HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes_ARTAB_11.03.2008 SpecialMinutes of the Meeting of the
Arts and Culture Board
City of Georgetown, Texas
Monday, November 3, 2008
Present: Penny Plueckhahn, Georgene Richaud, Ruth Roberts, Mandy Solin, Addie Busfield, and
Jane Paden, Charles Aguillon was present for part of the meeting
Staff Present: Eric P. Lashley, Library Director; Judy Fabry, Library Administrative Assistant
Others Present: Jim Wear, Creative Arts Manager for the City of Plano
Special Session:
Chair Ruth Roberts called the meeting to order at 10:05 a.m. Those present introduced themselves
to Jim Wear Mr Wear began his presentation by paraphrasing Thomas Jefferson: "I must study war
so that my son can be a fainter so that his son can be an artist." Jefferson's thought reflected the
natural cycle of priorities that will inform the work of an arts and culture board — and also present it
with difficulties.
Mr. Wear moved on to describe the development of the City of Plano's involvement with the arts,
which began in the 1980s. In 1994 a $19.4 million bond was passed for the construction of a 1200-
seat concert space for the Plano Symphony. In the middle of the planning stage the capacity was
increased to 2500 seats and the cost rose to $30 million. A bond to cover the increase in cost failed
and the money that had been approved initially sat unused. Subsequently, a Tax Increment
Financing (TM) district was established to fund arts facilities. Since 2000 the City has opened three
arts facilities.
The Creative Arts Department is part of Plano's Parks and Recreation Division. Its mission is to
` create an environment where the community can share in the full diversity and vitality of the arts."
Mr. Wear has a staff of six who (1) create and manage the cultural facilities; (2) encourage
appreciation of the visual arts; (3) nurture the success of local arts organizations; (4) provide arts
enrichment programs; and (5) promote public awareness of the arts.
The facilities that the Creative Arts staff manages are:
• Courtyard Theater — a remodeled gymnasium (cost $6 million of TI H funds) that seats
about 300.
• Amphitheater in City nature preserve — 2 years old, built at a cost of $1.6 million, which
seats 1500 At the present time, concerts in this venue recover about 60% of the cost of
production. Donations must be raised to cover the balance. During the past year, 30
concerts played in this facility. Weather limits its use as a concert venue.
• Cox Playhouse -- 100-seat ` incubator" space for new theater groups and musicians.
Encouraging appreciation of the visual arts includes:
• Rotating exhibits at City Hall, the Convention Center, libraries, and the Courtyard
Theater.
• The public art program, begun in 1999, did not have funding until 2005. Took
advantage of public -private partnership to provide a large display of longhorn cattle
sculptures. The land and sculptures were donated, City provided installation and
infrastructure.
• There are two public art "committees", both appointed by Council. Early boards were
dominated by academics, addition of business people later helped move the work
along. Membership of boards is about evenly divided among male/female. People serve
two-year teixns with possibility of one renewal.
Nurturing cultural arts organizations:
• In FY 08-09 will give $677,710 to 20 organizations. Nine special events will receive
$298,000 (some Hotel Occupancy Tax "HOT" tax, some money from the City). Mr.
Wear noted that Plano has used HOT for at least the last 15 years.
• Mr. Wear listed a number of state-wide and national organizations that he believes
provide good networking opportunities and information for arts and culture boards. He
provided contact information for Pat Porter, executive director of Texas Business
Committee for Culture and the Arts.
• He suggested that we approach our large companies to get people on our art boards and
active with our arts organizations.
Art enrichment programs operate in cooperation with the Plano ISD. Children who benefit are those
who qualify for free or reduced cost lunches Last year paid $57,000 to an independent contractor
(nonprofit organization) that put on the 2-week sessions in dance, visual arts, theater, and singing.
