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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_ARTAB_12.19.2007Minutes of Meeting of the Arts and Culture Board City of Georgetown, Texas Wednesday, December 19, 2007 Board members present: Charles Aguillon, Richard Bartko, Nancy Blansett, Addie Busfield, Paul Gaffney, Penny Plueckhahn, Georgene Richaud, Ruth Roberts Board members absent: Jane Paden Staff present: Judy Fabry, Administrative Assistant for the library Regular Session A. Call to order at 2:05 p.m. B. Announcements from the Chair and Board members. ® Ruth announced that Linda Scarbrough is willing to serve on the public art panel. Francisco Choi will not. She left a message for Karalee Nunn and Tom Nichols but has not heard from them. Eric is on a well- deserved family vacation C. Citizens wishing to address the Board. None were present D. Reminder of February 2008 expiration of terms of four members. ® Paul Gaffney said he would not reapply, Rich Bartko said he would not reapply, Georgene Richaud said she was undecided, and Nancy Blansett said she would reapply. E. Consideration and approval of minutes of last meeting. Georgene moved that the minutes be approved as distributed, seconded by Rich. The motion passed unanimously. F. Consideration of and possible action on 1. Response to Dar Richardson —Judy Fabry Judy asked the Board to respond in writing to the proposal Dar Richardson made at the last meeting. Ruth moved that she would write a note to Mr. Richardson telling him that the Board looked forward to working with him on a sculpture show in Georgetown, motion seconded by Georgene. Nancy said she had already corresponded with him by email and had told him that the Board viewed favorably his proposal to have a sculpture show in Georgetown. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Response to Howard Bellau regarding purchase of prints —Judy Fabry Judy explained that Eric had been approached by Mr. Bellau about purchasing some prints to hang in the library. Eric said he could not make that decision; the Arts and Culture Board would have to decide. Everyone applauded Eric's move, and after considering photocopies of the prints, Ruth moved that Eric should not purchase the prints because he had no budget to do so. Georgene seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. 3. Report on hanging systems for City facilities - Nancy Blansett, Addie Busfield Addie said that Nancy had done a very nice job of demonstrating the hanging system to Greg Olmer at the Rec Center and that Greg had been extremely enthusiastic. They had determined the number of rails and rods Greg would need and Judy has already ordered the parts. Nancy handed out copies of the information she had given Greg and Karen Frost (in Planning and Development) about the process of acquiring art and a sample agreement for artists to sign when they are lending their art. Penny and Georgene both recommended that the City Attorney look at the agreement, particularly at the "hold harmless" clause, which they thought might not protect the City sufficiently. Judy said she would ask Eric to bring this to the City Attorney. 4. Report on Plano's RFO process and schedule for responses - Penny Plueckhahn Penny had not spoken with anyone in Plano. 5. Report on Austin's RFO process and schedule for responses - Ruth Roberts Ruth spoke with Jean Graham at Austin and learned about the ASAP system they use for advertising RFQs. Ruth said that the Board could advertise their RFQs on the ASAP system. 6. Report on meeting with Tom Yantis - Ruth Roberts Ruth showed slides of the downtown locations she and Tom looked at as possible sites for public art. (1)The first was the "alley" between Council Chambers and the first storefront east on 7th Street. The next was (2) the northeast corner of the Courthouse Square, followed by (3) the area in front of the bays of old Fire Station No.1 on Main Street between 8th and 9th, then across Main Street to (4) & (5) either side of Grace Heritage Center's front entrance, continuing south on Main Street to the (6) west edge of the large public parking lot located between 9th and 10th streets, and finally, (7) the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square. Ruth recommended the seventh location for its size and high visibility. Georgene moved that the Board adopt the southeast corner of the Courthouse Square as the location for the first piece of public art. Rich seconded the motion, which passed unanimously. Penny asked whether the County would have to approve the art that the Board selects. Ruth said she didn't think so, since the City owns the land on which the piece will be located. 