MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, March 2, 2015
2:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

Minutes

Commission President JD Beltran called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.

1. Roll Call
    
   Commissioners Present
   JD Beltran, President
   Abby Sadin Schnair, Vice President
   Gregory Chew
   Charles Collins
   Dorka Keehn
   Simon Frankel
   Sherene Melania
   Roberto Ordeñana
   Marcus Shelby
   Janine Shiota
   Jessica Silverman
   Cass Calder Smith
   Kimberlee Stryker
    
   Commissioners Absent
   Barbara Sklar
   Paul Woolford
   Kathrin Moore, ex officio
    
2. Public Comment
   There was no public comment.
    
3. Approval of Minutes
   There was no public comment, and the minutes were unanimously approved as follows.
    
   RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-093: Motion to approve February 2, 2015 Minutes.
    
4. Director’s Report
   Mr. DeCaigny noted the change in the agenda, placing Committee Reports before consideration of the Consent Calendar. He added that the President retained the right to take items out of order in response to time constraints.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny reported on a number of transitions, beginning with thanks to Adine Varah, who recently left her position with the City as Deputy City Attorney for a new role as general counsel for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (“SFMOMA”). He discussed her role as counsel for the City’s arts and culture departments over her seventeen-year tenure, as well as her teaching at Stanford Law School. He added that her wise advice has been crucial to him as Director of Cultural Affairs, and that her departure is a great loss for the City, and a wonderful gain for SFMOMA.
    
   Ms. Varah thanked Mr. DeCaigny for his kind words and said she was pleased to be able to continue teaching with Commissioner Frankel, and working with Commissioner Collins in his role on the Board of Directors of SFMOMA. She thanked and congratulated the Commission and staff for all the work they do to support the arts in San Francisco, noting that while they often hear criticism, the work they do is extraordinary, and she was thankful to have been a part of it.
    
   She introduced her successor at the City Attorney’s office, Susan Dawson, describing her education and accomplishments.
    
   Commissioner Keehn said that she had worked with Ms. Varah over sixteen years, first on the Commission on the Status of Women and then on the Arts Commission, and praised her thoughtfulness and ability to deal with complex issues.
    
   Commissioner Collins said that in his role at SFMOMA, he had seen Ms. Varah as an outstanding candidate in a phenomenal pool drawn from a national search. He praised her service to the community, and was glad she would be able to continue to strengthen the arts in San Francisco.
    
   President Beltran recalled how they had discussed so many things, praising Ms. Varah as a champion for the arts.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny introduced Deputy City Attorney Susan Dawson with a brief review of her résumé, including her education in both art and the law, her tenure at the Smithsonian, and her legal experience, including an internship under Ms. Varah. Ms. Dawson thanked Mr. DeCaigny and said that she was honored to serve the City and the Arts Commission. She added that she has benefitted tremendously from Ms. Varah’s guidance.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny then announced the departure of Program Associate Tyese Wortham and Program Officer Beatrice Thomas from Community Investments, and he briefly described their contributions to the Cultural Equity Grants program during their tenure. He explained that Ms. Wortham had joined the Community Arts Stabilization Trust, and that Ms. Thomas would become an independent consultant. Commissioner Melania, as Chair of the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee, praised their thoughtful and dedicated work for the agency, and Mr. DeCaigny thanked them and wished both well.
    
   Turning to other matters, Mr. DeCaigny reported that Facsimile has been removed from the Moscone Center, and the Arts Commission has retained the hard drive. He announced the twentieth anniversary celebration event for WritersCorps, to be held on March 26 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum. He also reported on a Market Street poster series featuring WritersCorps students and their writing. Mr. DeCaigny reported that the 99-year lease for the Mexican Museum is being reviewed by the Board of Supervisors.
    
   He also reported on the status of nonprofit displacement funding: the arts review panel was recently held, and the social service panel would be held later in the week. In response to questions from Commissioners, Mr. DeCaigny explained that technical assistance, primarily legal and real estate advice, had been approved for all of the arts organizations that had requested it. He explained that financial awards would be limited to organizations which had control of their spaces for five years or more.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny also reported on the Galleries’ show of Bayview photographs by Kirk Crippens in City Hall during Black History Month, and he welcomed the Galleries’ new associate, Jackie Im.
    
   Finally, he explained that he and Deputy Director Krell would present an update on the Strategic Plan to the Executive Committee at its March meeting, with an overview for the full Commission at its April meeting.
    
   There was no public comment.
    
5. Committee Reports and Committee Matters
   1. Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee—Sherene Melania, Chair
      1. Commissioner Melania reported that the Committee discussed Community Investments Fellow Anh Thang Dao-Shah’s ongoing research directed toward updating the granting process. They also approved grants for neighborhood festivals, Creative Space grants and a grant for the restoration of the popular “Jazz Mural.” Finally, they discussed the work that former Program Officer Tyra Fennell is currently doing in the Bayview, agreeing that they were glad to see her continuing to help revitalize the neighborhood through the arts.
          
         There was no public comment.
          
   2. Visual Arts Committee—Dorka Keehn, Chair
      1. Commissioner Keehn reported that the Committee discussed a whimsical temporary installation in the Civic Center Plaza, Fancy Animal Carnival by Hung Yi, in connection with the Swinging Skirts golf tournament. The Committee also discussed upcoming work at San Francisco Airport, Terminal 1, with approximately $500,000 for temporary art to be installed in the temporary boarding area during the five-year construction phase.
          
