MEETING OF THE FULL ARTS COMMISSION
Monday, December 2, 2019
2:00 p.m.
City Hall Room 416
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

Minutes

President Ordeñana called the meeting to order at 2:15 p.m.

1. Roll Call
    
   Commissioners Present
   Roberto Ordeñana, President
   Kimberlee Stryker, Vice President
   Charles Collins
   Mary Jung
   Dorka Keehn
   Linda Parker Pennington
   Abby Sadin Schnair
   Marcus Shelby
   Janine Shiota
   Barbara Sklar
   Paul Woolford
    
   Commissioners Absent
   JD Beltran
   Suzanne Ferras
   Nabiel Musleh
   Myrna Melgar, ex officio
    
    
2. Approval of Minutes
   There was no public comment, and the minutes were unanimously approved as follows.
    
   RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-314: Motion to approve November 4, 2019 Minutes.
    
3. General Public Comment
   Mark Izu, composer and musician, thanked the Commission and Grants for the Arts for their support over the years. He listed several of his awards and accomplishments, and artists with whom he has performed. He reported that he had recently submitted responses to the Arts Commission's demographic survey for grant applicants and was concerned that, while there were specific boxes for several Asian and Pacific identities, there was no box to check for Japanese or Japanese-American, or even a space to write it in. He spoke about the history and contributions of Japanese-Americans and Japantown, and the impact of being ignored. He also read part of a letter from Donna Fujii, Immigrant Rights Commissioner with the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs. She wrote that while the Japanese and Korean communities in San Francisco are smaller than others, they have played crucial role in its history.
    
   Brenda Wong Aoki of First Voice, playwright, producer and performer, thanked the Arts Commission for its work. She explained that her grandfather had been a founder of Japantown, and she discussed some of the history of Japanese Americans in the cultural life of San Francisco, including her own with with Mr. Izu, Jon Jang and former Arts Commissioner Sachiko Nakamura, former Arts Commissioner Janice Mirikitani and others. She wanted to be sure that Japanese voices are counted.
    
   Shinji Eshima, musician, composer and teacher with the San Francisco Opera, the Ballet, the Conservatory of Music and San Francisco State University. He discussed some of his work, which has received high accolades.
    
   Sandy Mori of the Japantown Task Force explained that she is not an artist, but active in working to preserve and protect one of the three remaining Japantowns on the West Coast. She asked the Commission to address the omission of the Japanese-American category from the demographic survey. She also addressed some of the concerns about potential development in Japantown. She also conveyed a message from Ms. Mirikitani, former Poet Laureate, who is concerned that Japanese-Americans were not listed in the survey, saying they are here and will continue to be here for the next hundred years.
    
   Steve Nakajo, Executive Director of the Japantown Task Force, and President of the Fire Commission, explained that he also served as Vice President of the Arts Commission when the Cultural Equity program was introduced. He expressed concern, anger and frustration at being left out of the survey and identified only as "others." He described how 110,000 Japanese-Americans were forced into American concentration camps without due process. He said that Japantown was one of the first seven Cultural Districts formed in San Francisco, and the importance of cultural competence, including for the Arts Commission. He talked about the impact of redevelopment on both the Japanese-American community and the African-American community in the Fillmore, and the fight not to be eliminated.
    
    
   President Ordeñana thanked everyone for their comments on this important issue. He reminded the Commission that because the issue was not on the Commission's current agenda, they could not get deeply into a discussion about it. He asked Mr. DeCaigny to comment.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny also thanked the members of the public who spoke, and assured them and the Commission that the agency takes this issue very seriously. He spoke to give some context, while not making excuses. He said that the Commission is proud to have supported Japanese-American artists and organizations over the years. He discussed the grantmaking process and reporting, and he explained that the migration to a new Salesforce data system limited the number of categories that could be listed. The largest Asian-American and Pacific Islander populations in San Francisco are Chinese, Filipino and Vietnamese, but the goal is to have a more robust recording system which will allow all communities to be named and represented. He added that Community Investments Senior Program Officer Jaren Bonillo and Program Officer Robynn Takayama have contacted applicants to allow them to write in and clarify their information.
    