7. Acquisition of public art for location on the downtown Square - Ruth Roberts Discussion of the RFQ followed. Ruth said that since the cost of purchasing hanging systems for City facilities has been much less than what had been budgeted (only $482 instead of $6000) she thought the RFQ should say that the maximum budget for the project would be $77,000. Charles argued that the Board needs to leave itself some negotiating room and money for contingencies. Ruth proposed $73,000. Judy then brought up the subject of removing the drinking fountain from the site where the art will be placed. She asked what the Board would do if they had to pay for that removal. Paul suggested that the Board should keep at least $6000 in the bank for contingencies —an amount that is less than the usual 10% reserved in contingency funds. The group agreed that the budget for the art will be advertised as $70,000. Some believed that the draft RFQ that Ruth had distributed needed more "context" for the art work —more history of Georgetown. Ruth said that she would rework what Linda Scarbrough and Laura Weir Clark had written to the Board (see minutes of November 21, 2007 meeting) and add it to the draft. The members agreed that proposals should include no more than 10 jpgs of the artist's existing works. Georgene agreed to send Judy 10 jpgs to see whether a file that size would get through the City's email filter. Members also wanted the RFQ to be advertised online through the City's Purchasing Department, through the Austin website, and through Dar Richardson s organization. Nancy Blansett left the meeting at 3:20. 8. Development of a directory of local artists - Nancy Blansett. Item was postponed until next meeting. Agenda items for January meeting: discuss proposing a change in the Ordinance that created the Arts and Culture Board to eliminate the designated Board positions for representatives of GISD and Southwestern University. Change wording to "attempt to include" (these representatives), or to have them be present on an ad hoc basis. Georgene moved and Paul seconded to adjourn the meeting 3:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Charles Aguillon, Secretary /L� K & F Ruth Roberts, Chair Friendship Dec. 29, 1 "Treasures of Texas"© By George Boutwell (Official Artist of Texas) A Double Matted • Wood Frame Stained in Red Mahogany $199.00 Lithograph is Signed and Numbered • Certificate of Authenticity Overall Dimensions (Framed) 33 in. x 27 in. Edition Limited to 1,845 (Year of Statehood) If['11{-'a :r � :: f �'o � i :: r s � � �'+`s'.: s :: �-r=a-.: i-r.'i'+ i � i-r"i'a is+a:�.i:f:i-r_i=r=i=r_i.-r_i �.�R�I�A►.+_!_1lUll i i U.S. Seal i i U.S. Flag — i �Ii Your UI State Nickname Limited Edition of 7,476 Overall Dimensions 25 in. x 31 in. Declaration of Independence Bill of Rights Your State Seal Your State Flag Your State Quarter "This painting was created to depict the symbols of America's Freedom. The eagles soaring above our nation's capital symbolically protect and serve the Freedom of all Americans. Just as the hrave inen and women that served in past wars and as the hrave Americans who serve in our military today. We as Americans, all enjoy this precious and intangihle commodity called "Freedom." Michael ,Sloan - Artist wholesale --- "179.00 1 s / s 1 i 1 1 Declaration of Independence Perfect for: Board Rooms - Meeting Halls Reception Areas - Schools & Any Patriots Home !-� ! .lam .!-���.-i'a-i" 'i'a'!_ �"i-a_•'..`i +!"r J ,J 1� ij L �3 !� y..► i-Jy� 1� .y. 07 "In God We Trust" "Freedom" by Michael Sloan - 39 in. x 30 in. U.S. Flag Pledge of U.S. Seal Allegiance .. l..`. 1. -.• a! w Bill of Rights Signed & Numbered Edition of 1,776 (USA) Double Matted - Red, White, & Blue Theme Frame Stained a Red Mahogany Texas Longhorns are very resilient to the and Texas landscape. They can go long distances without water, swim rivers, and survive the desert sun and winter snow. "Their long, polished horns sometimes ran six feet from tip to tip ... they were lean and lithe, alert as a deer, half -wild, half -savage, half -human." - from "The Saga of Rodeo" by cowboy writer Chuck Walters. The Bluebonnet (Lupinus texensis), is also called buffalo clover, wolf flower, and el conejo. It was adopted as the official state flower by the Texas legislature in 1901. Named for its color and the resemblance of its petal to a woman's sunbonnet. The Texas Horned Lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum) or the Horny Toad grows to a maximum length of 4-6 inches. Its coloration generally serves as camouflage against predation. When threatened by a predator, a horned lizard puffs up its body causing its spiny scales to protrude, making it difficult to swallow, 100 million years ago Texas was home to a lush tropical forest. Trees that fell into mineral rich mud before having a chance to decay became Petrified Palm Wood, which is actually a quartz -like stone. The organic wood cells were replaced over time by minerals, often retaining the detailed shape of the original prehistoric wood, Petrified wood is called the most beautiful of fossils. i •i i 7i /\ i c The Nine -banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus) is a cat -sized, armored, insect -eating mammal. Similar in form to an anteater. The bony, scaled shell of the Armadillo protects it from attacks by predators. A relatively recent addition to the