. Johnston, Chair
- President Johnston reported that the Committee did not meet, and that at its next meeting it is prepared to take up the work he previously described.
- Civic Design Review Committee—William Meyer, Chair
- Commissioner Meyer reported that the Committee considered two projects at its last meeting: Hunter’s Point Shipyard, which is one of the largest projects in the City aside from the airport; and second, the new gateway to the Vietnamese community, Little Saigon. He presented the following motion recommended by the Committee, praising the project.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-050: Motion to approve Mission Creek Park North, Parcels NP-4-NP-5 Maintenance Building and Kayak Storage Building, Phase 2.
- Community Arts and Education Committee—Blanche Brown, Chair
- Commissioner Brown reported that the Committee had not met, and made the following motion.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-051: Motion to approve the following panelists for the Cultural Equity Grants panel pool:
Allison Asercion, National Institute of Artists with Disabilities
Douglas Conrad, former general manager of The Marsh
John Simpson, playwright and former development director of Theatre Rhinoceros
Robin Stanton, business manager, First Voice
Eleanor San San Wong, consultant and fundraiser
Elizabeth Greene, administrative director, San Francisco Jewish Film Festival
Christian Phillips, artistic director, Actors Theatre
Janet Garvin, development director, San Francisco Girls Chorus
Catherine Chang, architect
Alisa Rasera, Axis Dance Company
- Street Artists Committee
- President Johnston reported on the conclusion of the two-part hearing on a challenge to the license of a pair of street artists on the grounds that their work was not the original watercolor painting which they claimed it to be. There was a great deal of interest in the case from other street artists.
He also reported on ongoing discussions with the some of the Supervisors on their proposal that the Arts Commission license street performers. He gave a very brief sketch of the history of the street artists ordinance, first passed 33 years ago this month, and of the Entertainment Commission, and mentioned the First Amendment questions involved in licensing performers’ speech.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-052: Motion to approve former certificate-holders for priority issuance of certificate and waiver of re-screening of wares: Debra Kurfuss, Dax Tran-Caffee, Carlos Martinez, Eva Letts, Rebecca Faerstein.
- Visual Arts Committee—Jeannene Przyblyski, Chair
- Commissioner Przyblyski reported that the Committee did not meet. They are working hard to increase the Commission’s visibility, and connect it to other social and cultural events in the city. They hope to use the Endangered Seed Project as part of the World Environment Day events. She also mentioned the opening of the Hayes Green for Octavia Boulevard.
She presented the following motions from the Committee.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-053: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to increase artist Vicki Saulls’s North Beach Pool Contract by an amount not to exceed $15,546, for a new total contract amount not to exceed $74,848, to correct an accounting error in the contract’s second amendment issued in July 2003. The scope of the contract will not change.
- RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-054: Motion to approve the following pool of arts professionals to serve on upcoming panels for new public art projects commencing in 2005:
Regina Almaguer, public art curator
Jaren Bonillo, artist, Art Education Program Manager, Southern Exposure
Courtney Fink, Executive Director, Southern Exposure
Donna Graves, public art curator
Leslie Holzman, former Public Art Coordinator, City of Oakland
Steve Huss, Public Art Program Manager, City of Oakland
Mark Johnson, artist/faculty, SFSU
Chris Johnson, CCA faculty
Leonard Hunter, artist/faculty, SFSU
Marina McDougal, filmmaker, formerly at CCA
Tara McDowell, Associate Curator, SFMOMA
Anna Novakov, SFAI
Sabina Ott, SFAI faculty
Mary Rubin, San Jose Public Art Program
Saudi Sanchez, former staff, San Jose Public Art Program
Donna Schumacher, artist/architect
Beau Takahara, artist/arts administrator
Lewis Watts, artist/faculty, UC Berkeley
- Adoption of Revised Bylaws
- President Johnston reminded the Commission that draft bylaws had been distributed at the previous meeting. There was no public comment. He presented the following motion.
RESOLUTION NO. 0307-05-055: Motion to adopt revised bylaws.
- Reports and Announcements
- Commissioner Mirikitani thanked Public Art Program Director Jill Manton for her participation in a public hearing on a project in Japantown. Ms. Manton explained that the State of California had provided funds for monuments to be installed in the San Jose, Los Angeles and San Francisco Japantowns. The Berkeley firm who designed the monument had quite a challenge to design a single project that would suit all three locations. Ms. Manton commended Commissioner Mirikitani for freely giving permission for one of her eloquent poems to be used on the panels. They have been cast and will be unveiled soon. The San Francisco panel will be installed in the Peace Plaza.
- Public Comment
There was no public comment on any item of this agenda unless so noted.
- Adjournment
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:55 p.m.
3/23/05 spr