   Commissioner Shelby thanked the great artists who addressed the Commission, including some who have been his colleagues and collaborators, along with the community leaders. He was shocked to learn about the omission, and hoped staff would rectify it. He said that visibility was important, particularly in light of the history of the Japanese-American community.
    
   Commissioner Shiota said that, as a Japanese woman who was born and raised in San Francisco, her grandparents were very silent. They lived in Hawaii and were not interned, and while her grandfather earned an engineering degree at the University of Chicago, he was never able to practice, but he never talked with her about that, and she was unaware of that history until she was 35 years old. She thanked the speakers for coming forward, for their advocacy and bravery, and bringing history into the future.
    
   Commissioner Collins said that it was a great honor to have the speakers present. He spoke of growing up in Japantown, and his family's close relationship with the Japantown community. He thanked the speakers for bringing the issue to the Commission and making clear the importance of working together.
    
   Commissioner Parker Pennington spoke of her experience as board chair for the Jazz Heritage Center in the Fillmore, where she learned something about the history of the close relationship between the African-American and Japanese-American communities in the Western Addition and Japantown, and how some African-Americans served as caretakers of the homes of Japanese-Americans during their internment. She thanked the speakers for coming forward.
    
   Commissioner Keehn explained that she produced an Emmy-award-winning film, Civil Wrongs and Rights, the Fred Korematsu Story, which continues to play on PBS. She said that it has been an honor to work with the Japanese-American community in San Francisco, and to have learned about all the work they do. She thanked the speakers for coming.
    
   Commissioner Jung thanked the speakers for taking the time to come and speak to the Commission, and praised the vibrancy of Japantown because of participation like this. She said that she fully supports the inclusion of all communities on the survey, and endorsed the idea of using the model of the Department of Chidren, Youth and their Families survey to record all of the communities.
    
   President Ordeñana also thanked the speakers for taking the time to address the Commission, and looked forward to having a fuller report on the matter from Mr. DeCaigny.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny added that the Senior Data and Racial Equity Analyst position remains open, and encouraged everyone to submit any appropriate referrals. He promised to convey this information to the person when hired.
    
   There was no further public comment.
    
4. Director’s Report
   Mr. DeCaigny reported on the very successful concert by Buffy Sainte-Marie, to a packed house, as part of the American Indian Initiative. He announced the upcoming fashion show on December 15 in the City Hall Rotunda.
    
   He reported on the closing of Community Investments grant deadlines, on upcoming Art Markets in the lobby of the War Memorial Veterans Building on December 4 and 12, on the upcoming American Alliance of Museums conference May 17-20 and the 150th anniversary of Golden Gate Park in 2020. He added that the Galleries will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary in 2020, as will San Francisco Pride, and exhibitions will mark both anniversaries.
    
   Finally, Mr. DeCaigny recalled several people in the arts community who passed away in recent months: poet and collector Hiroshi Kashiwagi, poet Kevin Killian, choreographer and dancer Terry Sendgraff, philanthropist Nancy Livingston, and choreographer and dancer Ruth Beckford. Commissioner Parker Pennington added the name of jazz artist Buddy Simon.
    
   There was no public comment.
    
5. Committee Reports and Committee Matters
   1. Visual Arts Committee—Dorka Keehn, Chair
      1. Commissioner Keehn reported that the Committee held a very brief meeting, and has approved several projects.
          
         There was no public comment. She presented the following motion, which was unanimously approved.
          
      2. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-315: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to increase the agreement with Alicia McCarthy from an amount not to exceed $150,000 to an amount not to exceed $205,000 (an increase of $55,000) to include an increase in fabrication costs for an artwork for the San Francisco International Airport’s International Terminal, Boarding Area A, Holdroom A3.
          
         There was no public comment.
          
6. Consent Calendar
   There was no public comment, and the entire Consent Calendar was approved unanimously as follows.
    
   RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-316:
   Approval: RESOLVED, that this Commission does hereby adopt the following items on the Consent Calendar and their related Resolutions:
    
   1. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-317: Motion to approve the revised Community Investments Committee Meeting Minutes of October 1, 2019.
       
   2. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-318: Motion to approve the Executive Committee Meeting Minutes of October 29, 2019.
       