         Commissioner Chew emphasized that the delightful Fancy Animal Carnival installation was at no cost to the City.
          
         There was no public comment.
          
6. Consent Calendar
   Commissioner Ordeñana recused himself from consideration of the item regarding the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, because they rent space from his employer, the San Francisco Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Community Center.
    
   Commissioner Ordeñana left the room at 2:35 p.m., and President Beltran called for consideration of the following item.
    
   There was no public comment, and the motion was unanimously approved as follows, with the recusal of Commissioner Ordeñana.
    
   RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-098: Motion to approve recommendations to award seven grants totaling $255,000 in the 2014-2015 cycle of Creative Space (“CRSP”) grants to the following organizations, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each organization for the amounts listed:
   Women’s Audio Mission, $25,000
   CounterPULSE, $25,000
   Croatian American Cultural Center, $25,000
   509 Cultural Center / the luggage store, $50,000
   Z Space Studio, $40,000
   San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus / Golden Gate Performing Arts, $40,000
   Root Division, $50,000
    
   Commissioner Ordeñana returned to the meeting room at 2:36 p.m.
   
   President Beltran called for consideration of the remainder of the Consent Calendar; there was no public comment and it was unanimously approved as follows.
    
   RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-094:
   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. 0302-15-095: Motion to approve the Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Meeting Minutes of February 10, 2015.
       
   2. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-096: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of February 18, 2015.
       
      Community Arts, Education and Grants Committee Recommendations (February 10, 2015)
   3. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-097: Motion to approve recommendations to award eleven grants totaling $33,000 in the 2014-2015 cycle of Arts for Neighborhood Vitality (“ANV”) grants to the following organizations, and to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into grant agreements with each organization for the amounts listed:
      Brava Theater Center/Brava! For Women in the Arts, $3,000
      Precita Eyes Muralists Association, Inc., $3,000
      Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema, $3,000
      Excelsior Action Group, $3,000
      Richmond District Neighborhood Center, $3,000
      Chinese Historical Society of America, $3,000
      Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, $3,000
      Marigold Project, $3,000
      Au Co Vietnamese Cultural Center, $3,000
      Galería de la Raza, $3,000
      The Village Project, $3,000
       
   4. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-099: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into a grant agreement with North Beach Neighbors in an amount not to exceed $15,000 for the restoration of the “Jazz Mural” by artist Bill Weber on 606 Broadway Street (at Columbus Avenue) in District 3.
       
      Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (February 18, 2015)
   5. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-100: Motion to approve the mural design The Laughing Monk, by Shawn Bullen, to be painted on a mural site located at 1439 Egbert Street, San Francisco, CA. The mural is a project of the Arts Commission’s StreetSmARTS Program, funded by the Department of Public Works.
       
   6. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-101: Motion to approve the mural design Flowers and Faces, by Kristin Mays, to be painted on a mural site located at 2774 Jennings Street, San Francisco, CA. The mural is a project of the Arts Commission’s StreetSmARTS Program, funded by the Department of Public Works.
       
   7. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-102: Motion to approve the artwork Zephyros, 2015, by Rebar Art + Design Studio as installed at Palega Recreation Center.
       
   8. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-103: Motion to approve a temporary exhibition entitled Fancy Animal Carnival by artist Hung Yi sponsored by the Insian Gallery in Taiwan at no cost to the City, in conjunction with the Swinging Skirts Golf Tournament, to be held at the Lake Merced Golf Club, pending site approval from the Recreation and Park Commission. The installation will consist of twenty sculptures to be installed April 4–May 7, 2015.
       
   9. RESOLUTION NO. 0302-15-104: Motion to approve the direction of an art plan to focus on temporary art installations for Temporary Boarding Area B at San Francisco International Airport.
       
7. New Business and Announcements
   Commissioner Melania announced that her company, Presidio Dance Theatre, had been invited by UNESCO to participate in the International Day of Spring in Paris. President Beltran announced that she was curating a show of junior students at the California College of the Arts, in what used to be the Wattis Gallery. Commissioner Chew announced that he was serving on a panel reviewing proposals for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Mr. DeCaigny reported that the Bay Lights had reached its funding goal for permanent installation. Commissioner Keehn added that, after several celebrations this week, it would be turned off on March 6, and permanently reinstalled in time for Super Bowl 50 early in 2016.
    
   There was no further new business or announcements, and no public comment.
    
8. Adjournment
   President Beltran was very sad to announce the sudden passing of artist Susan O’Malley, a personal friend, on February 25. President Beltran briefly described Ms. O’Malley’s generous and optimistic work and some of her projects. Ms. O’Malley had been pregnant with twin daughters, who passed with her. President Beltran announced that a memorial will be held at Villa Montalvo, where Ms. O’Malley had created an installation as artist-in-residence.
    
   There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 2:45 p.m. in memory of Susan O’Malley.

posted 3/16/15, 12:15 p.m. spr
approved 4/6/15

Language Accessibility

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2591, sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.

我們將為閣下提供免費的書面翻譯資料和口譯服務。如需協助，Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2591, sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.

Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2591, sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.

Ang mga materyales na nakasalin sa ibang wika at ang mga serbisyong tagapagsalin sa wika ay walang bayad. Para sa tulong, maaring i-contact si Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2591, sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.