Texas fauna, is the only species of Armadillo that occurs in North America. Texas is the largest producer of native pecans, and is second only to Georgia in the production of hybrid varieties. The sentiment that led to its adoption as a state symbol probably stems from the request of Gov. James Stephen Hogg, that a Pecan Tree be planted at his grave The Monarch Butterfly became the Texas state insect in 1995, by a resolution of the state legislature. The resolution was introduced by Representative Arlene Wohlgemuth on behalf of students in her district. The Monarch is unique among butterflies, being the only species of butterfly that doesn't hibernate. Instead. the Monarch migrates seasonally. For' 4 Named the state plant in 1995, the Prickly Pear is of the (Opuntia genus) t with many different species native to Texas. The Prickly Pear is characterized a by flat, fleshy, somewhat oval pads. Like other cactus, most species have spines. The Prickly Pear ranges in height from a few inches to over six feet. The Mockingbird (minus polyglottos), is about ten inches in length, including its relatively long tail. It has a light gray coat and a whitish underside, Its wings and tail are darker gray with white patches. The Mockingbird has the prettiest song of any bud native to North America. That's perhaps the chief reason it was adopted as the state bird of Texas in 1927. Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) was designated by the 62nd Legislature as the state grass of Texas in 1971. Sideoats is a small clump forming grass. It has delicately showy, reddish orange stems and ? rows of small flowers mostly on one side. The seeds have an oat -like resemblance. Sideoats can be easily identified by the papilla based hairs at the lower part of the leaf. f� • Ruth Roberts ,�►' . <roberts@donsnell.com> 11 /21 /2007 11:57 AM Ruth, To Fabry Judy <jkf@georgetowntx.org> cc bcc Subject from Linda Scarbrough & Laura Weir Clarke I don't how much good this will do you. I queried my very dear friend, Laura Weir Clarke (Esther's daughter) who in recent years has become something of an art maven for public space installations. She has found artists and mounted spectacular temporary public space works in New Haven, Connecticut, over the past three years. And of course she grew up in Georgetown and has a great feel for it. She had some ideas that you might take and do something with — though more centered on the art itself than the idea. As for me, here's what I wrote her about my thinking about a THEME, if you want one. It strikes me that Gtown was always, more than most small Texas towns, a place where people communicated and traded ideas to an unusual degree. The university and its spawns were central to this, but the mix of German/Swedish etc farmers, not rich but enterprising; the ranching community (mostly poor but enterprising and looked up to by nearly everybody by virtue of strong personality and land), in town academics, courthouse politicians and retainers, the competitive church community, and pretty healthy merchant group, a SLIGHTLY more open attitude toward blacks and hispanics than most places in texas, and the central communications forums, once run by Daddy Don and John Sharpe, made the horsetrading of political, cultural, and economic ideas more robust than in many small Texas towns of Georgetown's size thru much of its history. Communications ..... maybe transportation ...... which all falls into the same general lump ..... could be a nice subject for a contemp artist. And here are laura's two contributions: let me incubate this question for a while .... I love invention you know: dump train, John Lesesne's stuff ... and caves .... G'town is big about music ... there are some cool low-tech/no-tech kinetic sculptures that make music or let people push buttons..... and you know I'm really keen on the notion that contemporary art ... good stuff that doesn't get stale can make a historic district come alive, be refreshed, etc .... But also, this caveat: here in a place that's big on art ... public art ... the word is that permanent means 10 years... anything that sits around longer than that gets very tired and needs to be moved. I love the idea of a piece of art that moves around town .... it will be different everywhere it goes; and will make every location a new place. I like the pieces now that take local trash and make abstract art of out it: I think the artist is Chris Jordan .... Or for $70,000 they could bring 3 years of street artists: ... what about something temporary like the anamorphic pavement painters ... very cool.... • And also: lulu .... I love the idea of turning dead tree trunks into sculptures.... got any of those in g'town....... ? Four live oak trees in the median of U.S.Highway 90 Biloxii that died as a result of hurricane Katrina received new life at the hands of a skilled chain saw artist. 0 40 • • ,yam - `wi..`�5.- �+� $ � * ' �- ♦ •ems• _ '� t'., � � � - _ • :e` �,y. • • C� L Pi 10 • 0 I * C.� r� • Ll �J } • a. ■ 7 rAl 1 r", a - y -