   3. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-319: Motion to approve the Nominating Committee Meeting Minutes of October 29, 2019.
       
   4. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-320: Motion to approve the Visual Arts Committee Meeting Minutes of November 20, 2019.
       
      Visual Arts Committee Recommendations (November 20, 2019)
   5. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-321: Motion to approve We Live Here, ten vinyl-wrapped utility box designs by artist Mel Vera Cruz. The artwork will be installed on ten utility boxes located in South of Market. The project is funded by a grant from the Zellerbach Family Foundation Community Arts Program. The artwork will not become part of the Civic Art Collection.
       
   6. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-322: Motion for the Director of Cultural Affairs to approve the artist honoraria to the following individuals: Sam Contis $2,000, Carolyn Lazard $600, and Carmen Winant $2,600, for the development of works that will be included in the SFAC Main Gallery exhibition Bed of Trouble.
       
   7. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-323: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to increase the contract with White Light Inc. for an artwork at Central Subway Union Square Market Street Station from $448,623 to an amount not to exceed $458,723 (an increase of $10,100) to allow for additional engineering services required of the project.
       
   8. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-324: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to increase the contract with Demiurge LLC for fabrication of an artwork at Central Subway Union Square Market Street Station from $819,287 to an amount not to exceed $872,806 (an increase of $53,519) to allow for additional labor and materials required of the project.
       
   9. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-325: Motion to approve the arts professional Micki Meng, Founder of &Art&, as a panelist for public art selection panels for the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 Fiscal Years.
       
   10. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-326: Motion to authorize the Director of Cultural Affairs to modify the existing agreement with Kiboworks, the fabricator of the Jenny Holzer text-based LED artwork at the Salesforce Transit Center, from $1,263,061 to an amount not to exceed $1,331,069 (an increase of $68,008). The amended agreement will also authorize an additional scope of work to be performed that will upgrade the brightness of the LED lighting system and extend the contract completion date until December 1, 2021.
        
   11. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-327: Motion for the Director of Cultural Affairs to approve the curatorial honorarium of $4,000 to Nancy Lim for the research and development of the SFAC Main Gallery exhibition Conversation 8, set to open on April 17, 2020.
        
   12. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-328: Motion to reallocate the $30,000 art enrichment funds generated by the construction of the Golden Gate Golf Club House to supplement the budgets of other Recreation and Parks Department public art or conservation projects because the art enrichment funding generated by the golf club house is inadequate to execute a meaningful art project there.
        
   13. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-329: Motion to approve artist Meghann Riepenhoff’s Construction Document phase deliverables, including final imagery and a material and fabrication mockup for the Gallery Wall Artwork at 49 South Van Ness.
        
   14. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-330: Motion to approve artist Sanaz Mazinani’s Construction Document phase deliverables, including a material and fabrication mockup for the Forum Artwork at 49 South Van Ness.
        
   15. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-331: Motion to approve Gizmo Art Production’s fabrication mockup of Adriane Colburn’s artwork for Guy Place Park.
        
   16. RESOLUTION NO. 1202-19-332: Motion to approve the final design by HYBYCOZO for the Mint Plaza public art project.
        
7. New Business and Announcements
   President Ordeñana announced that the Executive Committee will be evaluating the performance of Mr. DeCaigny as Director of Cultural Affairs at its next meeting on December 16, and requested that Commissioners complete the survey they have received.
    
   Mr. DeCaigny reminded everyone that the meeting was rescheduled to that date because of the holidays, and will allow for public comment on budget priorities for the next two years. He also briefly reviewed the budget calendar. Finally, he thanked the Commissioners for their service, without pay, to the City, and the hard work and support of an incredible staff.
    
   There was no further news or announcements, and there was no public comment.
    
8. Adjournment
   There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 3:09 p.m.
    

posted 12/16/19, 6:00 p.m. spr
approved 1/6/20
 

Language Accessibility

Translated written materials and interpretation services are available to you at no cost. For assistance, please notify Commission Secretary Sharon Page Ritchie, 415-252-2256, 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, 415-252-2256, 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, 415-252-2256, 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, 415-252-2256,sharon.page_ritchie@sfgov.org.