Promoting public awareness of the arts
• Concerts at the amphitheater (tickets are very inexpensive)
• Film series
• planostages.tix.com is website through which tickets are sold
After a lunch break, Mr Wear spoke about master planning He suggested the Board needs to "start
where you are now" and list the local resources that currently exist (organizations, facilities, human
resources, programming, and special events). Then the Board should try to determine where the
money comes from so that these resources may be retained.
The next step would be to look at existing plans, such as the 2030 Plan and the Downtown Master
Plan, to see whether they define "what Georgetown wants to be when it grows up." Then talk to
local movers and shakers to see what their vision for Georgetown is.
Next consider whether the City prefers large-scale events with lots of people or "controlled chaos"
(lots of small events). Penny asked Mr. Wear whether he didn't think all of this work was being
reactive rather than proactive. Mr. Wear responded that the Board needs to know what the movers
and shakers want, whether that is what the Board decides it wants or not. He said that the Board
should be in a position to offer City Council a "menu" of choices.
Georgene suggested that the Board could offer an alternative "identity" to the City because she
doesn't believe that there is a unified vision at this time of what the City should be. Mr Wear
emphasized the importance of using data from earlier plans and trying to work arts and culture
around what those plans intended to do. He suggested that to help with the "vision thing," we
should find another community that has had a similar idea and try to figure out how they did it. A
community's vision of itself could be, for example, a tourist destination, a place to raise a family, or
an economic headquarters Arts and culture could play a role in all of these visions, but the focus
would be different Looking at the plans of other cities would also help establish costs. It will be
important to establish measurable goals with measurable costs.
Finally, Mr. Wear led the Board in anexercise to identify all of the City's existing arts and culture
assets. The result of that exercise is attached to these minutes and made a part of them.
The meeting adjourned at 3:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
udy Fab ' (/ Ruth Roberts
Acting Secretary Chair
October 10, 2008
Dear Mayor and Council Members,
I am writing on behalf of the Arts and Culture Board regarding the Council
agenda item about the possible relocation of Bob Coffee's "Waterin' the Work
Mules" sculpture. Before the Council takes final action on this item, the Board
would like to provide a synopsis of the process taken in the selection of this work
of art and share our ideas about moving it with you.
The City Council, acting on behalf of the citizens of Georgetown, appointed an
Arts and Culture Board. One of the missions of the Board is to oversee the
selection of art purchased with City funds. The Board purchases or commissions
• art works it thinks will be pleasing to the majority of citizens for placement in
public spaces in the City.
During the selection process for this piece, the board formed a committee of
interested citizens to choose a piece from submitted proposals. The committee
based their decision on three factors:
1. Which proposal had the most artistic merit;
2. Which was the most appropriate for the location selected by the Board
and approved by City Council; and
3. Which proposal was most likely to be pleasing to the majority of
Georgetown citizens who are paying for it?
The committee submitted its recommendation to the Board for approval. The
Board approved the selection and submitted it to City Council. The selection was
approved by City Council unanimously.
After reading Judge Dan Gattis' August 26 letter requesting the relocation of the
sculpture, it seems clear that the original objection to the sculpture's location -
Texas Historical Commission's grant forbidding new items being placed on the
Courthouse lawn - is no longer an issue due to the fact that the location is clearly
on City property.
• The Board does not feel Judge Gattis' letter provided enough justification to
overturn the original decision made by the selection committee, the Arts and
• Culture Board, and the City Council. The location of the sculpture and the
selection of the piece were deliberated in a number of open public meetings.
The Williamson County Sun and Austin American Statesman ran several articles
concerning the piece.
The Board feels that a thorough process was followed and none of the concerns
listed in Judge Gattis' letters were brought to their attention during the
deliberative process. The Board is concerned that a bad precedent could be set
if the project is changed at this late date.
The Arts and Culture Board appreciates the support of Council. We realize we
are an advisory board to Council and respectfully ask that you do not relocate the
sculpture.
Sincerely,
Ruth Roberts, Chair
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