SAN FRANCISCO ARTS COMMISSION
VISUAL ARTS COMMITTEE
Wednesday, September 8, 2021
3 p.m.
Remote meeting via video and teleconferencing
________________________________________
Minutes
 

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

Commissioners Present:
Suzie Ferras, Chair    
Nabiel Musleh
Abby Sadin Schnair
Janine Shiota
Debra Walker

Commissioners Absent:
JD Beltran
Yiying Lu

Commissioner Ferras called the meeting to order at 3:03pm.

2. General Public Comment
(6:04)

There was no general public comment.

3. Consent Calendar
(7:32)

1. Motion to approve the reinstallation of Entwined Meadow, a multi-component LED sculptural installation by artist Charles Gadeken, previously approved under Resolution # 1005-20-157. The work will be newly installed in its prior location in Peacock Meadow in Golden Gate Park, with slight modifications design. The work will be on view December 1, 2021 – February 1, 2022 through the sponsorship of the SF Parks Alliance.

2. Motion to approve Untitled, a mural design by artist Darin Balaban. The mural will be installed underneath the Kensington Pedestrian Bridge. The painted mural will be installed on five pillars of the bridge: three pillars are 20 ft., one pillar is 15 ft., and one is 2 ft. The project is funded by residents of Mira Loma and West Portal. The mural will not become part of the Civic Art Collection.

There was no public comment.

Motion: Motion to approve consent calendar.
Moved: Shiota/Musleh

The motion was unanimously approved
Ayes: Ferras, Musleh, Schnair, Shiota, Walker

4. Recommendation to Deaccession Martha Heavenston's A World View, 1989
(10:46)

Senior Registrar Allison Cummings presented a Staff report on the deaccession of the artwork A World View by artist Martha Heavenston at Gene Friend Recreation Center. An official request from Recreation and Parks Department was sent to SFAC to remove and deaccession the existing artwork located at Gene Friend Recreation Center to make way for the construction of a completely new facility. Arts Commission staff undertook extensive research to investigate the feasibility of removing the artworks and re-siting them within the proposed new construction. The artworks have been appraised for “replacement value” by an accredited fine arts appraiser. The conclusion is that estimates for removing and re-siting the works are very high and are in excess of the value of the artworks themselves. Re-fabrication of the works is not feasible as the glazes and materials used to create the originals are no longer made.

Rec and Park has reached out to core community stakeholders over the last several years, as well as the project outreach email list developed over the last several years, to alert community members to the possibility of deaccessioning the existing public art. During the course of this outreach, one of the members of the Parks and Recreation Open Space Advisory Committee (PROSAC) looped in additional community stakeholders. Rec and Park staff also alerted Supervisor Haney’s office to the plans and process. No opposition has been encountered as part of this process.

Arts Commission staff have been in contact with the artist and alerted her to these conclusions and the likelihood of deaccession. The artist has been accepting of this outcome, and has officially waived her CAPA/VARA rights. The artist also submitted a personal statement, reflecting on the artwork and its impact on her personal and professional life. The new Gene Friend Recreation Center budget does include Art Enrichment Funds for new work and Public Art staff will be working with Rec and Park and community members to integrate significant and meaningful artwork within the new facility.

There was no public comment.

Motion: to deaccession from the Civic Art Collection, at the request of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, Martha Heavenston's custom tile mosaic artwork A World View, 1989 (Accession No. 1989.25.a-i) consisting of 8 individual sculptures mounted on a concrete playground retaining wall and a tile mosaic frieze above the entrance at the Gene Friend Recreation Center, to make way for the construction of a new recreation center and playground.

Motion: to approve, at the request of the San Francisco Recreation and Parks Department, the removal and destruction of materials making up Martha Heavenston's artwork A World View, 1989 (Accession No. 1989.25.a-i) located at the Gene Friend Recreation Center, as the estimated costs to remove and reintegrate the artwork are very high, and in excess of the value of the artwork. In addition, conservation assessments determined that the artwork could not likely be removed without causing irreparable damage to the original work.
Moved: Schnair/Musleh

The motion was unanimously approved
Ayes: Ferras, Musleh, Schnair, Shiota, Walker

5. 2021 Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series
(30:12)

Program Associate Craig Corpora presented the final design by Kimberley Arteche for the 2021 Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series.

Arteche’s project "It Wasn't Only a Hotel" hearkens to the untold herstories surrounding a once-vibrant Filipino American enclave and the I-Hotel: a building whose demolition marked the end of Manilatown, a 10-block span of Kearny Street between Market St. and Jackson St.

The project is rooted in oral histories and inspired by the screenprint archive of Kearny Street Workshop, whose community arts organizing sparked activism for generations to come. Interviews and research were completed with the guidance of the Manilatown Heritage Foundation. The project highlights the lesser known herstories of womens' involvement in this movement, and the focus as San Francisco's first anti-displacement movement, the fight for the I-Hotel built a precedent for low-income housing in San Francisco.

"It Wasn't Only a Hotel” is a monument to the spaces that held, raised, and grew the Filipinx community. A monument to the struggle that is undermined by a lack of protection. A monument to the stories that cannot be safely held by architecture. A monument to the resilience and strength of the Filipinx community who has consistently had to fight for a place to call home.

The posters will be installed in October 2021, which is Filipino American History Month, and exhibited through the end of the year.

There was no public comment.

Motion: to approve the seven final designs by Kimberley Arteche for the 2021 Art on Market Street Kiosk Poster Series.  
Moved: Schnair/Walker

The motion was unanimously approved
Ayes: Ferras, Musleh, Schnair, Shiota, Walker

6. New Business and Announcements
(37:09)

Commissioner Schnair paid tribute and acknowledged the life and passing of her friend former Conservatory Director of ACT, Melissa Smith.
 

7. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 3:43pm
 

CC 9/9/2021 1:48pm
approved 9/13/2021
 

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.

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 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.