SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION
VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, May 15, 2019
3 p.m.
401 Van Ness Avenue, Room 125
San Francisco, CA 94102
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Minutes

Visual Arts Committee Members:
JD Beltran    
Suzie Ferras
Dorka Keehn, Chair
Nabiel Musleh
Abby Sadin Schnair
Janine Shiota
Barbara Sklar

1. Call to Order, Roll Call, and Agenda Changes

Commissioners Present:
Commissioner Ferras
Commissioner Keehn
Commissioner Musleh
Commissioner Schnair
Commissioner Shiota
Commissioner Sklar

Commissioners Absent:
Commissioner Beltran

The meeting commenced at 3:02 p.m.

2. General Public Comment
Discussion

Commissioner Keehn called for public comment. There was no public comment.

3. Consent Calendar
Action

1. Motion to approve Hayes Valley Basketball Court, a mural design by artist Ricardo Richey (Apexer). The mural will be installed on the surface of the Hayes Valley Playground Basketball court, which is located on Hayes St. at Buchanan St. The painted mural will measure approximately 50 ft. by 94 ft. The project is funded by a grant from the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation to the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. The painted mural will not become part of the Civic Art Collection.

Motion: Motion to approve consent calendar items.
Moved: Schnair/Sklar
The motion was unanimously approved

Commissioner Ferras entered at 3:03pm.

4. Gateway Tower
Jill Manton
Action

Director of Public Art Trust and Special Initiatives Jill Manton presented the proposed temporary installation Gateway Tower by artist Sean Orlando at Embarcadero Plaza. Ms. Manton introduced Alan Vasquez from Cutwater LLC, representing the project sponsor, who gave more details regarding the project and showed images of the artist’s past work. The piece, 30 feet tall and 8 feet wide, will be constructed of vintage solid wood doors from iconic neighborhoods throughout San Francisco which will be painted by Tania Seabeck who is known for her painting of architectural ornamentation. The overall form of the sculpture is based upon Coit Tower.  The Gateway Tower will also feature eight small lenses through which interior murals from various artists can be viewed, which will also need approval by the Visual Arts Committee. Once approved by the Visual Arts Committee, the project will be presented to the Recreation and Park Commission for approval.

Director of Public Art Program and Civic Art Collection Susan Pontious expressed concern that the corporate sponsor, Unison, uses the imagery of colorful doors in their marketing materials and therefore thought that the work can be viewed as advertising. The Commissioners were satisfied that the work would not be construed as advertising, however they stipulated that the installation could not be extended without returning to the Visual Arts Committee for approval. Ms. Manton clarified that while the project sponsor will be acknowledged on the plaque, there will be no inclusion of their name or logo on the artwork itself.

Commissioner Keehn called for public comment. There was no public comment.

Motion: Motion to approve the temporary installation of Gateway Tower by artist Sean Orlando, a privately funded sculpture 30’ high by 8’ wide, the design of which is inspired by the ornamentation of doors in Victorian architecture using a form evocative of Coit Tower to be placed in Embarcadero Plaza from July 22, 2019 through October 17, 2019, pending approval from the Recreation and Park Commission. Pending approval of the interior murals by the Visual Arts Committee.
Moved: Shiota/Sklar
The motion was unanimously approved

5. Civic Art Collections Report
Allison Cummings
Staff Report

Senior Registrar Allison Cummings presented three recently completed collections projects. Ms. Cummings informed the Committee that Collections staff have overseen the recent completion of multiple collections conservation and maintenance projects. In Golden Gate Park, the Robert Burns Monument was cleaned, the bronze sculpture restored with a new patina, and the attachment of the sculpture to the granite base was structurally reinforced.

The Robert Howard Whales sculpture was relocated to fine art storage from the San Francisco City College main campus, to make way for construction at the campus. Final plans for the permanent re-installation of the sculpture are underway and staff will return to the Visual Arts Committee with more information.

The annual conservation treatments were completed on the Coit Tower Murals. The artwork was cleaned and in-painted where necessary. Efflorescence was addressed and a follow up treatment has been scheduled for the fall. The stucco surrounding the murals were cleaned and painted where necessary and moisture readings were documented as a part of ongoing monitoring efforts.

6. San Francisco International Airport

THIS FOLLOWING ITEM WAS TABLED
A. Terminal 1 Center, AC-16 Project – Gay Outlaw
Rebecca Camacho
Action

Motion: Motion to approve artist Gay Outlaw’s Design Development Phase material sample for the San Francisco International Airport: Terminal 1 Center, AC-16.

B. Terminal 3 West – New Project
Susan Pontious
Discussion

Ms. Pontious introduced the new San Francisco International Airport: Terminal 3 West project and art enrichment opportunities. There will be several large-scale projects available, including the possibility for a hanging sculpture, a 226 ft. long two-dimensional opportunity, and several two-dimensional gate room projects.

7. Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant (SEP) – Headworks Building
Mary Chou
Action

Senior Project Manager Mary Chou presented the revised design of the artwork for the Headworks Building by artist Norie Sato for the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The artwork design approved in 2018 consisted of two metal layers and sculptural fins attached to the façade of the Headworks Building; the concept is the vortex and the processes of resource recovery that takes place at the Headworks Facility. Ms. Chou stated that due to increased material costs, there has been some value engineering of the artwork to stay in budget. The two main changes are that the fins are concentrated along Evans, which is the main viewing opportunity for the fins, rather than continuing along the Rankin side. The second change is that instead of an additional back panel for security purposes to a height of 10 feet, the perforations on the exterior panel will translate to bumps that provide the security necessary below 10 feet, but also continue the pattern in the perforations and provide visual interest to people walking along Evans. The next step will be production of a full-scale mockup at Zahner studio.

Commissioner Keehn called for public comment. There was no public comment.

Motion: Motion to approve revised design of artwork (inclusion of bumps 10 feet and below, elimination of fins on Rankin side) on Headworks Building by Norie Sato for the Southeast Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Moved: Schnair/Sklar
The motion was unanimously approved

8. Chinatown Station – Tomie Arai
Mary Chou
Action

Ms. Chou presented the revised final design for Tomie Arai’s artwork for Central Subway: Chinatown Station. Ms. Arai is creating a glass artwork for three locations of the new Central Subway: Chinatown Station. The concept of Arai’s works is a visual timeline of San Francisco’s Chinatown. The exterior parapet shows images of present day Chinatown and at the platform level there are images of the early settlement of San Francisco, the Gold Rush, and Angel Island, from the Great Earthquake (1906) to the present.

There are two main changes to the design. The background wave pattern for the two platform pieces has been changed due to issues with permissions and image file size. Another change is that the artist included more figures of Mission Indians in the early settlement section to represent the indigenous people living in the area at the time of settlement.

Commissioner Keehn called for public comment. There was no public comment.

Motion: Motion to approve revised final design (wave imagery on platform walls) of Tomie Arai’s artwork for Central Subway: Chinatown Station.
Moved: Shiota/Schnair
The motion was unanimously approved

9. Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing
Jackie von Treskow
Action

Project Manager Jackie von Treskow presented the selected artist for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing Access Point wall opportunity. The artist selection panel convened on Monday, May 6th and reviewed the proposals of the three artist finalists: Johanna Poethig, Eric Rewitzer, and Muzae Sesay. After evaluating, discussing, and ranking the three proposals, Muzae Sesay’s proposal Where Community Happens was selected by the panel.

The panel then reviewed thirty artworks from the Hospitality House Community Arts Program and scored them based on artistic excellence and appropriateness for the site and project goals. The panel’s voting yielded nine artists for recommendation to the Arts Commissions, whose artworks will be licensed and reproduced on aluminum panels for installation at the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing Administrative Offices lobby and reception area.

Commissioner Keehn called for public comment. There was no public comment.

Motion: Motion to approve selected artist Muzae Sesay and proposal titled Where Community Happens for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) Administrative Offices Access Point wall, as recommended by the artist selection panel.

Motion: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to enter into contract with artist Muzae Sesay for an amount not to exceed $41,480 for the design, fabrication, transportation and installation consultation of an artwork for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) Administrative Offices Access Point wall.
Moved: Shiota/Schnair
The motion was unanimously approved

Motion: Motion to approve artworks by the following Hospitality House Community Arts Program artists for reproduction and installation at the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) Administrative Offices at 440 Turk Street, as recommended by the Selection Panel:

Angela Summers
Anna Marrow
Brian Bourassa
Charles Blackwell
Laurie Blessen
Lisa Maria Barbas
Maybelline
Midori
Tan Sirinumas
Moved: Schnair/Sklar
The motion was unanimously approved

Motion: Motion to enter into agreement with Central City Hospitality House for an amount not to exceed $6,500 for the photography, licensing, and administrative fees associated with the reproduction and installation of artworks at Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (HSH) Administrative Offices at 440 Turk Street.
Moved: Schnair/Shiota
The motion was unanimously approved

10. New Business, Old Business, and Announcements
Discussion

Ms. Von Treskow informed the Committee that the RFQ for the Southeast Community Facility Plaza Sculpture project was issued on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 and will close on Friday, June 21, 2019. She asked the Commissioners to forward any artist recommendation they may have for the project to her.

Director of Cultural Affairs Tom DeCaigny reminded Committee that there are a number of open positions at the San Francisco Arts Commission and asked for the Commissioners’ assistance in getting the word out. The positions are: Deputy Director of Programs, Deputy Director of Administration and Finance, Senior Data and Racial Equity Analyst, Public Art Project Manager, and Public Art Program Associate for the Civic Art Collection.

Ms. Pontious announced that Public Art Program Manager Rebecca Camacho will open her new gallery Rebecca Camacho Presents on Thursday, May 16, 2019. The reception will be from 6:00–8:00pm.

11. Adjournment
Action

The meeting adjourned at 3:58pm

posted CC 5/20/19 4:36 pm
approved 6/3/2019

Notices

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost.

For assistance, please notify Craig Corpora, craig.corpora@sfgov.org, 415-252-2249.

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如需協助，Craig Corpora, craig.corpora@sfgov.org, 415-252-2249.​

​Materiales traducidos y servicios de interpretación están disponibles para usted de manera gratuita. Para asistencia, notifique a Craig Corpora, craig.corpora@sfgov.org, 415-252-2249.